Page 2 of Marrying My Brother's Best Friend

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 it's 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.

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