Marrying My Brother's Best Friend (Fake Married to the Grumps #1)

1. Gracie

The thud of books falling from the top shelf shocks me out of my gossip-filled conversation. I muffle a chuckle with a hand to my lips. “Whoops,” I say to my best friend, Natalie, before rushing over to the crumbling shelf.

“Hopefully the new owner will make changes to this place,” Natalie says as we start picking up the books. “I’ve worked here almost my entire career. I’d hate to see it close.”

“Me too,” I agree with a sigh. Espresso Books has been my favorite place in Golden Bay since I was old enough to read. The building’s architecture was what originally drew me in. The perfect blend of wooden shelves and lovely art brought magic to the library.

The idea of a combined bookstore and café was amazing to me. I could spend days here with friends and have the adrenaline rush I need from a variety of coffee drinks.

The doorbell rings, and a customer waltzes in, interrupting my gossip. “Welcome to Espresso Books,” I chant as she smiles at me, then stares at the menu on our counter. “The usual?”

“Yes, Grace,” the lady answers, then goes to hunt for books.

Natalie joins me behind the table and picks up a plastic cup to scribble down our customer’s name. I grab the coffee beans and start the process of making a double mocha americano coffee.

The earthy notes from the freshly ground coffee beans and the lazy undertones of caramel drifts into my nostrils and relaxes my nerves.

Usually, I don’t need to drink a cup of coffee to enjoy the pleasant sensations it provides. As I whip up some cream, I start humming the song playing in the background and smile to myself.

It’s a new beginning for Espresso Books. I’ve felt that way since my brother announced the previous owner sold off the building and business to some rich guy.

“I hear he’s loaded,” Natalie mentions once our customer has left. “The new owner.”

I angle my body towards her, wanting to hear more of what she knows about this new guy. “You think he’s gonna work here?”

My brother worked part-time as manager of Espresso Books for a long time, but he recently moved out of Golden Bay to work for an engineering firm, leaving me in our parent’s house alone.

Natalie’s lips twist into a smile as she says, “I hope he does. They say he’s a sports celeb—plays basketball, crazy handsome … like a Greek god.”

I chuckle as her eyes light up like twinkling stars. Natalie always fawns over the hottest guys in town, and every time, her voice takes this soft, melo-dramatic tone.

“He can’t be that good-looking,” I counter with a fluttery laugh, folding my arms over my chest. “No one is that good-looking, Nats.”

“Well, I am!” someone speaks from the entrance.

The deep-bass voice is a timbre of velvet and thunder. I freeze for a moment because its ruggedness sounds vividly familiar.

“Oh my …” Natalie squeals as the heavy thud of footsteps approach us. I hesitate to turn around because I already know who I’ll see.

“Nice seeing you again, Gracie,” he says, his tone holding the hint of a smile. I envision his lips curving into a cocky smile even before I twirl around to look at him.

Trevor Hawkins is grinning at me like Cheshire cat, his blue eyes unwavering as they lock with mine. “I never thought I’d see you again,” I whisper, drawing in a deep breath to steady my racing pulse.

Not since he turned me down six years ago.

I reel with a tumble of emotions in that moment as our eyes meet. His grin widens in its usual cocky form and his eyes assume an expression I haven’t seen in a long time.

Trevor steps forward and I instinctively back away from him, shocked that he’s standing in front of me. “You…You’re the new boss?” I stutter shamefully, unable to hide the flush that creeps through me and spreads like wildfire over my cheeks.

I blink, too stunned to speak again as Trevor’s eyes sweep over my body and settle on mine again. “What? Were you expecting some hot-shot geek who can’t take his eyes off a book?”

“Yeah,” I answer without thinking and Natalie pokes me in the side to caution me from saying anything foolish. The thing is, Natalie doesn’t know this man as well as I do.

Memories of the past flood my mind as we stare at each other. The years have aged him, but they haven’t changed him much. His eyes are the same ocean blue that always made me melt inside, and there’s the flash of his dimples carving deep in his right cheek.

His chiseled jawline exudes strength in every way. I recall moments when we shared genuine laughs and smiles that made my heart race with excitement. I mistook those moments for something more and made a complete fool of myself.

