THE SERVING OF CHAOS CONTINUES — SEVEN BOOKS, ONE FAST-TALKING HEROINE, AND A MOUNTAIN OF SITCOM-STYLE DRAMA.
My Best Friend's Brother is a complete, binge-worthy New Adult romantic comedy series told entirely from the first-person perspective of Adonia Morrison. If you're ready for laugh-out-loud misunderstandings, overprotective dads, dramatic best friends, and a love story trying to survive the ultimate comedy of errors, dive in!
Next up:
SHE FAKED A PREGNANCY TO SAVE HER LOVE — NOW IT MIGHT BURY THEM ALL.
Meeting Luke was the best thing to ever happen to Adonia Morrison. One look and her knees wobble — he's sexy, smart, funny, literally every girl's dream... and her father's nightmare.
As Valentine's Day approaches, Lilly Jacobson — "Rapunzel" to her brother for that long blond hair — cranks the drama to eleven. When her boyfriend Gino Barone backs out of their post-graduation move to Hawaii, Lilly does what any level-headed girl would do: she fakes a pregnancy to make him reconsider.
Luke and Adonia's chaperoned trip to the Alps offers a welcome distraction — until Adonia discovers the frequent texts Luke never mentions. Suddenly her average self is facing some serious competition. Reading those texts was her first mistake. A night walk with his best friend Troy De La Fontaine was her second. Troy — the notorious girlfriend-stealer — is smooth, wildly tempting, and completely unaware how close Adonia is to breaking.
Back in Alaska, Lilly's fake pregnancy has snowballed into fictional reality. Caught in the middle, Adonia must choose between her best friend and her best friend's brother — and Lilly's lie is bound to wreck them both.
Who's texting Luke? Can Adonia resist getting even? How far can one lie go? And will anyone's relationship survive this arctic blast?
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~ EXCERPT ~
We were meeting Luke's dad at a seafood restaurant, one of the upscale ones in our town. I trembled as I left the car, and it wasn’t because of the cold.
A minute later we stood before him, and it was too late to turn back now.
Mr. Pawlak sat at a table in the center of the restaurant, wearing a crisp black suit, a partially unbuttoned white shirt, and loosened tie. From the look of him, I wondered if that suit tears right off. Clean-shaven, blond, Lilly’s shade of aquamarine eyes, a strong chin, and a hot body.
“Wow!” I blurted. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”
Both Luke and his dad stared at me in such a way that I wanted to turn around, walk outside and freakin’ DIE.
Mr. Pawlak glanced behind him, maybe to see what I was talking about.
And I thought I had problems breathing before…
Luke cleared his throat and gripped my waist. “Dad, meet my girlfriend, Adonia Morrison.”
I don’t think I took a single breath that whole time. The man just stared at me, occasionally chewing something.
I looked to Luke, who looked at him in the most demanding way. “Dad,” he growled.
Mr. Pawlak cleared his throat. “Just this one?” he asked in a hot, accented voice, with a small hand gesture.
I cringed just a bit, and bit my tongue.
“Yeah, Dad, how many do I need?”
After a small shrug his dad put his hand out for me to shake. “Apoloniusz Pawlak.”
“Apollo?” I shrieked. “Like the Greek god?!”
That just made too much sense—I must have misheard.
Mr. Pawlak’s eyes slid over to Luke for a moment. Luke pulled out a chair for me and then sat himself, dragging his inches from mine.
“Apoloniusz,” Mr. Pawlak repeated. “I was actually named for the Polish painter, Apoloniusz Kedzierski.” He frowned, solemn. “Best known for painting a peasant lady carrying a water bucket.
“But sure,” he continued, his spirits lifting. ”We can say I was named for a god! That’s all right with me.”
Luke squeezed my hand and leaned into my ear. “It’s okay, Beautiful.”
I exhaled. Luke winked.
“And what’s your name?” Mr. Pawlak asked, finally smiling.
Again I looked to Luke, confused. I thought Luke had already said my name. “A-Adonia Morrison,” I stammered.
Mr. Pawlak snapped his fingers. “Ah, that’s right! Sorry, I forgot.”
In three seconds?
“So how’s my son treating you?” Mr. Pawlak asked a few uneventful moments later.
“He’s wonderful!” I gushed, growing slightly more comfortable.
His smile evaporated. “Hmm. Well I see you like him more than I do.”
I was taken aback.
Luke chuckled. “Thanks, Dad.”
Mr. Pawlak nodded and raised his hand for the waitress. “Hey, gorgeous,” he called. “I’m starving here!”
Luke breathed into my ear again. “My dad’s a ladies’ man.”
“I can see why!” I blurted, and they both looked at me.
“You can see why, what?” Mr. Pawlak asked with a weak smile.
I bit my lip. “I can see why you’re starving?”
He looked confused.
Luke wrapped an arm around me. “So, Dad, how’s Shelly?” he asked to change the subject.
“Her name’s Stacy.”
Luke furrowed his brow. “Her name wasn’t Stacy before…”
“Well,” Mr. Pawlak said, checking his cell phone. “It’s Stacy now.”
“Oh, I remember,” Luke said. “Stacy came before Shelly.”
Mr. Pawlak rubbed his chin, still looking through his phone. “Different Stacy. And hell if I know, I’m always working.” He glanced at Luke and shrugged. “I assume she’s all right.”
