How to Steal Your Best Friend's Fiancé (How to Rom Com Series Book 2)

by London Casey

  “Why are you knocking, Emily?” Dan asked.

  He reached into the box and took a glazed donut.

  “You’re going to spoil your dinner,” I said.

  “Don’t tell Elise,” he said. “She’ll kill me.”

  “Dan? Who was that?”

  Elise’s voice echoed through the house.

  Dan stuffed the donut into his mouth and moved out of my way.

  I closed the box and carried it to the kitchen.

  “It’s just your pain in the aaaaa…” I looked at Henley as she stood on a stool next to Elise. “Hey, Henley.”

  “Pain in the aaaaa?” Henley asked.

  “Don’t listen to Aunt Emily,” Elise said. “Why don’t you go find Daddy to get washed up, okay?”

  Henley jumped off her stool and ran to me for a hug.

  I crouched down and opened the box of treats again.

  I snuck her half a chocolate chip cookie and winked.

  She ran off, happy.

  “If she doesn’t eat, I’m going to be mad at you,” Elise said.

  “That’s my job as the cool aunt.”

  “You think you’re cool?”

  “I’m wicked cool,” I said. “I brought dessert.”

  “You brought leftovers from your bakery,” Elise said.

  “So… who pissed in your wine glass?” I asked.

  “Sorry. Long day.”

  “Everything good?”

  Elise sighed. “Dan and I are fine. You need to relax sometimes, Emily. I know things have been bad with our family, but I’m not going anywhere. Neither is Dan. Neither is Henley. Nobody else is leaving.”

  I swallowed hard. “Sorry. It’s just my habit. Things got…”

  “I know,” Elise said.

  “That’s why I took the bakery,” I said. “I felt guilty. I felt like it was my chance to keep things together.”

  Elise shook her head. “You know that was a bad idea. I told you that too. You didn’t listen.”

  I waved my hands. “Why are we talking about this? Blah. I want to be here and be happy. Let’s get crazy.”

  “My version of crazy these days is staying up past ten. Or having sex in the morning before Henley wakes up.”

  “Thanks for that,” Dan said as he walked into the kitchen.

  I looked at Dan. “Party animal, huh?”

  “I’m not talking about this with you,” he said to me.

  “Why not?” I asked. “You’re banging my sister. Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes past ten at night.”

  “Christ,” Dan said. “Thanks for this, Elise.”

  I laughed. “Hey. You’re getting laid more than I am right now.”

  “That’s your own fault,” Elise said. “You get attached and then it blows up and you don’t know what to do.”

  “What did you do to her today?” I asked Dan.

  “Me?” Dan asked. “Nothing.”

  “Did she find out about that donut you ate?”

  “Damn, Emily,” Dan said.

  “You ate a donut before dinner?” Elise asked. She pointed a knife at Dan. “I’ve been cooking this chicken parm for how long?”

  “Sorry, dude,” I said to Dan. I slapped his back. “I needed her daggers off me for a minute here.”

  “Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” Dan said.

  “Anytime.”

  I pushed from the counter and Dan smiled. “You know… Jeff was talking about you again.”

  I froze. “I don’t care.”

  “What did he say?” Elise asked.

  “It doesn’t matter what he said,” I said.

  “He’s got it bad for you, Emily,” Dan said. “I heard you’re looking to get out of the business?”

  “No,” I said. “No. It’s not like that…”

  “He said he would find a way to get you out of that horrible lease you signed with your so-called best friend… and then he could buy the building and do something with it. All that just for you.”

  “Lies,” I said.

  “Emily,” Elise said. “That’s a big gesture.”

  I frowned. “Really? That’s a gesture? He can’t get me flowers or flirt with me?”

  “I’ll tell him to do that,” Dan said.

  “No!” I yelled. “Fuck no!”

  “Aunt Emily…”

  I turned my head and saw Henley standing in the archway to the kitchen.

  “Shit,” I said. “I mean, shoot. Crap. Darn. Dang. Fudge.”

  “That’s a bad word,” Henley said. She shook her head. “Such a bad word.”

  She was like a mini Elise on my ass.

  I looked at Dan.

  He winked.

  “Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” I whispered to him.

  “Payback, sister-in-law…”

  When we finished dinner, Elise looked at Henley.

  “Ten minutes to play,” she said.

  “Yes!” Henley yelled. “I love when Aunt Emily is here. She curses and I get to stay up late!”

  “You’re welcome,” I said.

  Henley ran out of the kitchen.

  “Sorry about that,” I said.

  “No worries,” Dan said. “She’ll just grow up cursing like a trucker and never make it far in life.”

  “That’s harsh,” I said.

  “I think you need someone like Jeff in your life,” Dan said. “He’ll calm you down.”

  “Will you give it up on the Jeff thing?” I asked.

  “Why?” Elise asked. “What’s so bad about him?”

  “He’s just not my type,” I said. “He’s dorky. He’s… I don’t know. He’s like Dan.”

  “I’m a dork?” Dan asked.

