Substitute Bride Read online

  Nita laughed. “Come on. The food isn’t that bad.”

  “Do you ever wonder if running from class to class to get a degree is a waste of time?” she asked as they walked up the ramp.

  “I’m going on to graduate school to get my counseling degree, so you tell me.”

  Alex gave her a wry grin. “I just want to play on the beach all day. I was thinking if I had my own business and offered to teach people how to surf or play volleyball, I might be able to do it.”

  “Then your business degree will come in handy.”

  “Yeah, but will I make enough for the student loans to be worth it?”

  “If you’re any good, you will.”

  They reached the line for the cash register and waited behind three other students.

  “Oh, I didn’t tell you the big news,” Alex informed her friend. “Kevin’s getting married.”

  Nita’s almond-shaped eyes grew wide. “No way.”

  “Way.”

  “But I didn’t know he was dating anyone.”

  “He’s not.” She shrugged. “At least he wasn’t.”

  “Why is he getting married?”

  “His aunt died and left the stipulation in her will that he has to marry by Valentine’s Day in whatever year she dies in order to get the money. She put something in there about a wife teaching him responsibility, etcetera.”

  Nita laughed and shook her head. “Kevin’s not exactly a party animal.”

  “No, he’s not, but he spends a lot of time playing sports, and she used to think he’d do better with an office job.”

  “Hmm… It seems to me that an office job would make him restless.”

  “I know. But he doesn’t have to do it. I mean, the will never said he had to work in a cubicle.”

  The students in front of them paid for their meals, took their tickets, and went to sit down so Alex and Nita ordered their food.

  “So who is the lucky girl?” Nita asked as she took her ticket from the cashier.

  A familiar cackle echoed through the room, making Alex grimace. “Over there.” She pointed to Tammy who was holding Kevin’s hand. She rolled her eyes and took the ticket.

  “Why her and not you?” Nita asked, looking back at Alex.

  “Kevin and I are just friends.” She stepped aside so the student behind them could order their food. “I did suggest Mary or Andrea, but he didn’t like them.”

  Nita cringed. “I don’t blame him. Couldn’t you give him someone decent to choose from?”

  “And who would that be? Everyone at this school is already in a relationship, including you.” She paused and snapped her fingers. “You wouldn’t mind dumping Jordan and marrying Kevin, would you?”

  Nita rolled her eyes. “You know that isn’t happening. I’ve been in love with Jordan for years, and he just now figured out I’m alive. I’m not going to blow it.”

  “But it would be great if you married Kevin. When I go over to your house, I can watch the game with him and the guys and then go shopping with you. It’d be perfect.” She gave Nita her best smile and clasped her hands together.

  “There’s one thing wrong with this scenario. I don’t love him.”

  “Love is for greeting cards.” Before Nita could reply, Alex caught sight of Kevin leading Tammy over to them. “Here they come. Try to act like we weren’t just talking about them.”

  The cashier called out a couple of numbers and some students got up to get their orders.

  Alex crossed her arms and plastered what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face. “Hey, guys. What’s up?” As if she didn’t already know by the satisfied smirk on Tammy’s face.

  Kevin glanced from Tammy to Alex and Nita. “I asked Tammy if she would marry me, and she said yes.”

  Though Alex had been prepared for the announcement, she still experienced a sense of shock. She remained frozen, her fake smile stuck to her face.

  “Congratulations,” Nita said, looking a lot more relaxed than Alex felt. “When’s the big day?”

  “Valentine’s Day!” Tammy squealed. “Isn’t that romantic?”

  Nita glanced at Alex. “Yeah, it sure is. That’s less than a month away.”

  “Twenty-five days,” Tammy said.

  “Wow.” Alex cleared her throat when everyone looked at her. “Oh, well, it’s just that twenty-five days isn’t a long time.” She shrugged and adjusted her cap. “You know, to plan for a wedding and everything. Whatever that entails.”

  “My cousin is a wedding planner,” Tammy said.

