Page 2 of The Holiday Exchange

I roll my eyes. “By three minutes.”

“Still your big brother.” He grins, then nods toward Briar behind him and fans himself, signaling he finds Briar hot.

Yeah, that makes two of us.

“Do you want your usual?” I ask Briar, ignoring my brother. I feel bad about it, but God, can’t I have this one thing? And I admit I don’t know Briar well, and I was just thinking how they’re similar, but the thought of my brother pursuing him makes my gut sour.

Like I said, I love my brother, but he’s not the relationship type. He cycles through men and women like it’s his job, and while there’s nothing wrong with that as long as they’re both on the same page, I’d rather my crush not be one of them. He might not mean it, but the truth is, Nathan can be a little selfish. He doesn’t always think about others.

“Yes, thank you. What about you, Nathan? My treat,” Briar tells him.

His treat. I know what that means.

Nathan gives me his order, and I watch as the two of them head to a table and sit down together.

Andrea, my employee, starts preparing their chicken pesto wraps while I make Briar’s latte and Nathan’s smoothie.

Nathan must be saying something charming and hilarious because Briar is laughing again.

I don’t get to have my weekly conversation with him, and when they leave, they’re off together, Briar giving me a kind wave and smile as he holds the door open for my brother.

It’s not his fault. He doesn’t know I’m into him. I can’t blame Briar…or Nathan, for that matter.

Later that night, I’m in bed, when I get a call from Nathan. “Hey, how’s it going?” he asks.

“Not bad,” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t come off sharper than intended. Again, none of this is Briar’sorNathan’s fault. I don’t have the right to be upset with either of them, and while my brother might not be perfect, he’s still the only brother I have. “Wanna come over and hang tomorrow night?” I ask.

“I can’t. I asked Briar out.”

My heart drops to my stomach, drowning in the acid. “Oh, gottcha.”

“We could hang out on Saturday. Movies at my place?”

“Yeah, sure.” The words stick like peanut butter in my mouth. Of course Nathan would get Briar first, and I have no one to blame but myself. “I’ll bring dinner,” I tell him, trying not to be too frustrated. No matter what, I like spending time with him.

When they officially start to date, I try to convince myself my crush on Briar is over. Unfortunately, crushes don’t really work that way. But I still enjoy our Thursdays and tell myself that being friends with Briar is enough.

1

BRIAR

“Ordering for the both of you?”Dawson asks as I approach the Sip and Savor counter Thursday afternoon.

I glance at my watch. “Yeah, might as well.”

I notice the tic in his jaw as he turns away, and I wonder if his twin’s tardiness annoys him too. Not that I’m irritated enough to call Nathan on it. We’ve been dating for about three months now, and though we’re both busy, I do wish he’d give me a heads-up if I’m going to be waiting on him.

I clear my throat and make small talk with Dawson instead. One of the perks of meeting Nathan here today. Truth be told, I miss our chats and flirty banter because this small-business owner is a hottie, especially since he’s been sporting some scruff, but I was never sure if he shared the sentiment. When I found out Dawson has a twin and said twin asked me out, I figured it was a win-win.

Except the brothers are nothing alike, and not only because Dawson’s blond hair reaches his shoulders while Nathan keeps his cropped and his jaw clean-shaven. But maybe that’s a good thing. Where Dawson is kind, compassionate, and has this quiet confidence, Nathan owns any room he walks into. In fact, Inoticed him as soon as he entered the gym in our office building and began pumping weights. His self-assurance draws attention, and he’s very aware of it. Not that he’s arrogant or flaunts it, just that his charisma and decisiveness take center stage. Nothing seems to ruffle his feathers, and I figure I could learn a thing or two about letting stuff roll off me.

Like his constant tardiness. And lately his last-minute cancellation of dates.

“Any plans for the holiday?” Dawson asks, breaking me out of my increasingly frustrating thoughts. He places Nathan’s protein smoothie beside my latte on the counter. His plaid shirt is rolled to the elbows, and his smile is one of genuine curiosity.

I breathe out because Dawson is charming in his own way. He makes me feel calm, which might be what drew me to him in the first place. “Oh, every Christmas I head home.”

“Maine, right?”