Trevor didn’t just turn me down back then. He completely humiliated me by taking another girl out to dinner the same night—merely two hours after I confessed my feelings to him. I haven’t dated anyone since then, but Trevor has been all over the blogs with his extravagant dating life. And scandals.

Remembering the ache that sliced through me as I watched them kiss from my bedroom’s window that night revives the anger I felt rippling through me.

Trevor’s eyes bounce around the café, then he looks at me again. “I’m excited that you’re here, Gracie. You know this place better than anyone else, so you’ll make it look easy for me.”

“Easy?” I scoff and fold my hands over my chest. “You’re joking if you think I’d be anything but easy on you, Trevor Hawkins.”

His full laugh bounces off him like a rippling tide and warms my insides immediately with its rich undertones. Just like coffee, the sound sparks something in me and makes me shiver.

“I mean it,” I say, silencing the stir inside me as he shrugs out of his leather jacket and flings it over one shoulder with ease.

Natalie is still quiet beside me, and when I realize she is gawking at him, I glare at her.

“What’s your name, angel?” Trevor says to Natalie, tipping his head towards her with a smile.

“Natalie,” she stammers with a drawl, then blushes.

“Natalie, how about checking our roaster to see if we need fresh coffee beans ordered today?” I say to my friend, hating that she’s drooling over Trevor Hawkins.

I used to do that, too.Now, I am immune to him. At least, I like to think that I am. The tingles zapping through me when he looks at me again mean nothing.

Trevor only smiles as Natalie walks away, but she keeps glancing back at him.

“Don’t do that,” I say with a deepening frown. “Don’t try to be charming with Natalie…She’s my friend.”

“I wasn’t doing anything,” he says with an innocent shrug. I would believe that innocent stunt if I didn’t know him any better. The Trevor Hawkins I remember is a renowned playboy. I know this because even as much as I disliked his guts, I still watched all of his games and followed his social media handles.

Not like a stalker, obviously.Just in the right amounts, like you would do to an old friend. I considered Trevor a friend once. I considered him as more because I thought I knew him.

“There’s a lot of work to do here,” he says to himself as he takes a good look at the café. “I always knew you loved this place, Gracie, but I didn’t think you’d still be working here.”

“Espresso Books is my passion,” I answer him with ease. “Some of us don’t need to be in the spotlight to be relevant. I like that I can provide the people here with good books and an amazing shot of caffeine when its needed.”

“Good! You keep doing that and I’ll work to make sure we make enough money henceforth. Espresso Books is now mine, and I intend to make a fortune out of it.”

“What?” I follow after him when he strides away. Trevor’s taller than me by many inches and towers higher, his wide frame expanding when he props his hands on his hips.

I love his strides in those black boots he is wearing. The intense scent budding off him is enough to make any woman crave a hug. If I remember correctly, his hugs were always the warmest to me. The feeling of being engulfed by him is amazing. It always made me feel safe.

“What do you plan to do?” I question again and he turns around abruptly, nearly knocking me to the ground as I gasp and move back. Trevor reaches out and stops me from falling with ease. His lean fingers pinch into my shoulders and linger as his eyes settle on mine.

“What every businessman does…Make money,” he answers. “Why else would I buy an old bookstore and café?”

“So that’s why you’re back? To make money off some old crumbling business?”

“Yes,” he nods. “Jace mentioned the café wasn’t doing so well and I know how much the place means to you, Gracie. I needed an investment, it seemed like a good deal, and the owner was willing to sell, so why not?”

I blink, and light anger stirs inside me. “What makes you think we weren’t managing on our own? We don’t need you playing savior, Trevor. I don’t care what you discussed with Jace but Espresso Books is doing just fine and we don’t need your help.”

“I didn’t just come back for business,” he says, ignoring my chatter.

“Then what…Why did you come back? When you left Golden Bay, you said you were never coming back,” I remind him. That night replays in my memory vividly because I never really forgot it.

Trevor turned me down, and his reason for doing so was that he didn’t want to hurt me. Because he was leaving town and never coming back.

“So what changed? Why are you here again after all this time? Why did you…”

“For you!” he answers, cutting the rest of my words short.

What? My pulse rings too loud in my ears and blocks off every other sound. “What did you just say?”

There’s no smile on his face this time, and there’s a determination on his lips as they press closely together. “I came back for you, Gracie.”