4. Trevor
We spend over an hour at the hospital’s outpatient wing as a nurse attends to me in a private room. Gracie is pacing as she watches them apply a burn ointment to my thigh. I keep staring at her, admiring every expression on her face while my heart does a speedy dive and threatens to burst out of my ribcage.
Gracie’s obvious worry for me is touching. It makes me melt inside and soothes me. I crave feeling her hand over mine again.
“He’ll be fine,” the nurse says to her once she’s done. “It’s a good thing you poured cool water over the spot first, Mrs. Hawkins. That’s always the perfect first aid for a burn.”
Gracie flushes instantly. “We’re not...
“Thank you,” I interrupt, knowing she’s about to correct the nurse. I smile when Gracie glares at me before she rolls her eyes. “I’ll keep applying the ointment.”
The nurse smiles at me and is about to leave the room when she turns around again and takes a notepad out of her pocket. “Do you mind signing this for me? My son loves you!”
“Sure.” I scribble my signature over the notepad she hands me, and then she takes out her phone and hands it to Gracie for a picture.
Gracie takes the shot, and once we’re alone, she sighs and asks with a lovely crimson flush on her cheeks. “Why would you let her think we’re married?”
“Who cares what she thinks?” I reply cheerily, then rise to my feet and gently lower my scalded leg. “No one knows we were here, anyway. Besides, a little role-play wouldn’t hurt, you know?”
My teasing doesn’t make her laugh, but I muffle a chuckle when she reddens further.
Gracie’s still frowning when I extend a hand to her, wanting to hold her close. “Do you mind?”
She looks at me, and I let my eyes linger over hers for a moment before my lips quirk with a smile.
She takes my hand, and we head out of the room together. I link our fingers before Gracie can object and we make it out of the clinic’s building when I notice two girls behind us with their phones out and poised for a video.
I’ve been in the spotlight long enough to notice when I’m being watched or followed. It’s also easy to spot a real paparazzi or some hopeless fan from amongst the crowd. They are definitely not paparazzi.
The first thought that occurs to me is protecting Gracie’s face as she glances to my side and asks, “Do you mind if we make a quick stop? I was supposed to pick up coffee supplies today from the beach market, and first order of books in six months.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I say with a smile, holding onto her eyes for as long as she stares into mine. I’m so sorry, Gracie, I think as I stop myself from shielding her view from the girls videoing us.
“Wait here. Let me bring the car closer.” When Gracie hurries away from me, I take a closer look at the girls I spotted earlier and realize they are still murmuring to each other in an excited chatter.
My phone starts buzzing right then, and I check to see that it’s a call from my manager, Zane.
“What’s the progress, man?” Zane asks as soon as I pick up the call. “You’ve been gone three days and you’ve got nothing?”
Zane’s pressure stems from the club’s pressure to have me work on my public image before the start of the NBA season.
“Not yet, but I might have something for you,” I say to him, conscious of my fans making a video of me as Gracie pulls up in front of me and honks once. “I can’t give you all the details right now. I’m still trying to get her on my side, but there might be a way to speed it up.”
“What way?” Zane queries. “We need something soon, Hawkins. I told you…If you don’t gain popularity amongst the fans in no time and change the narrative, the club will shut you out. They don’t mind paying the penalty for terminating your contract. You know that.
“This was your last chance at getting it right. The scandals, the teammates complaining…You need to redeem yourself with them and make them see you as the good guy. No better way to do that than to be love-struck, don’t you think?”
Kinks form and pinch deep in my muscles and my temples pound gently. “The deal was to get her on my side, right? I’m working on that, Zane, but it’s not as easy as you think. I can’t just make Gracie agree to such a thing.”
I’ve thought about all the possible ways this could play out. Gracie will not agree to such a stunt if there’s no push. Besides, I already turned her down once. She needs to really believe that I need her help.
“Then what’s your plan? How do we pull this off?” Zane sounds impatient on the other end. I can tell from his raspy words and clipped tone.
My mind spirals in a circle as I try to come up with the perfect solution to my predicament. Zane has been my manager since the start of my career and he’s the only reason I got off with a mere suspension after the last fight with my teammates.
“Don’t forget, this is your second chance, Hawkins. We need to convince the club that you’re making amends and trying to do better. Our plan helps us prove you’re in a better place as well.”
“I know all of this,” I tell Zane. “This fake relationship was your idea from the start, and I told you Gracie was perfect for it. Trust me, she is. All I need now is for you to make a social media post go viral. If this is going to work, then she has to think it happened by chance.”
“Fine,” Zane answers. “Just let me know what to do.”
I end the call just before Gracie gets to me and asks. “Ready?”
“Always,” I answer. She helps me get in the car, and I spot my fans one last time, secretly quenching the heavy weight of my guilt as Gracie gets in my truck and drives off.
This is what I need her for.The past few months have been nothing but hectic for me. With the paparazzi watching my every move and blowing every misstep out of proportion, I somehow ended up with the image of a total jerk. My mission is to become America’s most-loved player before the start of the season.
What better way to prove to the hungry public that you’re a better man than to show them you’re in love? Everyone loves a happy ending, and spinning a tale about returning to Golden Bay for the woman I love is the perfect tale to help everyone move on from the negative rumors and media surrounding my reputation.
***
Driving around Golden Bay is always refreshing. The feel of the beach’s crispy air over my skin and the salty tinge in the air is enough to relax me.
Gracie is quiet as she navigates her way around town and takes us from the local market to the town’s shipment bay, where she picks up cartons of books and loads them into the truck.
I wait in the car and watch her laugh at something one of the bay workers says to her. The man laughs and smooths her hair away from her face while grinning.
Watching them together fills me with a prick in my heart, and I clench my right hand into a tight fist without even realizing it. There’s a sour taste at the back of my throat. Does she like that guy?
Looking closer at him, I realize he has a large build and a cute smile. It’s understandable if Gracie has a crush on the guy. She’s not going to be hooked on me forever, is she? But seeing her blush and laugh at his words makes my chest tighten with force.
She turns around and heads back to the car with a full grin. I silence the jealous thoughts invading my mind and try to ignore the pounding in my temples. The moment Gracie enters the car and starts the engine, I blurt out the question burning in the back of my mind. “Who was that?”
“That was Tyler,” she answers with ease and pulls into reverse drive. “He’s new in town, works at the bay every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and he makes it easy for me to pick up any deliveries the store needs.”
She’s focused on the road ahead while driving, and I nod slowly as her words sink in. I bite down the remaining questions tunneling through my mind. Gracie doesn’t owe me any explanation.
We fall silent for the rest of the drive back to Espresso Books. Once we arrive, Gracie and the other employees take out the cartons of books.
I enter the café and sit down quietly to entertain my thoughts.
It’s all going to happen fast.Those girls will definitely post the video of me and Gracie together. When they do, Zane will help make it blow up, which will spark rumors about my relationship with Gracie.
I’ll use this to my advantageand find a way to convince Gracie to be my fake wife for a while. It’ll be tough, but she’ll agree in the end because she has a soft heart and she will want to help me.
In the end, I will tell her why I need a fake wife, but for now, I need to make it seem as if it’s the only option.
It’s a selfish plan because I can never really love Gracie. I’ll never let myself love anyone. But Gracie is the best woman for the job because she knows me so well and I can tell she still has feelings for me.