Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (19 page)

Evie left the ladies’ room, and after she’d gone, Bailey looked at herself in the mirror again. Her cheeks were still flushed. Did she really look like a woman in love? Or was Evie just hyperintuitive because she was in love herself?

She splashed a little cold water on her face and took a couple of deep breaths. It was going to be a long week if she was going to spend every waking minute in this state of excitement over Matt. She had to see him again, soon, or she was going to burst.

He’d known her a week, and in that time she’d turned every aspect of his life completely upside down.

Matt stood behind the bar at Colette’s early Saturday night contemplating quitting, not because he didn’t need the money, and not because he didn’t enjoy the fun, flirty atmosphere of the most popular restaurant in town, but because he knew he’d spend the rest of the evening watching Bailey from afar while she sat with her friends and he poured drinks. He wanted to be with her every minute, and working at the bar meant Friday and Saturday nights were a bust.

He’d already skipped two classes this week to see her, after he’d told her his schedule was
booked. He’d blown off a lecture and showed up on her doorstep on Wednesday night, which had led to him not leaving her apartment until seven a.m. Thursday morning. That night he’d ditched his Architecture Theory class and picked her up for an early movie and a moonlit walk in the park, which had led to an epic make-out session in his car. The bruise he’d gotten on his hip from the gear shift still hurt, and he grinned like a fool every time it twinged.

She had him seeing stars, fireworks, and heaven help him, a future that was far more settled than he’d ever let himself consider this side of getting his degree.

“Kelz, snap out of it.” Buck snapped his fingers in front of Matt’s face, bringing him back to reality. “We’re filling up. Are you here or visiting la-la land again?”

“Sorry. I’m here. Just tired.”

Buck smirked. “The hot redhead?”

“Does it show?”

“You’ve had your eye on the door since you walked in. Is she coming tonight?”

“Yeah, with her friends to see the band.”

“Well, that’s sweet, but if you want to earn any kind of money in tips tonight, you’d better keep that Hollywood face of yours in the game.” Buck grabbed Matt’s shoulders and pointed him to a bevy of brunettes who’d just nabbed half a dozen seats at the bar. “There’s the opposing team. You go score, Romeo, and sell some booze and appetizers. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Matt made his way to the far end of the bar and took orders. He smiled and cracked a few jokes and had the women laughing in no time, but he must have glanced at the door a dozen times in ten minutes. Bailey and her friends were late. He thought of texting her, but there wasn’t time. The place was getting crowded, and the orders were coming in fast from the tables. Half an hour went by before he realized it, then a familiar face popped up in front of him.

“Hey, man. Bailey sent me over to say hi and tell you we’re at table five.” Taylor Croft, Owen’s keyboardist, stood at the bar.

Matt shot a quick glance at table five where Bailey sat with a cute brunette. He caught her glance, and she blew him a kiss.
Her companion turned around and grinned, then whispered something to Bailey, and they both giggled. “Oh…hey, nice to meet you. You must be Tanner. I thought you were your brother for a second.” Matt offered Tanner his hand, and they shook.

“I get that a lot.” Tanner jerked a thumb toward the little stage where his twin and Owen were already setting up their instruments. The resemblance was perfect.

“I bet you do. What can I get for you guys?”

“I’ll take a beer, Evie wants an appletini, and Bailey said to tell you…oh my God?”

Matt laughed. “Ah, specialty of the house. I’ll bring everything right over.”

Tanner made his way back to the table where he trailed his fingers across the back of the brunette’s neck under her perky ponytail. She gave him a look that could have melted lead, and Matt smiled. It was good to know a guy who looked like that already had a girl he was clearly madly in love with. Less competition.

He set up their drink order, but before he could bring it over, another familiar face appeared before him. A platinum blonde with ruby lips and a low-cut top slid a twenty across the bar. “Hey, stranger, I made it.”

“Hey…” Something told him he should know her, but her name escaped him. She was the girl from the university cafeteria.

“Can you make me a passion fruit margarita?” She winked at him as though her drink order might be some kind of code. He took the twenty and mentally started a tab for her.

“Sure. Let me deliver this tray, and I’ll be right back.”

She settled into her seat, a well-rehearsed pout on her shimmery lips.

Eagerly, Matt left the bar and made his way through the tight crowd to table five.

“Where’s Claudia tonight?” Bailey was asking Tanner when Matt arrived. He set the drinks on their table and leaned over to nuzzle her ear.

“Hey, hot stuff. Do you know there’s a guy at the bar who can’t take his eyes off you?”

“Ooh, really? Where?”

“Right here.” He kissed her lips as she turned, tasting sweet mint. His pulse quickened. How would he get through the evening with her so far away from him?

“Mmm. Can I have another one of those?”

“The first one’s free, but I have to charge for refills.”

“Oh my. You were right, Bailey. He’s gorgeous,” the brunette said, though she winked at Tanner. He rolled his eyes.

“Matt, this is my friend Evie Prentice. She writes for the
Herald,
and you met Tanner already.”

“Hi, Evie.” Matt shook the brunette’s hand.

In a teasing falsetto Tanner said, “‘
Omigod, Bailey, he’s sooooo gorgeous
.’ Yeah, that’s just what your boyfriend wants to hear.”

Evie blew a kiss to Tanner. “You know you’re the only man I want. I’m just agreeing with what Bailey told me.” She turned back to Matt. “She spends all her time at work texting you and giggling. It’s almost embarrassing, except it’s so damn cute.
Together the two of you look like the cover of a romance novel. You will have stunningly gorgeous children.”

