Page 47 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
The hostess glances over to the huge windows before nodding and grinning at our ostentatious attire. We follow her over to a table covered in a white tablecloth. Two wine glasses sit atop the table.
After taking our seats, the hostess hands us two menus and walks away. She is immediately replaced by a waiter. I blink furiously, wondering if the extremely fast service is a dream and I’ve fallen asleep on a bench or something.
“Good evening, and welcome to the Fog Harbor Fish House on Pier 39. Can I start you two off with a glass of wine?”
Hailey looks at me expectantly, and I suddenly realize that she expects me to choose the wine. I take a glance at the wine menu for only a moment before deciding on a wine that I think will wow her.
“We’d love the Siduri Pinot Noir please, thank you.”
“Certainly, sir.” He hurries off to get our wine.
“Have you been here before?” I ask Hailey as I look out the window and admire the view. We’re overlooking the pier, the water lapping over the shore is picturesque.
“I have, a couple of times. I really like it. I let you pick the wine, because I’m going to be picking the meal.” Her mischievous grin causes my heart to flutter.
“What, I’m not capable of picking my own food?” I tease, throwing her words from not long ago back at her.
She rolls her eyes as the waiter appears in record time. He’s almost like a ghost, with how swift and graceful he is. He pours two glasses and sets the bottle on the table.
“Are we ready to order, or do we need more time?”
“Oh, we’re ready. We will have the garlic whole roasted Dungeness crab please.”
“To share, miss?”
“Yes, please.”
The waiter nods in response as he leaves.
“An entire crab? So, we’re about to get messy then?” I prod. Hailey giggles before fixing her gaze out the window.
I take the time to admire her. I’ve actually enjoyed spending this day doing all the things Hailey enjoys, even if thrifting isn’t really my thing.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, breaking into my thoughts.
“You. About how I’ve had fun today.”
This puts a smile on her face, and her eyes shine with happiness.
“I’m glad you’re having fun. Especially since the day isn’t over yet!”
Her foot caresses mine under the table. I wonder how long we will stay like this when the food comes out, a huge steaming crab placed in the middle of our table.
“This smells amazing.” A roasted garlic aroma wafts over from the crab, taking over my senses.
“So, the only caveat is that I have to turn around while you crack it,” she says as I pick up the crab mallet.
“What? Why?” My hand hovers over a crab leg.
“Because,” she says, her eyes lingering on my hand, “The visual of crabs being cracked makes me nauseous.”
“Definitely can’t have that. Alright, turn around.”
I spin my hand as a visual cue and she obliges, turning around and covering her ears with her hands. I make quick work of the crab legs, gently hitting them with the mallet so that they crack open without any shell shards getting into the meat.
“Okay, you can turn around,” I announce.
She turns around, immediately confirming what I already thought: her hands over her ears didn’t drown out a single sound.
