So, now, here we were, both without pharmacy degrees or wives.
I didn’t want to be a pharmacist, but I didn’t want my grandparents’ business to go to some stranger either.
“I can contact Grandpa’s lawyer and see if he can give us any advice,” I told Kevin. “And once that’s figured out, since you and I both live less than an hour away, we can take turns looking after things. The store has great employees, so it should be fairly easy.”
“There’s no need.” A smile spread across my brother’s face.
“There’s no need for what? To take turns?”
“To contact Grandpa’s attorney.”
“How can you say that? Nana will be devastated if something happens to that place.”
Kevin leaned forward. “Nana will be dead and won’t know what happens to it. Besides, I’m getting married next week.”
“First of all, you’re a callous asshole. And two, what? To who?”
Who in their right mind would want to marry my brother after the way he treated his first wife?
Kevin picked up his phone, made a few swipes, and handed it to me.
“What the fuck? Is that who I think it is?”
“Yes. She had to go back to Canada for a while. It took a bit to get her back in the States on a visa, but we were able to do so a few weeks ago.”
“And that’s your baby?” Before my brother could answer, I set his phone on the desk and stopped any response he was about to give me with my hand. “You know what? I don’t want to know. She’s so young.”
“She’s twenty. And you don’t know the whole story.”
“I don’t care what the whole story is.”
He was almost thirty-five. I felt sorry for the poor girl. And for Alexis. I wondered if she had any clue who Kevin was with now.
“Regardless if you care or not, in a few weeks, she’ll be my wife. I was going to marry her anyway, but in light of Nana’s news, this is working out better than I thought it would.”
It was an odd choice of words to talk about his future wife, but it was a relief to know that we wouldn’t have to worry about the pharmacy.
I stood. “Let’s concentrate on getting Nana through this diagnosis for now. But when the time comes, let me know if you need any help with the pharmacy.”
“Thanks, but I won’t.”
He seemed pretty confident.
“Okay. I’m glad you got it all figured out.”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t hard. I’m going to sell it.”
I waited for Kevin to tell me he was joking.
“Remember that developer who was sniffing around a few months back? I’m sure he’s still interested in the land.”
“You can’t sell the pharmacy and have it torn down,” I practically shouted. “It’s our legacy. Our grandparents started that place. Our mom and dad met there. And so many people in this town count on it for work and health care.”
“I’m sorry, but they’re going to have to look elsewhere.”
“How can you be so heartless?”
“It’s business. Small, independent pharmacies don’t make as much as they used to with the changes insurance companies have put into place. Nelson Pharmacy hasn’t been able to compete with the big chains for a long time.”
I sighed. In my head, I knew he was right, but in my heart, it felt wrong. “I know that, but you can’t just sell it and let someone demolish the place.”
“Sure I can. I will give the employees plenty of notice to find other jobs.”
I ran my hand through my hair. I couldn’t let my brother do this. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to go to pharmacy school. I needed to figure something out.
Until then, I needed to stall my brother. If my grandmother knew, it would break her heart.
“Don’t say anything to Nana.”
Kevin scoffed, as if I’d dealt him the biggest insult. “I would never do that.”
Right. But you’ll sell the pharmacy and let someone tear it down the minute she’s in the ground.
I left my grandfather’s office before I wasted another breath, trying to convince my brother what he wanted to do was wrong.
Nana was sitting in the family room, where I’d left her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked as I sat next to her.
I smiled as well as I could. “It’s fine, Nana.” I was going to do my best to make sure it was anyway.
Chapter Three
ALEXIS
The bell over the door to The Purrfect Café & Bakery rang, and I glanced that way for a second before returning to my task. I immediately looked back, but I must have imagined him.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa asked as she continued to stock the display case with the pastries I’d just brought out to her.
“I thought I saw my ex-brother-in-law, but I think my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
I didn’t want to tell her, but ever since I had seen Kevin and Candace, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. Not because I wanted him back. That was never happening again.
No, it was because I was jealous. Not of Candace, but of my ex. I’d always imagined that I would have a beautiful family. With the man I loved and our one or two kids running around. But instead, I was alone and childless, and unless I decided to adopt, it looked like I was staying that way. It wasn’t fair that my asshole of an ex-husband had gotten the house, the partner, and a kid.
Even though I’d said I was never getting married again, it still hurt.
I didn’t even have a pet to call my own because my apartment was so small. I didn’t think it was fair. I knew life wasn’t fair, but in this instance, it should have been. The bad guy wasn’t supposed to win at the end of the movie.
“Oh, Trevor? When’s the last time you saw him?”
“Oh jeez. Probably a month or two before I left Kevin, so it’s been a while.”
“Maybe he heard about our place and came to check it out.”
“Maybe.” I doubted it though. Who would have told him? Kevin? I didn’t think so.
