Page 25 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
Mrs. Renalteux drops her paddle. Even that isn’t worth it for her I suppose.
“Eight hundred thousand…going once…going twice…”
“One million dollars,” a familiar voice calls out.
I search the room and spot Landon with his paddle raised.
All the air has left the room. Not even a champagne bubble could be heard popping, as if the shock froze everything in time.
“Sold, for one million dollars,” Mr. Langley finally says after what feels like forever. “To Mr.Landon Gould.”
Polite yet shocked applause ripples through the room. I slowly make my way off stage. Landon meets me and threads my elbow through his.
“Are you all right? You look a bit woozy,” he asks.
“Oh, that? That’s just my reaction to finding out I’m wearing half a million dollars around my neck,” I retort.
“A million now,” he corrects me.
I suck in a breath.
Landon stops us in front of Eleanor and her friends. Eleanor looks a bit peeved. Norah puts a hand on Landon’s shoulder, and I feel a twist in my chest. A tinge of a feeling I don’t quite recognize.
“Landon, why on earth did you bid a million on your mother’s necklace?!” she asks, almost demanding.
He puts his arm around me.
“It just looks so beautiful on Hailey that I couldn’t bear to see it taken off her,” he says, and he kisses me on the side of my head.
The women break out into a chorus of ‘aw,’ and even his mom’s annoyance seems to melt.
I look at him. His expression is genuine, but I can see something else lurking beneath it.
Something else that looks a lot like anger.
Chapter Twelve
Landon
“Ineedamomentof fresh air. Would you care to join me?” I hold my hand out for Hailey to take.
I can tell that she probably needs a break. She almost certainly didn’t appreciate being on stage for so long. I could see her anxiety level rising more with each piece that was sold.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she says and puts her hand in mine.
She flashes a smile at my mom and her friends as we say our goodbyes.
I guide her through a corridor out to the back gardens. There is a huge colonnade with a white entablature covered in ivy. Steps lead down to a three-tiered Edwardian style fountain. Potted palms sit on either side of a bench located on the other side of the fountain.
She takes in a breath at the view. I lead her to the fountain and we both take a seat on the edge. She makes circles in the water with her fingertips.
“Are you all right?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says, and sighs. “I just never thought about how overwhelming it might be being here. But, I am enjoying it.”
She looks up at me through her lashes, and I could swear it’s almost flirtatious.
“Are you all right?” she asks suddenly, glancing away.