  “Thank goodness because I’m no good at that kind of thing,” Kevin added with a laugh.

  Tammy patted his hand. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. I can handle all those pesky details.”

  Alex frowned. Was it her imagination or did Tammy just talk down to him? She looked back at Kevin who didn’t seem to notice. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and then turned his green eyes in her direction.

  “Oh, Tammy,” he began, “Alex is going to be the best man.”

  Tammy giggled. “But I thought only men could stand on the grooms’ side. Why don’t I have her as a bridesmaid instead?”

  Alex’s eyes widened in alarm. Being surrounded by all her giggly friends didn’t sound like her idea of a good time.

  “No,” Kevin said. “Alex and I go way back. She’s going to be my best man.”

  “I think a better term is best woman,” Nita replied.

  “Right,” he said, smiling at Alex. “I should call you the best woman.”

  “Because I’m the best there is,” Alex joked.

  He laughed. “That’s why I picked you.”

  “Great,” Tammy inserted, a slight edge to her voice that Alex quickly picked up on. “We better go, Kevin. I want to start looking at rings.”

  “Right.” Kevin adjusted his backpack. “We don’t have a lot of time to prepare. See you at the game this weekend, Alex.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” Alex turned to Nita. “We’re three weekends away from Super Bowl Sunday!”

  “You two need help,” Nita playfully told Alex and Kevin. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Tammy.”

  Tammy flipped her hair over her shoulder. “It’s good for me my wedding day is after Super Bowl Sunday. Enjoy the day, Alex.” She waved to them as she and Kevin left the Rathskeller.

  Alex clenched the ticket in her hand. She didn’t miss the threat, but she was probably the only one who noticed it. Tammy might not say anything to Kevin before the wedding. No. She was too smart for that. She’d find something to say afterwards, and by then, it would be too late. Alex wished she hadn’t assumed Tammy would speak up before the wedding. Now Kevin would think everything was fine.

  The cashier called out the numbers on Alex’s and Nita’s tickets.

  “Alex, we have some shopping to do after class,” Nita said before she collected their trays.

  Sighing, Alex grabbed their drinks and joined Nita in finding a place to sit.

  ***

  Alex winced as the middle-aged woman plucked the small hair from her eyebrow. “What is the point to all of this?” she asked Nita who examined the make-up on the store counter.

  Nita picked up a lipstick and inspected it. “It’s time you started looking like a woman.”

  “I already look like a woman.” Alex winced as the woman removed another hair. “That hurts!”

  The woman smiled but didn’t stop plucking Alex’s eyebrows. “It’s a necessary evil we women face in order to be beautiful.”

  Alex sighed but remained still. She never should have agreed to this. She and Nita were supposed to grab some clothes and a pair of shoes from the department store and head out, but then Nita saw the free facial offer and talked Alex into it. Alex was still trying to figure out why she agreed to it. It wasn’t “fun”. It was torture.

  Nita set the lipstick back on the counter and picked up another one. “This might be a good one.” She took the cap off and screwed the bo
ttom to check out the color and then studied Alex’s face. “Maybe not. You strike me as a more natural looking kind of girl.”

  Alex breathed a sigh of relief when the woman finally put the tweezers down. Thank goodness that was over. She turned to Nita who was already done with her facial. “Why is it taking me longer to get through this than it took you?”

  The woman mixed some hot wax in a container. “You require more work.” She offered Alex a smile and continued, “I find the challenge a lot of fun.”

  Alex rolled her eyes. Sure, the woman was having fun. She was the one inflicting the pain!

  “Now, lean back and whatever you do, don’t move,” the woman said as she approached her with the wax.

  “What is that for?”

  “To remove your mustache.”

  Gasping, Alex covered her nose and mouth. “I don’t have a mustache.”

  “The hair is light. One hardly notices, but it’s there and should be removed.”

  Alex glanced at Nita who put the cap back on the lipstick and nodded. “I’m afraid she’s right.”

