Page 37 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
I let out a deep breath and concede, putting my wallet away. Eleanor pulls out a black AmEx and I suck in a breath. I’ve never seen one in person, regardless to how many rich men I’ve gone out with. Eleanor hands it off to Elizabeth, who swipes it and hands it back. Eleanor then signs the check and leaves it on the table.
We’re strolling past the gates of the patio, chatting like three best friends when Eleanor is pushed to the ground with a resounding cry.
A man dressed in black snatches Penny’s purse as she’s distracted by Eleanor.
“Hey!” she shouts after him as she leans down to check on Eleanor.
Thinking more quickly than I have ever done, I stick my foot out in front of the thief, catching him by surprise.
“Shit!” he exclaims as he falls to the ground.
I stand over him and swiftly kick him in the stomach. He lets go of Penny’s purse and clutches his stomach.
“I’m calling 911!” Penny shouts as I lean down and grab her purse.
A look of panic crosses the thief’s face. He scrambles briefly and gets up, sprinting away from the scene. Sirens sound in the distance not long after, making their way in our direction.
Chapter Sixteen
Landon
ThetiresscreechasI zoom into the hospital parking lot. I throw the car in park and storm into the hospital.
“I need to see Eleanor Gould,” I say as soon as I’ve entered through the doors. The receptionist is a young woman that looks a bit intimidated by my presence.
“Um, uh, yes. Are you family?” she says, her fingers slightly trembling as she pecks at her keyboard. I feel impatience stirring within me.
“I’m her son,” I say firmly, and I can hear the irritation seep into my voice.
“Okay…Here’s a visitor's pass. She’s in room 113. It’s just around the corner and to your right.” She points down a hallway.
I take the small badge and make my way to the room.
When I step inside, I am greeted by Penny and Hailey standing by my mom. As I walk by, Penny nods solemnly in greeting. I grab my mom’s hand and she smiles at me.
“Mom, are you okay? You’re not seriously hurt, are you?” I ask, taking note of the IV embedded in her vein.
She follows my gaze to the tube and waves her hand flippantly.
“Oh no, I’m perfectly fine. They gave me the IV because it’s policy. Really, it’s just a few scrapes and bruises on my knees and elbows. We’re lucky that Hailey was there.” She smiles at Hailey gratefully, and Hailey gives her hand a squeeze.
“What do you mean? What did Hailey do?” I throw Hailey a look of confusion and her face reddens.
“Oh, she was amazing!” Penny interjects suddenly, her eyes lighting up. “The second that guy snatched my purse, she was on it! She stuck her foot out and kicked him in the gut! I wouldn’t even have my purse right now if she hadn’t sprung into action.”
“Please, it was nothing,” Hailey says, casting her eyes downward. I press my lips together and a barely stifled noise escapes from me. The three women look at me, varying degrees of confusion forming on their faces. I take a deep breath before addressing Hailey. I need to maintain a sense of composure in front of my mom, especially after the ordeal that she’s just been through.
“Hailey,” I say, irritation lacing my words, “Can I please speak to you in the hallway?”
“Um, yeah, sure,” Hailey says apprehensively. I turn around and lead the way into the hallway. I hear Penny whisper something unintelligible to Mom as the door shuts behind Hailey.
“What in the world were you thinking?” My tone is low and steady, even as I whirl on her.
Shock takes over her expression.
“I, um— What do you mean? What are you talking about?”
“You cannot get involved in things like that! You had no idea what that man was capable of, what he had on him! What if he had a knife, or even a gun? You could have been seriously hurt, or even killed!” I can feel my voice rising as I go on, drawing more attention to the two of us, but I don’t care. She needs to understand that she can’t just go around endangering herself, or my family.
