Page 1 of My Surprising Valentine

Chapter One

The raucous humof the bar soothed my nerves after a grueling week at work. I took a sip of my beer, the frosty bitterness a welcome contrast to the warm, sticky air surrounding me. Despite being exhausted from back-to-back shifts as a labor and delivery nurse, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. Trivia night was my favorite night of the week.

Ever since I could remember, The Tipsy Whale had been a bit run-down, but I loved the whole vibe here anyway. Dark paneled walls that were covered in a mishmash of nautical maps and vintage photographs told the story of my hometown’s maritime history, and it held a certain kind of charm. Most importantly, though, it was one of the few places in town that catered to locals.

To my left, my best friend Percy—short for Persephone—Walters was chewing on the end of her pen, a tell-tale sign that she was deep in thought. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she reviewed our team’s answer to the previous question. Across from me, my older brother David was drumming a rhythm against the heavy oak table, his gaze focused intently on the sideof Percy’s face. His hair fell into his eyes, and he brushed it back absentmindedly before his fingers went back to tapping as the song in the background picked up momentum.

Max Bennett, my brother’s best friend and the man I’d been in love with since I was a teenager, sat next to him, arms stretched across the back of the booth, his easy smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. Max’s dark blond hair was tousled just so, while a fitted black T-shirt hugged his broad shoulders and chest to perfection.

I tried to ignore the flutter in my chest every time Max aimed one of his gorgeous smiles my way. I hated how it affected me, even after all these years. But Max had always been that guy—charming, handsome, and just a little too perfect for his own good. He’d never see me as anything more than his best friend’s little sister. Despite the fact that I was 35 years old with a mortgage and a career, I’d forever be the little girl in pigtails who used to trail after him and my brother. I needed to remember that.

“Okay, team,” Percy said, leaning over the trivia sheet. “Our next question is, inSteel Magnolias, what is the unusual color of the groom’s cake at Shelby’s wedding?”

David groaned, throwing his hands up in defeat. “I literally have no idea. All I know is you two—” he waggled his finger between Percy and me “—were obsessed with that movie when you were younger. And FYI, you cannot do a southern accent to save your damn life.”

I huffed, rolling my eyes. “It’s red velvet, dyed to look like an armadillo. And it’s one of the best scenes in the movie.”

Percy placed her hand dramatically over her heart, her natural voice dropping an octave to mimic Julia Roberts’s famous line when she said, “I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”

David winced. “That was terrible.”

Percy slapped his arm. “I’ll have you know that was a perfect northwest Louisiana accent.”

“Wait, I thought it was set in Texas,” David said, scratching his head.

Percy’s lips quirked to the side in a small, teasing smile. “Why we allow you on our team, I’ll never know.”

“It’s because he gets all the sports ball questions right,” Max said with an amused chuckle. “Without him, we’d lose every time.”

“True story.” Percy grinned as she scribbled down my answer, tossed her pen onto the table, and leaned back, her eyes flicking over me as a mischievous smile played on her lips. “Speaking of blush and bashful, have you figured out what you’re going to do about Melody’s big day? It’s only two weeks away.”

I groaned, my shoulders slumping. I could already feel the stress knotting in my stomach at the thought of my cousin’s black-tie wedding. “Don’t remind me. I keep getting texts from Mom and Aunt Susan offering to introduce me to some ‘nice man’ who won’t mind my ‘advanced age.’ Like, seriously?”

David laughed, shaking his head while his eyes sparkled with amusement. “Better you than me, sis.”

I pointed at my brother, my frustration ratcheting up. “That’s some sexist bullshit, and you know it. How come nobody’s pesteringyouabout when you’re going to settle down? Meanwhile, every time I turn around, someone’s asking why I’m still single like it’s a crime or something.”

Max’s smile faded slightly, his eyes softening as he looked over at me. “At least your family hasn’t given up on you. Last Sunday, my mom said—and I quote—‘You’re a lost cause, Max. I’ll be dead by the time you’ve finished sowing your wild oats.’ Like, first of all, don’t talk about dying, Ma, and second of all, I’ve got plenty of time to find someone I want to spend more than one night with.”

At his words, I felt a sharp stab of something I didn’t want to name low in my gut. Max sometimes joked about his reputation as a ladies’ man, but hearing him speak so openly about his many conquests made my heart twist a little.

Not that it should matter, I reminded myself for the eleventy billionth time.

“Honestly, I might actually prefer it if they claimed to have lost all hope,” I told him. “At least then I could go to this wedding, enjoy myself, and not have to fend off annoying attempts to set me up with random men.”

“Maybe you should hire someone,” Percy suggested with a mischievous grin. “You know, hire a ‘boyfriend’ for the day to keep your family off your back. Someone who can pretend to be the perfect partner.”

I laughed like a maniac, shaking my head forcefully. “There is absolutely no way I’m hiring an escort to be my date for a family wedding. That issonot happening.”

“Actually,” Max said, drawing the word out as he leaned forward, a glint of mischief in his mossy green eyes. “That’s not the worst idea.”

I raised an eyebrow his way and crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s aterribleidea. They’d know right away if I showed up with some random guy who didn’t seem to know the first thing about me. Can you imagine the humiliation then? At least now it’ll just be your everyday, run-of-the-mill ‘Oh, poor Hannah. She hasn’t found a man,’ sort of pity. But if I hired someone to pretend to be my boyfriend and they figured it out?” I shook my head, the idea horrifying me. “I’d never live it down.”

Max’s lips quirked into a smile, but this time, it didn’t seem entirely playful. “Who says it has to be someone who doesn’t know you?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I could be your date.” He shrugged casually, but his eyes held mine for a beat longer than usual. “I know you well enough to play the part convincingly. And it could be fun.”

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