No One But You

Chapter 1

ONE

He smiles at you like you’re the only person he sees.

BAILEY

I was pouring a glass of sparkling grape juice for the rather pregnant Kennedy when the handsomest man in Destiny Falls suddenly appeared behind her, and my hand slipped. The juice sloshed over the rim of the glass and onto the wooden surface of the bar.

Kennedy snatched her purse away, and I grabbed a cloth and hurried to mop up the spill.

“I’m so sorry!” I tossed the cloth aside and used a napkin to dry the outside of her glass. “I can’t believe how clumsy I am.”

My cheeks were burning, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at Max, who’d witnessed the whole scene.

God forbid he had any idea that he was the reason I’d been distracted.

I was certain Kennedy knew. Most of the women in Haven Bay seemed aware of my massive, tragic, and hopelessly unrequited crush on Dr. Max Braddock

“It’s fine,” Kennedy said in her smooth Californian accent. “Nothing to worry about.”

I drew in a deep breath and tried to calm the tremble in my hands as I refilled her glass. “Thanks.”

I appreciated her words, even if it felt like a big deal to me that I was constantly making a fool of myself in front of the guy I most wanted to impress.

Kennedy took her drink and flashed me a smile before she wound her way around the mostly filled tables to the one where the rest of the Braddock clan was gathered.

I turned to Max and sent him a high-wattage grin in the hopes that he’d forget how clumsy I’d been. “Your usual?”

He smiled back, and my heart throbbed the way it always did when he gave me his full attention. “That would be great, but I’ve got orders for a few others too.”

He reeled off a list of drinks, and I got to work preparing them.

I glanced at him as I poured his pinot gris.

He was wearing a blue button-up shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes, and his dark blond hair was slightly ruffled.

Considering how put-together he usually was, that hint of dishevelment was particularly charming.

I opened my mouth to tell him how sharp he looked, but what came out instead was “Blue makes your eyes look blue.”

Ugh.

I hung my head. Why was I like this?

With anyone else, I could flirt up a storm, but around Max, I became the most awkward person to ever live.

“Thanks.” He looked bemused. “They are blue.”

I nodded a little too eagerly. “But they’re kind of green, too, depending on what you wear and what kind of lighting you’re in.”

And now I sounded like I spent too much time staring at his face.

Great.

He inclined his head, a furrow between his brows. “I suppose.”

I finished making the drinks in silence because that was better than continuing to embarrass myself. There were too many for him to carry individually so I put them on a tray and circled the bar to take them to the table myself.

Max followed me, and I caught a whiff of antiseptic. He often smelled of it if he’d come straight here after work. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it did make me wonder what he’d smell like first thing in the morning, before he reached the clinic.

I set the tray on the table and unloaded the drinks, guessing at who had ordered what. Max sat beside Grace, his twin brother’s wife, who was talking animatedly with my best friend, Summer—Max’s younger sister.

I listened discreetly to the conversation. They were discussing the historical novel Grace was writing about Destiny Falls—the town we all lived in—and whether or not she ought to include the story of Pearl McIntyre’s lost treasure.

Summer caught my eye and winked, tilting her head toward Max. She was well aware of my feelings for her brother. I grimaced, silently relaying that, once again, I hadn’t managed to sweep him off his feet.

As Max questioned Grace about a research technique she was using, my shoulders crept up to my ears. I couldn’t help but feel silly and gauche compared to Grace. She was educated, refined, and, according to Max, one of the most attractive women he knew, inside and out.

Superficially, we maybe looked a little alike, both slim with dark hair, but where she was tall and slender, I was short and athletic. As for our personalities…. They were pretty much opposite.

She was reserved, while I was outgoing. She liked to read, whereas I preferred playing around with makeup and doing flips.

“Where’s Finn?” I asked, noticing that neither she nor her husband, Nate, were holding their baby.

“Mum and Dad are babysitting for a couple of hours,” Nate said.

“Nice. That gives you two a chance to get out of the house.”

It also explained why neither of my bosses were here tonight. Heather and Eugene Braddock owned the bar where I worked part-time and usually liked to hang around in the evenings—especially on Fridays.

“Yeah, and Mum loves having baby time.” He grinned crookedly, and even though he was, technically, identical to Max, it did absolutely nothing to me.

“Bailey,” someone called from the bar.

I sighed. “Back to it, then.”

As I retreated, I heard Toby, the youngest brother, say, “Hey, Max. Dated anyone recently?”

My ears perked up, and I released a breath as Max said he hadn’t. Thank God. I could live with him not seeing me romantically, but having to watch him with someone else would be a nightmare.

But was he not dating because he chose not to, or was it because he was in love with his brother’s wife?

I shut down that thought before I started spiraling. Best not to dwell on what feelings Max may or may not have for Grace.

When I got to the bar, Darcy, one of the local firefighters, was waiting for me with another guy. The stranger was in his late twenties with dark hair, stylish stubble, and eyes that were the wrong shade of blue.

“Heineken?” I asked Darcy.

He nodded and gestured to the other man. “This is my cousin, Beau.”

“Hi, Beau.” I grabbed a pint glass for Darcy, cracked the top off a bottle of Heineken beer, and slid both toward him. “What can I get for you?”

One side of Beau’s mouth hitched up, and a dimple appeared. “How about your number?”

I laughed. “Maybe if you behave yourself until the end of the night.”

He held my gaze. “I think I can manage that. In the meantime, I’ll have apple cider.”

I poured his drink, and Darcy paid. As the men retreated, I couldn’t help but wonder once again why I had such an easy time flirting when I didn’t care about the outcome, but with Max, I froze up.

At this rate, he’d never see me as more than his little sister’s best friend.