Is your first love worth a second chance�
Colleen OâRourke is in love with loveâ¦just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell broke her heartâ¦an experience Colleen doesnât want to have again, thanks. Since then, sheâs been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.
But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man whoâs ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe theyâve got some unfinished business waiting for themâbut to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man sheâs ever loved.
Select praise for the novels of New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins
âA deliriously funny story.⦠The Best Man is Kristan Higginsâs best bookâand thatâs saying a lot.â
âEloisa James
âYouâll adore every bit of this story.⦠Higginsâs latest is sexy, screwy, funny and fulfillingâa simply radiant read.â
âUSA TODAY on The Best Man
âStrong storytelling and a refreshing, sarcastic edgeâ¦thoroughly entertaining.â
âPeople magazine on Somebody to Love
âA funny, poignant romance.â
âPublishers Weekly, starred review, on My One and Only
âA heartwarming, multi-generational tale of lost love, broken hearts and second chances.â
âBookPage on The Next Best Thing
âThe path to love is bumpy in this surprisingly deep charmer from rom-com queen Higgins. Emotional resonance balances zany antics in a powerful story that feels completely real.â
âPublishers Weekly, starred review, on The Best Man
âKristan Higgins specializes in the kind of prose that makes you laugh out loudâ¦hilarious on the surface, but with a bittersweet subtext.â
âNational Public Radio on Somebody to Love
âAnother sweet, touching must-read for Higgins fans and anyone who enjoys a perfect combination of humor and romance.â
âKirkus, starred review, on The Best Man
This book is dedicated to my beamish boy, Declan,
who makes me laugh every single day. This is the part where Iâm tempted to get mushy and sentimental and use a lot of nicknames, but Iâll try to keep it dignified. Letâs just say that youâre everything a mother could ever hope for in a son, and I love you. Tremendously.
CHAPTER ONE
âDRINKS ARE ON the house!â
A cheer went up from the gang, not just because Colleen OâRourkeâthe bartender and half owner of the best (and only) bar in townâhad just offered free booze, but because Brandy Morrison and Ted Standish had just gotten engaged.
Colleen hugged the happy couple once more, then went behind the bar and accepted high fives from her regulars as she pulled beers and mixed martinis, poured wine and slid glasses down the bar. After all, Brandy and Ted were her doing. That made...hmm...fourteen couples sheâd set on the road to matrimony? No, fifteen! Not bad. Not bad at all.
âGood job, Coll,â said Gerard Chartier, accepting his free Cooperâs Cave IPA. He sat at the end of the bar, where the fire department was having a âmeeting,â the agenda of which seemed to be OâRourkeâs list of microbrews. She wasnât complaining. They were good for business.
âYour sorry single state hasnât gone unnoticed,â she said, rubbing his bald head. âNot to worry. Youâre next.â
âIâd rather stay single.â
âNo, you wouldnât. Trust Auntie Colleen, ever wise and all-knowing.â
âColleen!â her brother, Connor, yelled from the kitchen. âStop harassing the customers!â
âIâm part of our charm!â she yelled back. âGang, are you feeling harassed?â
A satisfying chorus of no answered her. She breezed into the kitchen. âHi, Rafe,â she greeted the backup chef, who was making one of his famous cheesecakes. âSave some of that for me, okay?â
âOf course, my truest love,â he said, not looking at her. He was gay. All the good ones were.
âBrother mine,â Colleen said to her twin, âwhat bug is up your ass?â
âYou just gave away three hundred dollarsâ worth of booze, thatâs what,â he said.
âBrandy and Ted got engaged. Beautiful ring, too.â