  “What? I’ve had a mustache all these years and you never told me?” Alex asked, both bewildered and horrified.

  Nita patted her shoulder. “Relax. It’s not dark enough to notice.”

  “So why remove it?” Alex looked back at the woman and the wax dripping from the stick she held.

  “You know it’s there,” the woman answered. “Take down your hand and we’ll have this over in a minute.”

  Alex hesitated but Nita’s encouraging nod convinced her to obey the woman.

  “Tilt your head back,” the woman said.

  Alex did as instructed and was surprised by the soothing warmth of the wax on her upper lip. After the woman finished applying the wax, she waited for a few seconds for it to harden then tapped it. Just as Alex decided this part of the ordeal wasn’t so bad, the woman ripped off the wax.

  Alex screamed and covered her upper lip.

  Two passing women stopped and looked in their direction.

  Nita waved to them and smiled. “We’re removing her mustache with wax. She’s never had it done before, so she didn’t expect it.”

  The women nodded and walked off.

  Groaning, Alex picked up a mirror and examined her upper lip. She didn’t notice anything different, minus the red skin.

  The woman who was administering the facial beamed with pleasure and patted her on the shoulder. “See? Much better already. Now we apply the foundation.”

  Alex turned her wary gaze to her friend. “Nita, is there any other part of this facial that’s going to feel like someone is prying the skin off my face?”

  Nita chuckled. “No. That was the worst of it. From here on out, nothing will hurt. I promise.”

  Sighing, Alex put the mirror back on the counter. “You better be right.”

  “She is,” the woman said. “You’re done with the hard part. Now it’s time to turn you into a princess.”

  “Yay,” Alex muttered.

  Nita laughed. “Relax. You’ll be just fine. When we’re done here, we’re going to get your hair trimmed. You’ve got horrible split ends. When’s the last time you cut your hair?”

  While the woman applied the foundation to her face, Alex glanced at Nita. “I don’t know. The last time I cut it, I opted to have it short.” Shrugging, she added, “I think it’s been three years.”

  The woman clucked her tongue. “You are in serious need of a makeover.”

  “Exactly,” Nita said. “You’ll thank me when Kevin ditches Tammy to marry you.”

  Alex’s jaw dropped and the woman motioned for her to close her mouth, so Alex quickly did. “What?”

  Nita pulled up a chair and sat beside Alex. “You have to find a way to get rid of Tammy. I saw the way she clung to Kevin and sweet talked him. There’s no way she’s going to reveal her true colors before the wedding.”

  As much as Alex hated hearing it, she couldn’t argue the point. “I know. I thought she’d flip when she found out he decided to make me his best man.”

  “Well, she did but it was too subtle for a guy to notice.”

  “You saw it, too?”

  “Of course, I did. She was shooting poisonous darts in your direction. If looks could kill, you’d be dead.”

  “I told Kevin she’d never be cool with me being his best friend. She’ll make it so that I can’t see him anymore.” Alex blinked back the tears. “I can’t imagine my life without him.”

  The woman snatched a tissue from the counter and dabbed her eyes. “That is so sad.”

  Alex turned her attention to the woman. “Isn’t it? I’ve known him since kindergarten. There was this kid picking on him because he was new and shy. When I saw what was happening, I beat the kid up so he’d leave Kevin alone. We’ve been friends ever since. And he’s always been there for me. Losing him will be like losing a piece of myself, you know?”

  The woman pressed the tissue to her heart. “That is so touching.”

  “It is touching, Alex,” Nita agreed. “You and Kevin are such good friends. If he marries you instead of Tammy, you can still be his friend.”

  “You know,” the woman began, sniffing as she tossed out her tissue, “I married my best friend, and we’ll be celebrating our fifteenth anniversary in two weeks.”

  “Congratulations,” Nita said.

  The woman smiled. “Thanks. I can honestly say we’re closer today than before we got married. It was the best decision we ever made.” Then she looked at Alex. “Don’t let Tammy come between you two.”