  “You’re a total dork,” I said. “But I love you as a brother-in-law. My sister loves you enough to let you inside her after ten at night. There’s a difference, right?”

  Dan slowly nodded. “Wow.”

  “Come on,” I said. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

  “Okay, fine,” Elise said. “I’ll stop talking about Jeff. I’m just thinking what’s best for you. You never know what could happen. And at the very least, you could get out of that horrible business and move on with your life.”

  Dan stood up. He looked down at me. “I’m an awesome dork.”

  “The best dork I ever met,” I said.

  “Just wait until ten-oh-one,” Elise said. “I’ll show you how much I like your dorky ass.”

  “Nice,” Dan said. “I’m getting laid tonight. What about you?”

  I laughed. “Me? Not a chance. Have fun with my sister later.”

  Dan collected the dirty plates and took them to the sink.

  Then he disappeared.

  “You know, in some families, this thing between you and Dan would be an issue,” Elise said.

  “Does it bother you?”

  “No. I don’t know if that’s good or not.”

  “Dan’s a brother to me. Or a close guy friend. He’s like Liam.”

  “Ha!” Elise yelled. “Liam? He better not be like Liam. You two…”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I still don’t know how you two didn’t end up together.”

  “It doesn’t matter. But… listen to this…”

  I ran through the story of Miranda, Boston, the wedding, and what she wanted me to do with Liam.

  “So wait a second,” Elise said. “You’re telling me you’re planning Miranda’s wedding…? You’re going to be Miranda and Liam is Liam. And you two are going to hang out?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How do you get yourself into this stuff?” Elise asked. “Honestly. You won’t give a guy like Jeff the time of day but you’ll do this for Miranda?”

  “She’s my friend.”

  “Friend is a loose term for her,” Elise said. “But, you know what? It’s your life. Do your thing.”

  “It’s with Liam,” I said. “We’re old friends. It’ll be fun to hang out with him. We haven’t hung out in
years.”

  “Right,” Elise said. “Hanging out.”

  She gave me a total Mom look.

  “Stop it,” I said. “Don’t even think it.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not that kind of person,” I said. “He’s engaged to Miranda. We’re friends. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

  “Okay,” Elise said. “I believe you. I just want you to be happy, Emily. I’m not saying get married and have kids. Just be happy.”

  “I’m fucking fantastic,” I said.

  “Aunt Emily!”

  I looked to my left and Henley was in the doorway to the dining room.

  “You’re like a ninja!” I yelled. “Put some damn tap shoes on her so I can hear her coming next time.”

  Elise shook her head.

  So did Henley.

  “Bad, bad word,” Henley said.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  What. The. Fuck. Ever. Right?

  Henley took her bath and I tucked her into her bed.

  We read five bedtime stories, discussed the lives of her favorite stuffed animals, and strategically talked about how Santa Claus flies around the world in one night.

  Henley had a big imagination and more than that, she had smarts.

  She was a dork like Dan but had the fire of Elise.

  Which was scary to think about.

  For all I knew, the girl was going to grow up and become President.

  I’d vote for her.

  I said my goodbyes to Elise and Dan.

  Elise hugged me, rocking back and forth.

  When I hugged Dan, I told him I hid the last donut in the back of the fridge for him as a peace offering for ratting him out earlier and calling him a dork.

  Then I went back home.

  To my lonely apartment.

  It was too late to check on Miss Crabapple and Buzzy then head up to the roof.

  I really didn’t like going up there alone either.

  So I went to bed, thinking I’d get a head start on my day.

  I fell asleep, but only for a little while.

  I woke up to the sound of my phone receiving a text message.

  It was really late.

  Way after midnight kind of late.

  It was from Liam.

  Just like old times, Em! See you tomorrow!

  I shook my head and didn’t bother responding.

  I rolled over and my eyes stayed wide open.

  I smiled.

  I was looking forward to spending time with Liam too.

  We were friends… that was all it ever was.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Liam

  I woke up, stretched out across the otherwise empty bed and took a deep breath. Then I rolled to my right side, took the covers with me, and looked at my phone.

  I had no recollection of how I went from the couch to the bed.

  When I saw the text to Emily, I groaned.

  It could have been a lot worse than what I had sent.

  And I also could have sent nothing to her.

  I could have just avoided the situation all together. Gently. Or let her get in touch with me. She was the one put on the spot in front of Miranda and I.

  It still pissed me off that she did that.

  The way she did it.

  There wasn’t anything I could do about it.

  Miranda was in Boston.

  Emily was at her bakery.

  And I was still in bed.

  I managed to pull myself out of the bed and took a cool shower to try and wake my hungover ass up.

  I wasn’t twenty-one anymore.

  That much I knew for sure.

  My body reminded me of that with an icepick to the back of my eyes feeling that refused to go away.

  Even after the shower. Even after I got dressed. Even after I ate something.

  Today was just going to be that kind of day.

  I grabbed a pair of sunglasses and headed out the door with a little bit of time to spare.

  Just to be safe, I texted Jacob and told him I was running late.

