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A glass shattered nearby, and the bar fell silent. I flinched, unprepared for the sudden crash back to the present. Two tables over from ours, Bailey was on her hands and knees, collecting the shards of a broken wine glass while wine pooled around her legs. I grabbed a wad of napkins from our table and dropped to the floor to help mop up the spilled drink. Max offered Bailey his hand and helped her up. He carefully transferred the glass from her shaking hands to an empty plate that one of the patrons had passed to him. Bailey stared at the floor. She seemed uncharacteristically lost for words, and as soon as she got the chance, she escaped out the back to the kitchen.
We returned to our seats. The interruption had clearly amped up the tension between us. Max wiped his palms and fingers on a napkin and turned his blue gaze back on me.
“I’m not the only man who thinks Grace is attractive,” he said quietly. “A lot of guys around here do, so it’s understandable that you’re seeing her that way.”
“But I never have before,” I protested. “In eighteen years of friendship.”
He opened his mouth, then seemed to think better of whatever he was about to say and closed it. For a moment, I couldn’t help wondering if he wanted Grace himself. It would explain why he’d been single for so long. But then, Grace had already told me it wasn’t like that between them. Was she misreading the situation…or was I? Theoretically, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if there was something romantic between them. Max was a truly good person. I should want someone like him for Grace. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.
I wanted her for myself.
Perhaps I was seeing the truth years too late, but I wasn’t the top-scholar twin and I’d never claimed to be. I’d finally figured it out, and even though I knew I should keep my distance from Grace—I’d been a horrible husband and not the best friend—I didn’t know if I could.
“So what?” Max asked. “Just, whatever you do, be careful with her. Make sure you know what you want before you go for it, or you’ll end up hurting her.”
I bristled. I didn’t need advice on how to take care of Grace. She was my best friend. I knew what she needed better than Max did. Or at least, I used to think I did. After all the secrets I was unearthing, who knew?
“I won’t hurt her,” I ground out.
He studied me long and hard, then finally nodded. “I believe you.”
The pub door swung inward, and two more of our brothers staggered in along with Liam’s best friend, Asher. The wind blew hard behind them, throwing the door open even further.
Toby scanned the bar and spotted us in the back. He waved excitedly and crossed the distance between us in a few strides. “Hey, Twin One and Twin Two!”
“Hi, Tobes,” Max said.
“Can’t you call us something more original?” I bitched.
Toby’s eyes ping-ponged between Max and me. “How about Good Twin and Evil Twin?”
I groaned, knowing which role I’d been cast in. “No.”
“Leave him alone,” Liam said to Toby, amusement gleaming in his eyes that were nearly the same shade as Max’s. He aimed a pointed look at me. “He’s only trying to get a reaction.”
“And he knows you’ll be the one to give it to him,” Asher added.
Liam laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Other than you, Ash.”
Asher’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t argue because, like me, he knew his temper could get the best of him.
“Is Connor coming?” Max asked, noticing we were one brother short.
Toby sank onto a chair and helped himself to my beer, swatting my hand away as I tried to snatch it from him. He took a long swig, then passed it back. “You know Connor wouldn’t come into town at all if he could get away with it. If the grocery store delivered, and Mum didn’t guilt him into the occasional family meal, he’d be as feral as the wildlife he protects.” He cocked his head, then added, “I’d be tempted to join him, but I met a really nice girl at the resort today.”
We all groaned, and Toby looked affronted. “Hey, Brita is different. I think she might really be the one for me.”
I sighed and met Max’s knowing gaze. Toby always thought his next fling would be different. In all fairness, he genuinely seemed to want to find love, but if he thought he’d find it with some European vacationer who’d leave at the end of her trip and never look back, he was doomed to be disappointed over and over again.
“Why don’t you tell us about her,” Max suggested, extending an olive branch.
Toby brightened. “Okay, so here’s what you need to know….”
17
GRACE
I was halfwayto the Braddock’s place with Duke, who was sniffing the grass eagerly around us, when I realized I’d forgotten the homemade granola that was my usual contribution to brunch. The Braddock family brunch happened every few weeks, and we all knew our roles. If I turned up without the granola, I’d have at least two pouting Braddock siblings to deal with.