What I did think was that I needed to stop dwelling on what my ex was doing and focus on what I had. A new business. And someday, I would no longer be living in a shoebox.
“The ladies and I have been talking,” Tessa said.
“Oh? About what?”
“You.”
“You’ve been talking behind my back?” I joked.
She grinned. “Is it behind your back if I tell you about it later?”
“Yes.”
She laughed.
“What was the conversation about?”
Tessa’s face got serious. “We think you should make a GoFundMe to get enough money to hire a lawyer and get the money Kevin owes you.”
For a second, I let myself consider it, but I quickly shook it away. “I can’t do that.”
“Why? You said yourself you were going to do everything you could to get the money he owes you.”
“That was when I was mad and full of fire. But it doesn’t change my situation. By the time I got the money, it would probably all go to an attorney anyway.”
“Which is why you start a GoFundMe.”
“It’s my mess, Tessa. I can’t let others pay for it or take charity.”
She looked at me skeptically. “Oh, really? But you could meet my husband behind my back and let him fund our café?”
I laughed. “He wasn’t your husband yet. And he’s a silent partner. Not the same thing.”
“Then, let Seth be a silent partner in getting your money back from Kevin.”
“Nice try.”
Tessa’s husband owned a very profitable advertising agency and could definitely afford to pay for my lawyer, but I wasn’t going to ask him to do that.
“Okay, then let me.”
“No.”
“You have to do something,” she said.
“I think I might be able to help with that,” a deep voice said.
We both turned to see Trevor standing at o
ur counter.
My mouth dropped open. He was really here, and he looked amazing.
He was two years younger than Kevin, but he looked at least five. Not that Trevor looked young. Kevin just looked old.
Trevor had thick, dark hair, a beard to match, and deep brown eyes. I’d forgotten how handsome he was.
Truth be told, it was Trevor I had liked first when I met the brothers. But it was Kevin who had made the first and only move, so he was the one I’d ended up dating. If only I could go back and say no.
“How can you help her?” Tessa asked, her voice full of suspicion.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Alexis about that. Alone.”
“Um, sure. Why don’t you come in the back with me? I need to check the timer on the oven anyway.”
Trevor followed me back into the kitchen just as the timer beeped. I inspected the cupcakes and took them out of the oven.
“I have to admit, I’m pretty curious as to what you can do to help me.” And why he was even in my café in the first place.
“Technically, I said I think I might be able to help with that.”
I sighed. “You’re as bad as your brother.”
Trevor straightened. “I absolutely am not.”
He was obviously offended, and I held up a hand.
“I apologize. I didn’t really mean it. Kevin would often claim that he didn’t say something. That I misunderstood or I got a few words wrong.”
“So, he gaslit you?” Trevor shook his head. “What an asshole,” he muttered.
“Yeah. That’s the word for it.” I faced the cupcakes and fiddled with them, so he couldn’t see my cheeks turn red. I was both embarrassed that I had let someone treat me like that and validated that he had put into words what Kevin had done to me. When I could no longer stall, I turned back. “Anyway, how do you think you might be able to help?”
Trevor looked down. “My grandmother is dying.”
I gasped. “Oh no.” I had always liked Nana Nelson, even at the end, when she no longer came around. I was sure that Kevin had filled her head with stories about me, and I didn’t blame her. Kevin was her grandson. “What’s wrong?”
Trevor cleared his throat and lifted his eyes. “Cancer. Stage Four.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“If there’s anything I can do…”
“There is something.”
This was a surprise. “Oh?”
“Did Kevin ever tell you about my grandfather’s will and how we needed to either be married or become a pharmacist to inherit the family business?”
“That was true?” I laughed at the ridiculousness of it. “I always thought he’d made it up.”
“It seems like something he would do, but no, it’s true. My grandfather was a spiteful bastard.”
“I’ll say. But what does this have to do with me?”
Trevor looked away. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Kevin is getting remarried to—”
“It’s okay. I already saw them together.”
The obvious relief on his face was almost comical.
“Then, you know, according to the will, Kevin will get everything. And he is planning to sell the pharmacy and let some developer bulldoze the place.”
“Oh, Trevor. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m glad you feel that way because I can’t let my brother do that. And that’s where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“What can I possibly do to help?”
“You can marry me.”
Chapter Four
TREVOR
Alexis’s brown eyes got so big that I worried they would come out of her head, and I realized I could have sprung the marriage thing on her better.
“I know it seems kind of out there—”
“Kind of?” she interrupted.
I smiled. “Okay, it’s very out there, but I don’t know what else to do. I can’t let Kevin inherit the business. People in that town count on it for employment and prescriptions. Marriage is my best option.”
She put a hand on her hip. “And you thought of me?”
