Page 46 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
A few more moments pass. I’m about to pull the curtain myself when he comes sulking out. I let out a laugh at the sight of him.
The shiny, silver metallic pants are a perfect fit, hugging his leg muscles, but still allowing for movement. The top I picked is the kind you get as a joke on vacation, and it says “I went to Hollywood and all I got was this stupid T-shirt”. To top it all off is a comically huge bright green tie embroidered with a ladybug.
“Hey! Ladybugs!” I laugh as I point back and forth between us.
He cracks a smile and rolls his eyes.
“Do we really have to wear these all day?” he whines.
I nod very seriously. “Yes. Captain's orders.”
He sighs and we walk up to the counter. The cashier gives us a surprised look, but gives us bags for our regular clothes after Landon pays.
We’re out the door and walking down the street, attracting attention from dozens of passersby. I grab his hand, and he gives me a small smile. We’re walking past more thrift stores when something catches my eye in a pawn shop. I stop in front of the window of the shop.
Is that—? It can’t be, though. I sold it to a completely different pawn shop, so there’s no way it could have made its way to this side of town. It has to just be a coincidence.
“What’s up? Do you like that brooch?” Landon asks as he steps up beside me to look at it. It has diamonds set in a circle around a larger pink diamond, with two small silver roses on either side of it. I shake my head.
“No, I just think it’s pretty. Let’s move on.” I start to continue down the sidewalk before I think better of it.
“Actually, that’s a lie. It’s kind of similar to a brooch that I sold to pay for some of my mom’s medical bills. It’s different, though. This one is shaped like a sparrow, with less gemstones. The one that I had to sell belonged to my grandmother. It was a hummingbird, with deep blue wings and tiny diamonds encrusted everywhere. Plus, it was engraved, with a message for my grandmother. Her dad gave it to her when she was little.” I spend a little more time admiring it before I continue walking.
He’s stuck looking at it for a moment, perhaps trying to see what I saw in it. I tug him by the hand to hurry him along.
Chapter Twenty
Landon
“So,whatarewedoing here?” I ask as we pass the giant Fisherman’s Wharf sign. It’s round and shaped like the steering wheel of a ship.
“Well, that depends. How hungry are you?”
Hailey has tied her brilliant red hair up into a high ponytail that swishes with every turn of her head. I contemplate her question and rub my stomach as if it will clue me into the answer.
“I could eat.”
“That’s good! Because that was the plan anyway,” Hailey declares, sticking her finger into the air as if to punctuate her sentence.
I roll my eyes at her goofy behavior.
“Well, why’d you ask then?”
“To make sure you were ready. Follow me!” She grabs my hand and leads me down the pier.
The crowds of people are unbelievable. Families and couples are littering the boardwalk. I almost dislike it, the amount of people brushing up against me. This is just asking to be pickpocketed.
“Ta-da! You’re always taking me to great places, so now I’m taking you to one.” Hailey thrusts her hand out and almost smacks a passerby in the face.
She pulls her hand back and mumbles an apology.
The building is painted light blue, and has a lot of darkened windows. The sign atop the building reads Fog Harbor Fish House and has fish underneath it.
“What is this?” My brow crinkles.
“It’s the best seafood place on Pier 39!” She grabs my hand and drags me indoors.
“Hi there! Table for two, please. Can we sit by the window?” she asks.