  Alex thought over the idea and decided it was the only recourse she had if she didn’t want to lose her best friend. Taking a deep breath, she replied, “I won’t. Tammy is history.”

  Nita cheered while the woman picked up the blush.

  “Let’s show Kevin what he’d be too stupid to give up,” the woman said with a wide grin.

  Alex nodded, determined that Tammy wouldn’t win.

  Chapter Three

  Alex examined her reflection in the rearview mirror, wondering if her plan was smart or stupid. It sounded like a good idea when Nita talked her into it, but now, as she sat in her car in the apartment parking lot, she considered whether or not she should go through with it. It wasn’t like she was in love with Kevin or anything, and she knew he wasn’t in love with her. Their friendship had never been more than just that: friendship.

  If only Tammy could see that. If only he would have picked someone better! Alex shook her head in aggravation. Why was he so thickheaded?

  A new wave of determination came over her. So what if they weren’t in love yet? Given time, it could happen. He was cute enough to appeal to her. Dark wavy hair and a muscular build from years of playing sports. She could see herself kissing him. That and their friendship were good reasons why a marriage between them could work.

  Turning her attention back to the rearview mirror, she inspected her pink eye shadow and lip gloss. Nita said both would go well with her complexion, and she had no reason to doubt her. Alex quickly brushed her hair and watched as the waves settled gently over her shoulders. Today, she would not wear her cap. She almost felt naked without it, but assured herself the Dallas Cowboys would do just fine without her lucky cap.

  She got out of the car and shut the door. The breeze ruffled her blue dress. She grimaced as she pushed it back to her knees. Next time, she was wearing shorts. She didn’t care what Nita said about a dress being sexier. This whole thing of having air riding up her nearly bare bottom was uncomfortable. And just why was she wearing a g-string anyway? No one was going to look at it. At least she was able to convince Nita that she could wear her sandals instead of the heels she picked out for her.

  She shoved her hands into her jacket and walked forward a few steps when she saw Camden drive his car into the parking lot. Once he parked, she went over to him.

  “Hey, Camden,” she called out as he opened the car door.

  He glanced at her and did
a double take. “What are you wearing?”

  Laughing, she rolled her eyes. “Come on. Don’t pretend you’ve never seen a woman in a dress before.”

  “Well, I’ve seen women in dresses…plenty of them, but..” He rubbed his eyes and studied her from head to toe. “Are you sure you’re Alex Dixon?”

  She made a fist and playfully asked, “You want me to knock some sense into you?”

  He chuckled and got out of the car. “Okay. You’re really her, but why are you all dressed up? It’s not like we’re doing anything special.” He shut the door. “Actually, we never do anything special. So what’s up?”

  “Oh, I thought it might be a nice change of pace,” she said, hoping her sudden nervousness wasn’t showing. It was one thing to be plotting and planning with Nita, but now that she was talking to Camden and getting ready to put the plan into action, she experienced a wave of self-doubt. “You should wear a suit sometime. Make the game a special event.”

  Snorting, he headed for Kevin and Greg’s apartment. “Whatever.” When they got to the apartment, he knocked on the door. “You’ll catch me wearing a suit when I’m dead.”

  “What about Kevin’s wedding?”

  His jaw dropped. “Kevin asked you to marry him?”

  “What?” She blinked. “No. Whatever made you think that?”

  “I don’t know. You two were always close, that’s all. So why are you wearing the dress if you’re not doing it for Kevin?”

  Her face grew warm. “I told you. I felt like doing something special today.”

  The front door opened so they turned their attention to Kevin.

  “Hey, guys,” Kevin said. “Wow, Alex. I can’t believe you took my advice.”

  “Advice?” Camden asked, glancing from one to the other.

  “I told her she should dress up like a girl more often. You know, wear a dress and stuff.” Kevin moved aside so they could come in.

  “Yes, that’s why I’m wearing the dress,” she said as she shrugged off her jacket.

  “You look nice,” Kevin told her.