Page 57 of The Fiancé Hoax
This was our first public appearance in a high-profile place since Felicity had moved in. And she had dressed for the part. Her long emerald green dress with a slit up to her upper thigh made her look stunning. She wore her rich brown hair up to showcase her shoulders and neck, left bare by her sleeveless dress.
Several heads turned as we moved through the restaurant, following the hostess to our table. Felicity was so close I could breathe in her scent, and it made me want her all the more.
Once we were seated and had ordered our drinks, she perused the menu. I tried to keep my eyes off the hint of cleavage revealed by her gown.
She glanced up at me. “Do you already know what you’re getting?”
“I always get the steak,” I said.
“Always the same thing?”
I nodded.
“Why am I not surprised?” She smiled.
I lifted a shoulder. “If something works, why change it?”
“Good point.” She chewed her lip as she studied the menu. “Okay, I’ll get the steak, too. That sounds perfect, actually.”
She closed the menu and looked around the room. I made myself look away from her beautiful face. It was refreshing to see a woman eat more than a salad.
She leaned in and lowered her voice. “You really think coming here together and wearing this ring will help your custody case?”
“I do. LA’s a big city, but the circles I run in are small. People talk. They’ll notice us together, and they’ll definitely notice that ring.”
She giggled. “How could they not?”
I spotted an investor I knew a few tables down. I held my glass of wine up to him and nodded.
“See what I mean?” I muttered under my breath to Felicity.
“I do,” she said, looking a little nervous.
“You’re doing great,” I reassured her. “Tell me about your day.”
“Well, I changed the price on everything in the store,” she said.
“You increased the prices, I hope?”
She gave me a dubious look. “Of course. I followed all your recommendations.”
“Good.” I sipped my wine.
“Oh, and the web developer I hired launched my new website, and I just got my first online sale!” She beamed, giddy with excitement.
“Wonderful. Here’s to many more.” I raised my glass and clinked it against hers.
“Thanks. And tomorrow, I’ll work on new advertisements to try to get more people into the store.”
I nodded. “Advertising will be a game-changer for you, Felicity.”
“I hope so.” She played with her dangling earring, looking off into the distance. “It does feel like things are about to really change with the boutique. And… I still can’t get over my dad visiting my store yesterday.”
“It was high time he did.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe he took so long.”
“He’s stubborn. He hated the fact that I went into fashion design. He was never supportive of my decision to open the store because he thought it would fail.” She looked down at the table, sadness on her face.
I reached over and took her hand in mine. Not because I wanted people to see us, but because I wanted to comfort her. She looked at my hand on hers, then up at me.