8. Trevor
A week later is her first time in New York, and Gracie is as charming as ever. She twirls around in the red dress she picked from the stockpile in front of her. It’s day one, and we’re focused on revamping her looks.
Not like I want to change a thing about her.Gracie is perfect with her copper shade of hair to those sweet lips that torment me night and day.
We have a deal! No flirting and no touching.But how can I stop myself from craving her? We’ve posted every moment on social media, leaving lots of wistful comments in our wake. My social media presence is a hot trail for now, thanks to this scam.
“How does this look?” she asks when she steps out in a white dress. “Perfect for a date with your teammates? Like a double date or something? They can all bring their wives or lovers or whatever. What is it called? WAGS? Wives and girlfriends of...”
My laugh stops her shot, and she frowns before popping her hands on her hips. “What? Am I babbling?”
“Kind of,” I tease, and she marches to me, punches me in the arm, then laughs too. The moment eases up, and she walks into the changing room to try on more dresses.
I try to ignore the flutter that rises inside me each time she comes out dressed in another outfit. Some were short, exposing the creamy skin of her legs, and others long enough to cover her and tease me at the same time.
“Tired?” I ask her hours later after we drive around Manhattan’s busiest street in my convertible, then stop at a famous restaurant for dinner.
“You kidding me?” she answers with a breathless laugh. “This place is huge! I mean, I can’t get enough of the streets, and, my God, everyone seems like they’re in such a hurry all the time.”
“Welcome to the big city,” I say with a laugh, and she joins in.
We dine on the rooftop where it’s quiet and has a perfect view of the skyline.
“How’s your first day?”
Gracie tosses her head back and heaves a deep sigh. “I’m exhausted,” she complains. “It’s only been one day and I have a headache. How do you folks here cope with how intense it is?”
“You haven’t seen intense yet. Wait till morning, during the rush hours, when everyone’s trying to get to work or someplace. It’s crazy in those times.”
“And you don’t ever miss the peace and quiet back in Golden Bay?”
Her eyes widen as she asks, and I’ve always known Gracie to be extremely expressive, so her curiosity is obvious in her rounded eyes.
“I miss it every day,” I whisper as an ache enters my heart. Gracie’s wide eyes remind me of the night she confessed her feelings to me.
I think we have something special, Trevor. I can feel it and I know you feel it too.She had tried to kiss me then, and my heart had threatened to burst out of my ribcage if I let her close.
I stopped her then to protect her from myself. Gracie deserves better than a man like me who doesn’t believe in the life she dreams about. I’m not and can never be the kind of man she wants.
She starts talking about the town and making those elaborate hand movements in the process. I love the sound of her voice. It’s soothing, and it helps me relax. I don’t think about what the next three months will be like.
Fooling everyone into believing that I’m in love with Gracie isn’t going to be the hardest part of my life, henceforth. The hardest part would be pretending not to care about Gracie when every part of me burns for her.
I barely touch my meal while Gracie enjoys hers, and she notices my silence sometime later before asking. “You okay?”
Her expression is the one thing that gets to me. Her eyes soften, and she purses her lips as they flicker over mine. Gracie shocks me when she extends a hand and places it over mine.
“Hey,” she whispers. “This is your place and if you feel this is what you need to get your spot back on your team and mend your reputation, then I’m going to help you do it.”
Gracie’s innocence is the part of her that scares me more than anything else. Eight years ago, she believed we could get together and start a romantic relationship because our chemistry had been palpable.
I knew it then and wanted it desperately, but Gracie was too innocent to understand what I knew. She believes in a fairytale. I won’t be the one to take that dream away from her.
“Thank you,” I sigh instead of telling her the things that bother me. “Thanks for helping me, Gracie. It means a lot.”
Her hand on mine strokes a little, then she pulls away and clears her throat when the moment tenses. “It’s a beautiful night. The skies from up here remind me of home.”’
It’s Gracie’s first time away from the town she’s lived in all her life, and I know she’ll miss the beach waves and the crispy sea breeze at some point. I want her to feel comfortable the entire three months she’s here.
Three months.It seems like such a long time, but I find myself anticipating every moment already.
***
By the next morning, the strong scent of coffee teases my nostrils when I wake up, and I follow the trail into the kitchen to find Gracie humming to herself while she’s standing at the sink.
She has her back to me, and her hair is wrapped in a bun while she sways her hips from one side to the other, dancing to the tune in her head.
I don’t make a sound because I love watching her. Gracie is a terrible dancer, yes, but she still moves with poise and grace. She puts her hands in the air next and starts rolling her hips in a sexy way that makes my body tighten.
The first shot of adrenaline courses through my nerves and leaves them twisting as a renewed flush rushes through me. Not once in eight years did I not miss watching her like this.
When Gracie finally turns around with the mug, she jumps from shock and spills her coffee.
“Goodness, you scared me!” One hand flies to her chest and she pants before walking forward and setting the mug on the table. I notice the flush on her cheeks. The deep red matches her hair and the sweet red of her lips.
I don’t realize I’m gawking at her till she raises a brow. “What?” she questions. “What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?”
There’s a smear of cream on her lips and it makes her look even cuter. My fingers itch to stroke the strands of hair falling to the sides of her face, but I dip my hands in my pocket instead and suck in a deep breath to steady my lungs.
I spent the night thinking of Gracie, and those thoughts left me restless. Seeing her now fills me with a bittersweet sensation. She’s right in front of me, but I can never have her.
“Trevor?”
“My manager will be here soon. He’ll give us a detailed breakdown of all we need to do over the next few weeks to gain the right amount of media attention. Every move, every outing and meeting, has to be strategic. It’s the only way to get people talking about us and our romance.”
She lowers herself to one seat, then pushes the mug of coffee in front of her towards me. “Have some,” she says. “It has caramel in it, just as you like it.”
“You remember?” A smile edges on her lips as I pick up the mug, take a sip and sigh. A memory of Gracie and me sharing coffee on her parent’s front porch every morning comes to mind the moment I taste the coffee.
It tastes just like what her mom used to make. Gracie’s laugh fills my mind and I recall her running around the front yard with Jace, playing football when we were younger.
I admired her a lot back then. She was seventeen when I realized my feelings had developed into more than simply admiration for a friend. I realized I wanted to protect her from anything that could hurt her, and shield her always.
But now I’m using her for my own selfish reasons.Gracie agreed to help me because she genuinely cares for me. But will it still be the same once she finds out I orchestrated this from the beginning, but made her believe it all happened by chance?
“Tell me something,” she says after some time, and I look up to find her staring at me. “When all of this is over, and you get your spot on your team back. What happens next?”
“What?”
She rubs the back of her neck and the side of her head like she’s nervous, and I notice how her lower lip trembles as she waits for my answer.
“Do we go back to being friends? Or strangers? When I return to Golden Bay and your life gets back to normal, what happens to us?”
“I hope we can stay friends, Gracie,” I whisper to her while holding her gaze. I’ve missed being Gracie’s friend all this time because I believed my absence from her life was for the best.
Now I’m not so sure I can go back to that time. Not after spending time with her like this and remembering just how much I love being around her.
“I’ll love that more than anything else,” she smiles.