Read Online Chasing Jillian: A Love and Football Novel by Julie Brannagh - Free Book Online Page B

for you. My girlfriend has one, and she really likes hers.”
    She already had a heart monitor watch, but she wasn’t going to refuse his thoughtful gift. Maybe she could donate it to someone else who needed it.
    “Thank you,” she said.
    “Thank you. So, Seth wants to be friends with my assistant.”
    Jillian shrugged her shoulders.
    “Okay. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll give the doc a call and get things set up. In the meantime, tell Seth he can’t flirt with you,” John said.

Chapter Six
    S ETH PULLED THE overstuffed easy chair in his room closer to the window. He propped his bare feet up on the broad windowsill as he stared at a darkened sky. He saw the faint illumination on the horizon; the pink and yellow rays of a late-summer’s dawn would come eventually. He knew he’d feel better if he could get some sleep. He also knew it wasn’t going to happen. He glanced over at the clock radio on his nightstand. It was four forty-seven AM .
    He’d had more than a few sleepless nights over the past five years. He wondered how many other people were looking at the stars tonight and remembering someone they’d miss for the rest of their lives.
    His little brother, Liam, had died five years ago. Five years of grief that lessened (allegedly) as time passed but cut him like broken glass at unexpected moments. He never knew when it was going to happen either. He’d see something or hear something that reminded him of Liam, and he’d be breathless with pain. It was such a senseless loss. Even worse, it wasn’t like he was discussing it with anyone outside of his family.
    Most days were fine. He didn’t dwell on it. He kept busy. He usually slept like a rock. Once in a while, though, he found himself lying awake and remembering.
    Seth and Liam had had one last summer together before Seth went to training camp and Liam went into premed. They’d managed to duck Lauren early one morning, heading off to Snoqualmie Falls for a hike and breakfast afterward at one of the cafes in town.
    Liam asked the college-aged, pretty blonde waitress who brought their breakfasts to have coffee with him. Seth considered himself fairly confident, but his brother had moves.
    She glanced at Liam, raised an eyebrow, and said, “You’re a bit young for me, don’t you think?”
    “Maybe you should date me and find out,” Liam said.
    She laughed and agreed to meet Liam for coffee after the family returned from Hawaii in two weeks. Eleven days later, Liam was gone.
    Seth glanced out the window. The sky was lightening as the sun edged over the horizon. He stood up from the chair, walked into his bathroom, and flipped on the shower. He wanted to visit Snoqualmie Falls again, but he didn’t want to do it alone.
    J ILLIAN OPENED HER eyes on another Saturday morning to CB purring on her chest and someone knocking on her front door. The jolt of adrenaline caused by an unexpected (and evidently urgent) visitor cut through the fog of a steely gray Seattle morning and forced her out of bed. CB let out an aggrieved “meow” and dived into the still-warm blankets.
    She didn’t have to be at her volunteer shift until later that morning. The extra sleep she was hoping for looked like it wasn’t happening.
    She pulled on a sweatshirt over her nightgown and hurried to answer the door. Whoever was out there sure was impatient. The doorbell had rung three times now, and the person had knocked twice. She peeked through the keyhole and saw nothing but flesh. Someone’s finger was over it.
    “Who’s there?” she called out.
    “It’s me, Seth. Open up.”
    Jillian pulled the door open to stare at a rumpled-looking Seth.
    “It’s six thirty AM . What on earth are you doing here?”
    “You texted me your address last week, silly. Go get your shoes on,” he said. “I don’t have to be at the facility until later today. I have something I want to show you.”
    “ ‘Something you want to show me’? Really? Does that usually work for you?” She