“Yes. I’m not dating anyone currently, so who better to ask than someone who doesn’t like my brother?”
She snorted. “ ‘Doesn’t like’ is an understatement.”
“Even better,” I joked.
Alexis didn’t laugh. “I know I hate Kevin, but how does this benefit me? It seems as though I’m going to end up being twice divorced with two ex-husbands when this is all over.”
“One ex-husband. You and I can apply for an annulment.”
She slowly nodded her head. “Okay. Keep talking.”
“If you marry me, I will hire an attorney for you. I’m probably going to need a lawyer anyway to fight my brother after my grandma passes.” She opened her mouth, and I held up my hand before she could protest, like she had to her friend. “Before you say no, helping you get your money is what I will do if you help me inherit the pharmacy. Tit for tat. I can’t ask you to help me like this without giving you something in return.”
She opened her mouth again, but I was so worried she was going to turn me down that I kept talking.
“Kevin is going to be suspicious of this arrangement, and we’re going to have to convince him we’re a love match. If I don’t help you get your half of the house from him, he might suspect our marriage is temporary.”
“I agree.”
My eyes widened. “You do?”
“Yes. If you had let me speak, I would have told you, I’m in.”
I winced. “Sorry about that. I just figured you were going to tell me no.”
She frowned.
“I heard you and your friend out there,” I explained.
“How much did you listen to?”
“Enough. You were speaking out in the open.” I hadn’t been trying to spy on her or anything. “Can I ask why you said yes to me but no to her?”
“Looking a gift horse in the mouth, are we?”
“How about we just say, my curiosity is piqued?”
She lifted a shoulder. “It’s not just about me. Your grandparents were never anything but nice to me, and even though they won’t be around to see what happens to the pharmacy, it still breaks my heart. I know how much that place means to them. Also, I can’t deny that I want to see the look on Kevin’s face when he finds out you’re married and all his plans are ruined. But then to find out I’m taking him to court too? He’s going to be so mad.”
She grinned, and I couldn’t fault her for feeling spiteful.
“And then there’s you…” she added.
I furrowed my brow. Me? “What about me?”
“You were always a better person than your brother, and you never took his side when we got divorced. I know he asked you for a statement or something, but you declined.”
I looked away. I hadn’t realized that she knew that, and I was embarrassed that my brother had even asked me.
I turned back to her. “I wasn’t going to lie.”
“Exactly. And that’s why you deserve to inherit the business and not Kevin.”
“Thank you. But we’ll jointly inherit the place since we’ll both meet the will’s requirements.”
“I know, but this way, you’ll have a fighting chance of keeping it out of someone else’s hands. You’d better get us a really good lawyer. And speaking of a lawyer, we should do a prenup.”
I knew she was right, but I shook my head. “No. If Kevin finds out we did a prenup, he might be unconvinced of our relationship. All it would take is for his own attorney to find the paperwork. If we end up going to court to fight over the business, I don’t want him to win because he proved our marriage was fake.”
She shrugged. “I don’t have anything anyway—unless you want my crappy apartment and my old car.”
I looked around. “Except your business.”
She laughed. “My business partners are rich and c
ould hire a dozen lawyers that would demolish you in court. I’m not worried.”
My eyebrows flew up. “Noted.”
“But we should do the prenup anyway. That way, Kevin can’t say I married you for your business.”
She had a good point.
“Okay, you’re right.”
“Good. When do you want to do this?”
“As soon as possible. I don’t know how long my grandma actually has.”
Alexis reached behind her, untied her apron, and let down her wavy, dark hair. “Let’s go then,” she said, pulling the smock over her head.
“Now?”
“You said as soon as possible. Possible is already here. One of our two employees should be here soon, so I have some free time right now.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
I followed Alexis out of the kitchen and to the front.
“Tessa, I need to leave for a bit.”
Her friend she had been speaking to earlier lifted her head from the bakery case. “Where are you going?”
“To get a marriage license.”
Tessa’s jaw dropped. “I thought you said you were never getting married again.”
“I should have clarified. I’m never getting married again for love. This time, I’m getting married for revenge.”
Tessa blinked at her. “Revenge?”
“I’ll explain later.” Alexis snapped her fingers as a thought came to her. “But that reminds me. Can you ask Seth for a good attorney who could fit in Trevor and me today?”
Chapter Five
ALEXIS
“You know, there’s a preapplication you have to fill out online, and you have to schedule an appointment,” Tessa said.
“I should have known.” I turned on my heel toward our office. “Come on, Trevor.”
Tessa and I had chosen an L-shaped desk so that we could both sit and work if we needed to, which also came in handy when applying for a marriage application.
I got behind the computer, and with a quick Google search, I found our county’s website and information.
Not Another Fake Marriage (Not Another Romance) Page 2