The waitress finally appeared, a petite twenty-something brunette with long hair, gray eyes and a soft complexion. She checked out the gods I was dining with, and took a breath through her teeth. “And where are you gentlemen from?” she asked cheerfully, puffing out her chest. “Hollywood?”
Mr. Pawlak held his chin. “Pretty close! Good guess!”
Her eyes lit up. “Really!” She positioned her clipboard so she could write. “I could tell! What brings you to Alaska?”
“I finally took a few days’ vacation and my son here wanted me to meet Donna,” Mr. Pawlak said, gesturing to me.
“Dad,” Luke breathed. “Adonia.”
“Adonia!” His dad laughed nervously. “So sorry, I’m bad with names.”
“It’s okay,” I peeped. “I can kind of relate.”
Luke’s grip on me tightened. “I love you,” he breathed softly into my ear.
I touched his hand, afraid to turn to him. If he kissed me like I sensed he would, it’d be awkward.
Before long, I was phasing out. I could see Apollo’s lips moving, and the waitress laughing, but I couldn’t make out a thing they were saying. Luke’s cologne was clouding my head—flooding my mind with certain thoughts. Thoughts that didn’t belong at a lunch date with his dad.
The next thing I knew, everyone was staring at me. I looked about, panicked. “What?”
“What would you like to eat?” Mr. Pawlak asked, slightly annoyed.
I realized I hadn’t even checked the menu. “I’ll just have what he’s having,” I said, pointing to Apollo.
The waitress’s eyebrows pinched, and she smiled. “Got it!” Then she stared at him for a few moments. “Do you want a drink?”
Mr. Pawlak grinned. “I was hoping to ask you that!” His eyes moved to her name tag. “Amber…”
Her mouth dropped, and she gripped her heart. “Oh my God!”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Dad, what about Stacy?”
Mr. Pawlak’s eyebrows knitted. He still gazed at the brunette. “Who?”
My boyfriend was raised by this guy?!
I couldn’t understand for the life of me how they were so different! It was like night and day. The only thing they shared was a gift to the gene pool!
Although this man came across as a total womanizer, I didn’t know whether I liked him or not. I guess I just wanted his approval, so my boyfriend wouldn’t have to dump me.
A small part of me wondered if he’d always been like his, or if he’d turned into this; and if Luke would end up like him, too.
That would be unfortunate.
The waitress had left. They were staring at me again, so I snapped back to reality. “My mind wanders,” I explained, half hoping he didn’t hear me.
He looked to Luke. “So did you decide where you’re moving?”
“Not exactly,” Luke said, checking his phone. “I‘m waiting for a Realtor to email me; but we’re planning to move to Prince George, British Columbia.”
Mr. Pawlak nodded. Then he smiled at me—kind of an awkward smile. “Are you going to college?” he asked.
“I’m supposed to, but I’m getting cold feet.” It made me kind of uneasy that Mom sent in my deposit—it meant that I’d committed to going, when I really hadn’t.
Mom did the committing for me!
“Cold feet! The story of my life!” Mr. Pawlak said with a laugh.
“I want to be a writer,” I added softly.
He raised his eyebrows. “Really! Sounds a bit more realistic than being a professional alpine skier!” That one, of course, was directed at Luke.
Luke either didn’t hear, or didn’t care. He leaned across the table and showed his father the screen. “Dad, this is the place I’m looking at.”
Mr. Pawlak peeked at it for a moment. Then he cleared his throat, raised a finger, and said, “Where’s my coffee?”
“Workin’ on it!” Amber assured, as she ran off to the kitchen with someone else’s order.
He smiled and checked his watch.
“Dad,” Luke said. “What do you think about the house?”
Mr. Pawlak looked around. “Sure, Lukasz, it’s great. I’ll cut you a check.”
Luke’s face fell. “Oh. I just wanted some input, actually.”
His father looked irked. “Lukasz, do what you want. I’m not living in it, you are.”
Luke’s arm tightened around me. “Right.” Then under his breath he uttered, “Not sure why I bother.”
Mr. Pawlak leaned forward, like he wanted to hear better. “Hmm?”
Luke shook his head. “Never mind.”
A few awkward minutes later, the waitress returned with our meals. She walked off after checking out my boyfriend and his rich dad a bit more.
Because one glance just wasn’t enough!
Oddly enough, I sensed an odor. Did she piss her pants?
“How’s school, Lukasz?” Mr. Pawlak ordered.
“Good. I’m taking calculus three this semester.”
“I thought you finished core math in California.”
“It’s an elective,” Luke said. “Just for fun.”
I think it’s crazy to take calculus for fun; but then, he’s taking writer’s workshop with me as an elective, so I felt pretty damn important.
I grabbed a fork and dug into my food.
And once it hit my tongue, I gagged.
My stomach clenched. I threw my chair aside and stood up, leaning over the table. “What the hell am I eating!”
A salty, putrid taste coated my mouth. The smell was horrid. Seriously, it smelled like urine!
My stomach did a somersault.
And I puked.
Everywhere.
I grabbed napkins. I tried to stop.
So. Bad.
~~~~~~
Excerpt from Book of Luke. © Chrissy Favreau 2016. All rights reserved.
