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reaking our eye contact but not the connection between us.
“Hey, brother, who are these beautiful ladies?” I called out as I made my way over to Ryan.
He shot me a surprised look before it morphed into a grin. I had never asked Ryan who he was talking to before, had never attempted to be charming at the bar. I wasn’t sure what qualities I might have gotten from our parents, but charm certainly wasn’t among them. No, all the charming genes were divvied up between Nick and Ryan.
“This is Britney and her roommate, Claudia . . . like cloud-ee-ah. Not like clawed-ee-ah.”
I watched as she smiled again, pissed off that it wasn’t me who was making her do it. “It’s nice to meet you both. Thanks for coming in. Is it your first time?”
I tried to make eye contact with Britney to include her in the conversation, but I couldn’t stop looking at Claudia. It wasn’t so much the rich coffee-bean color of her eyes as the way she was looking at me with them. Maybe she was thinking I was a psychopath, while I was hoping she liked what she saw.
“I’ve been here before, but it is Claudia’s first visit,” Britney said, but Claudia and I were still looking at each other without a word, not acknowledging that anyone else was in the room.
I blinked and gave Claudia a brief smile before looking away, confused about what was happening to my body and running through my head. I wasn’t available and had no right to act like I was, but this woman had me twisted up with just a look. That kind of thing didn’t happen to me. I wasn’t Ryan, the hopeless romantic looking to find his Cinderella.
“I hope you ladies have a nice time. Next round’s on me,” I said before walking away.
I had to get away, had to get some distance from this girl. My heart needed to stop pounding like a wild gorilla inside my chest.
Ryan chased me down as I hurried back toward the office. “What the hell was that?”
“I have no fucking idea,” I said before slamming the door in his face, willing him to keep his ass outside.
I dropped into my desk chair and sat there stewing, trying to figure out what had just happened out there. What did it all mean? Why did this woman set me on fire when I wasn’t available to burn?
Ten minutes later, I was no closer to any answers. Logic was shouting at me to stay put, but my ego begged me to go back out there. What if some other guy was hitting on her? A woman like that got hit on all day long, every single day. I was certain of it.
Feeling guilty for my thoughts, I shot Shelby a quick text to say hi, something I rarely did anymore. And then I instantly regretted it, worried she might take it as an invitation to head to the bar.
I hoped she wouldn’t. I needed her to stay home tonight and not come here.
All thoughts of Shelby were pushed away, replaced by thoughts of Claudia. Claudia, like cloud-ee-ah, was right outside the door, somewhere in my bar.
And I had to see her again.
I Think I Have a Favorite Brother
Claudia
I finally understood Britney’s obsession with this bar. One step inside its warm interior and I loved the vibe already. Soft music played in the background, but was drowned out by the conversations happening everywhere. A whole section of wall was dedicated to Instagram pictures only, with Sam’s bar prominently advertised in the corner. It was brilliant marketing and I respected it. Nick’s handiwork, I knew from Britney.
“It’s amazing, right?” she asked as we navigated through the crowd, and I smiled and nodded in response.
We found Ryan and Nick tending bar—smiling, taking orders, and mixing drinks. They were definitely good-looking, both with gorgeous blue eyes that looked almost identical in the dim light. I absolutely understood the appeal and why women kept coming back for more.
When Britney introduced me to Ryan, I smiled, realizing within seconds why she crushed on him. He was charming, but not in a cheesy kind of way, with sandy-brown hair and a sprinkling of sun-kissed freckles that reminded me of Britney’s. His charm seemed easy and genuine, like it was part of who he was, not like he was giving you his best sales pitch. It would be way too easy to think he was into you when he talked to you.
While I observed Britney and Ryan flirting with each other, my skin prickled for no apparent reason. I looked around the room, my eyes latching onto a pair of green ones that I couldn’t look away from.
It had to be Frank, the oldest Fisher brother. His jet-black hair matched Nick’s, and their features were similar.
I struggled to look away. He was devilishly handsome, his jawline so strong and rugged, it caused my breath to catch in my throat. We stared at each other for what felt like minutes, but was probably only a few fleeting seconds, until I tore my gaze away.
Someone had to.
Even though I was no longer looking his way, I could still feel him, sense he was near. Unnerved, I hesitated before looking up at the sound of what had to be his voice. Everything about this man caused my body to physically react, and I had no idea why.
When Ryan introduced Britney and me to Frank, I was once again ensnared by those green eyes. I couldn’t look away this time, refusing to stop the buzz that charged inside my head just from looking at him. Everything else went quiet as I lost myself in a sea of green.
