Swoon: A Brother's Best Friend Standalone

Apparently, Logan thinks I offered to help out his little sister, yet again, as a favor to him. But while that was true last time, Logan had nothing to do with my offer to Amy this time. As a matter of fact, I felt inspired to help Amy, on a whim, simply because I was enjoying her company so damned much and thought it might ease my anxiety during a stressful week to have a friendly face along for the ride.

We reach the front door of the restaurant and I open it for everyone to pass, which they do, with Amy hanging back to go last.

“Did you see the look on Luke’s face when I said I’ll be working for you?” Amy whispers excitedly in the doorway. “He looked like a toddler denied a cookie!”

With a happy little evil laugh, Amy enters the restaurant and I follow. But I can’t agree with her assessment. Nope. Luke didn’t look like a toddler denied a cookie a minute ago. On the contrary, he looked to me like a man who just figured out the woman he’d set his sights on is way, way out of his league.

Four

Amy

“No, sadly, none of my scenes will be shot in Hawaii,” Colin says, responding to a question from one of the groomsmen sitting across from us at the table. “My character dies at the one-third mark of the movie, before his unit takes off for combat. So, all my scenes will be shot on a studio lot in Burbank, before the rest of the production heads off to Kuai for three months.”

Everyone within earshot of Colin peppers him with another round of questions about the movie, which he graciously answers. That’s great by me, since it gives me more time to covertly ogle Colin’s lips as he talks. To study his handsome profile, his sexy, tattooed forearms, and tousled, gorgeous hair. All without coming off like the lowkey creeper I am.

I’m sitting to Colin’s right at our long table, while Logan and Kennedy sit to his left, and several members of the wedding party sit across from us. When we first sat down fifteen minutes ago, Logan told everyone the exciting news about Colin’s upcoming movie. And that’s all anyone’s wanted to talk about since.

“How’d you get the part?” one of the groomsmen asks.

“I got lucky,” Colin replies. “Thanks to a modeling campaign I did recently—”

“The one for Calvin Klein?” a bridesmaid interjects.

“Yeah. Thanks to that ad campaign going viral, I got invited to a big Hollywood party, where I met the director of the movie, Gary Flynn. One thing led to another, and my manager got word Gary wanted me to come down and audition for him and his casting director. I went down there, crapping my pants, read a few scenes for them, and two days later, I got word the role was mine.”

Everyone at the table explodes with excitement and another round of questions. But this time, Colin says, “Enough about me. Let’s talk about the wedding. Has anyone started a pool on who’s gonna get the drunkest tomorrow night?”

If he wanted to change the topic quickly, he’s a genius. Instantly, enthusiastic conversation about tomorrow night’s festivities ensues, and then continues until the waitress appears to take everyone’s food orders.

When it’s our turn to order, Colin and I give the waitress our information, at which point Colin shocks me by leaning into my shoulder, bumping me playfully, and asking, “Do you not drink alcohol, or are you simply not drinking tonight?” He points at my water glass.

“Oh, I drink, but not when I’m driving. I’ll drink like a fish tomorrow night. In fact, don’t tell anyone, but I’d advise you to put all your money on me in that pool.”

Colin laughs at my silly joke, the same way he’s laughed at all my jokes tonight. And I can’t deny, each and every time I hear Colin’s adorable, heartfelt laughter, especially in reaction to something I’ve said, butterflies—no, fireflies—whoosh into my belly. Wings and lights, as the famous 22 Goats song says.

“Something tells me Drunk Amy is going to be highly entertaining tomorrow night,” Colin says.

“That’s a given. With each drink ingested, Drunk Amy’s internal filter loses fifty-percent functionality. Give me three drinks, and it’s ninety-nine percent likely I’ll say or do something highly regrettable. Might even do both.”

Colin’s dark eyes flicker. “Sounds fun.” He leans forward and places his tattooed forearm onto the table, a mischievous smirk on his handsome face. “Did Drunk Amy ever say or do something ‘highly regrettable’ during the RCR tour?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“Oooh. Tell me more.”

“Nothing too scandalous—don’t set your expectations too high. But I most definitely committed the crime of ‘over-sharing while intoxicated’ during the tour.”

Colin pulls a face like he’s not impressed. “Pfft. That’s barely a misdemeanor.”