  I wanted him, David, and Maria to work on the depositions on my desk.

  I loved text messages when it came to work stuff.

  I gave the command and Jacob replied with a thumb’s up emoji.

  That was the extent of my work conversation for the morning.

  I waited for my ride while scrolling through two dozen emails.

  After getting into the car and the driver asking me where I was going, I blurted out Emily’s bakery.

  Which hadn’t been my plan.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  More coffee wasn’t going to make the hangover worse.

  Plus, this was what Miranda wanted.

  “Miranda,” I whispered. “Shit.”

  I grabbed for my phone to send her a good morning text.

  I stared at our text message thread and swallowed hard.

  It wasn’t a good feeling to feel forced into texting your fiancée good morning…

  I walked into the bakery and saw how busy it was.

  I took my place in line and like everyone else, I went face down on my phone.

  This was what society was like.

  Everyone in their own world, worrying about their shit, full of loneliness and anxiety, yet they were surrounded by people.

  Feeling dark there, Liam?

  I put my phone away and shook my head.

  I needed a pick-me-up.

  And I needed it…

  Emily walked from the back of the bakery and looked right at me.

  She smiled and put her hands to her hips.

  She wore a dirty apron with her hair pulled back in an I’m late and don’t care kind of way. Which was just how Emily always was. I could see the hint of blue in her eyes even from this distance and through my sunglasses.

  She motioned with her hand to come toward her.

  I broke out of the line and walked along the side wall, in between tables, my eyes never leaving hers.

  “Good morning, Liam,” she said. “How’s the head?”

  “The head is fine,” I said. “It’s behind my eyes that is killing me. Wait. How did you know…?”

  “You texted me at what time last night?” she asked with a smile that left me with no choice but to smile back at her. “And I could tell by the text. Em…”

  “Right,” I said. “You caught me. I was out with the guys last night.”

  “Any more bar fights?”

  “Just one.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Are you going to yell at me for it?”

  “No,” she said. “Why would I yell at you?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “It was just… a long night.”

  “I can tell. You need a coffee?”

  “I’ll wait in line.”

  “No, you won’t,” Emily said. “Come here.”

  I stepped closer to the back of the bakery and Emily poured me a coffee.

  She handed it to me and pointed to the back.

  I went with her.

  “I was thinking of you last night,” I said.

  “Oh?”

  “When we were walking around, there was this music club. It’s not too far from here actually. Looked like a really cool place.”

  “I’ve seen it before,” she said. “Did you go in?”

  “No. The guys wanted to keep hitting bars.”

  “I’ve never gone in either. I feel like if I did, I’d be sucked in.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” I asked.

  Emily stopped at the office door. “I don’t know. It’s just…”

  “You were always good with music, Em,” I said. “Playing guitar and singing.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “But I haven’t done that in a long time.”

  “Maybe you should think about it again,” I said.

  She opened the office door. “Yeah. Maybe.”

  We went into the office and I sipped the coffee.

 
; “This is damn good,” I said.

  “Lucy and Ember are the best,” Emily said. “Ember finds the best stuff and Lucy has her little secrets on how to brew it. I don’t know what I’d do without them here.”

  “It looks like you have a hell of a business.”

  “Looks can be deceiving, Liam,” she said.

  “What does-”

  “Emily, do you know… whoa.”

  I turned around and saw a woman in the doorway.

  “Lucy,” Emily said. “Hey.”

  “Sorry,” Lucy said.

  I stuck my hand out. “I’m Liam. An old friend of Emily’s.”

  “Liam, right,” Lucy said. “You looked familiar. You’ve been in here before.”

  “A few times,” I said. “Usually to apologize to Emily for doing something inappropriate.”

  “With a smile like that, how can anything you do be inappropriate?” Lucy asked.

  “Easy there,” Emily said.

  “The bathroom sink is still dripping,” Lucy said. “Did you call Henry?”

  “I forgot,” Emily said. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’ll take a look,” I said.

  “No,” Emily said.

  “Why not?” Lucy asked. “Let him roll up his sleeves and show off what he’s got.”

  Lucy winked and walked away.

  I looked at Emily.

  She waved a finger at me. “She’s too old to act that way.”

  “Not even close to it,” I said with a smile.

  “Should I warn Miranda about you and Lucy?” Emily teased.

  I laughed.

  But I also didn’t like hearing Miranda’s name coming from Emily’s mouth.

  There was an awkward moment of silence between us.

  I finally broke the ice.

  “Let me look at that sink.”

  I rolled up my sleeves and crouched down.

  I looked at the pipe that was leaking.

  The connector piece looked crooked.

  I grabbed it with my right hand and loosened it a little.

  Water began to drip faster.

  “Can you get me a bucket, Em?” I asked. “I don’t want the floor to get soaked and have someone fall and get hurt.”

  Emily hurried out of the bathroom.

  I loosened the piece a little bit more and then shifted it so it was straight.

  Did I know what I was doing?

  Not a fucking clue.

  Handyman stuff wasn’t my thing.

  But this seemed basic enough.