“Evie!” Bailey’s eyes widened, and she turned a gorgeous blush pink. Matt played it cool. He would have died before admitting he’d spent a second or two thinking that very thing the other morning when he’d woken up in her bed and watched her sleep. He shook off the thought and decided he needed to get back to the bar and pour himself a tall glass of ice water, then maybe pour it over his head.

“What? I’m just saying. You both have perfect bone structure and gorgeous eyes…”

“I’ve got to get back to work.” Matt kissed Bailey’s cheek. “Enjoy the music. I’ll stop back whenever I can.”

Matt let out a breath when he got back to the bar. He’d never make it through this night. The moment his shift ended and he could get Bailey alone, he planned to show her just how hard it was for him to keep his hands off her.

* * * *

“Are you trying to scare him off?” Bailey glared at Evie as soon as Matt returned to the bar. “You’re talking about babies?”

“Oh, he knows I’m kidding. Well, I’m not actually kidding. You two look amazing together.”

“Well, how’s he going to look racing out the door? I told you he’s not into commitment.”

“And you told him you weren’t either, and that’s not true.”

“For now, it’s true. Can we just leave it at that?”

“Ladies,” Tanner cut in. “The band’s going to start.”

Bailey took the cue to keep quiet, but she and Evie continued their argument through stern looks while the band, still minus Claudia, began their first song. Bailey couldn’t understand why Evie was suddenly so adamant that she fess up to her real feelings about commitment right now.

The first song ended, and Bailey jumped up. “I’m going to the ladies’ room. Be right back.” Evie might have wanted to follow, but Tanner put a hand on her arm to stop her, and Bailey escaped. She circled toward the bar and found Matt pouring a set of shots.

“Hey.” She slid onto an open barstool next to a leggy blonde. “Sorry about that.”

“About what?” He finished setting up the drinks on a tray that one of the waitresses picked up.

“Evie’s remark. I don’t know what got into her.”

He shrugged. “She’s right. The bone structure, the eyes. Let’s face it, we’re gorgeous. Well, you definitely are.”

The blonde in the next seat tossed an odd look at Bailey, which she caught out of the corner of her eye. Bailey glanced her way but didn’t make eye contact.

“I can’t wait for your shift to be over,” she said.

“Me too. This is the longest night ever.”

“Shhh. I’m trying to listen to the song, if you don’t mind.” The blonde tossed her pale hair over one shoulder and glared at Bailey again.

“Sorry.” Bailey raised her brows and slid off the stool. “See you later,” she mouthed to Matt and headed back to her table. She noticed the blonde staring intently at Taylor and wondered if she’d come to see him. Of course, about half the single women in the bar were drooling over Tanner’s brother. The rest seemed to be focused on Owen and Matt, and she’d noticed Tanner received a couple of appreciative glances as well, but she didn’t mention that to Evie.

“I just remembered why I hate bars,” she whispered to Evie.
“Especially on a Saturday night. The band’s great, but the crowd…forget it.”

“I have to go to the ladies’ room now,” Evie said, with a sidelong glance at Tanner who was clapping and tapping his foot to the music. “Come with me.”

“I just went.” Bailey hated to lie, and she’d probably confess the truth to Evie once they got away from the table anyway.

Evie grabbed her purse and nodded toward the restrooms. “Come anyway. It’s conference time.”

“You know, I’m a little pissed at you.” The blonde at the bar slid her empty glass toward Matt a few minutes after Bailey walked away. He still hadn’t remembered the woman’s name.

“Oh? What did I do?” He gave her half a smile, trying to look innocent.

“You watered down my drink.”

“Sorry, nope. I’m not allowed to do that unless you’ve had at least five.”

“Well, I want another drink, and make this one stronger.”

Matt shrugged. She was well over twenty-one and not acting the least bit intoxicated. He could serve her a slightly stronger drink, but just one. “Will do.”

“I’m also pissed that you don’t remember me.”

He feigned indignation as he poured her drink. “What do you mean? We met in the cafeteria. You were asking about the band.”

“What’s my name?”

Damn. He thought about guessing, but the last time he’d done that with a woman, she’d thrown a drink in his face. “You got me. Sorry. All I remember is I was really distracted that day.”

She sighed. “Selene. Ring any bells? You invited me here.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you did.
” She eyed the new drink and took an experimental sip. “This one’s better.”

“Oh, yeah. I told you to come and see the band.”

“I’m seeing them. They’re okay. I really came to see you. I thought…you know…we could hang out.”

Matt offered his best disappointed look. “I’m sort of with someone.”

“Only sort of?” Selene wet her lips and pouted. “That doesn’t sound very definite.”

“I’m definitely with someone.”

“Not that mouthy redhead?”

Matt’s patience took a nosedive. Did this woman think she could get him interested by making snide remarks about Bailey? “Yeah.”

“Come on, you can do better than her.”

“I disagree.”

She tossed her hair, nearly hitting the guy on the stool next to her with a cascade of pale curls. “I could change your mind.”

“Not tonight.” Someone at the far end of the bar signaled him, and he walked away, resisting the urge to shake his head at her brazen attitude. Buck would skin him for being rude to a customer, but he could only take so much.

He served a couple of drinks, made change for one of the waitresses, and managed to clear a clog in the seltzer dispenser before heading back to his station. Selene was still there, clapping to the music, but she stopped when he arrived.

“Hey, I’m sorry I dissed your girlfriend. I’m jealous, okay?”

“Sure.” He wiped a couple of spills on the bar and waved to a regular who was heading out the door. “No problem.”

“Can you hold my seat for me while I go to the little girls’ room?”

“Just leave your drink here. No one will take your spot. I’ll keep an eye on your glass.”

“Thanks, I’ll be back.” She slithered away, swaying her narrow hips in time to the music. Matt rolled his eyes. The more he thought about quitting this gig, the more it seemed like a good idea.