Prelude to a Wedding by Patricia McLinn

Author:Patricia McLinn
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780373097128
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Published: 1991-11-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Bette mentally checked the contents of the shopping bags she’d accumulated, then looked at her watch. Nine minutes left before she was to meet Paul. Unexpectedly, a bubble of laughter rose in her. Who would have guessed how much fun this would be, this rather sexy kind of scavenger hunt?

They’d started off together, buying tote bags after a long, intricate discussion of exactly which ones they should get. Paul had wanted to buy matching ones because, he said, it was a visual symbol to any astute bellboy that this was an established couple. She had opted for different ones because it might look less like just-bought goods. Paul had prevailed, and for a moment as the clerk rang up the purchase, she’d considered how odd it was for Mr. For the Moment Only to be the one to want them to appear as a couple. But then there’d been no time to give the matter further thought. She had shopping to do.

They’d agreed to meet in forty-five minutes at the front entrance to Water Tower Place. She’d gone directly to a drugstore, tossing into the mesh basket a toothbrush and toothpaste, a disposable razor for her legs, deodorant and a small perfume vial, plus trial-size shampoo and moisturizer in case the hotel didn’t provide them. Then, trying to tell herself not to blush like an idiot, she added a foil packet to her collection.

She’d spent most of her time in Marshall Field’s, buying a change of clothing for the morning: jeans and a white oxford-cloth shirt, which weren’t extravagant since she could always use spares. With her tweed suit jacket and flat pumps, she at least wouldn’t look blatantly like a woman wearing her Friday night clothes on Saturday morning.

Her last stop was lingerie, for a change of underwear. Now, with nine minutes left, she glanced across the aisle that separated the lingerie basics from the frivolous and saw a royal-blue froth of lace and sheerness. She knew she had to have it. She was woman enough to know it would draw lights to her eyes, and practical enough never to have owned anything like it.

Stifling the habit of checking the price first, she found the right size and headed for the counter.

Oh, she’d been with men before. A couple. But she couldn’t imagine having had the nerve to wear something like this for them. This was a gown to wear for a man who could make her laugh, but never laughed at her. She felt a swelling in her heart as she accepted the bag with the gown. She’d wear this for Paul, and she’d have no shyness about it. He would see her vulnerability, and he would honor it.

With her final few minutes, she found a rest room and transferred the contents of her shopping bags to the tote.

As she hurried through the heavy glass doors, she caught sight of Paul immediately. Grinning, he held up his bag to show off its packed state. She thought his looked lumpier than hers, and there was definitely a sharp edge poking against the soft fabric.

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