The Christmas Proposal - Miley Maine Page 0,31

we just go to the bookstore?” I asked, gesturing to the large building next to the Starbucks with book displays in its windows.

“I should have known,” Grayson said with a laugh. “Why not, come on.”

I followed him into the bookstore, sipping at my hot cocoa. As we entered, I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of pinecones and paper, a combination that made me feel completely at home.

“Why don’t you lead the way,” Grayson said. “I don’t have much of an interest in anything here.”

“What, you mean you don’t read much?” I asked, my brows furrowing together.

“I don’t have much time anymore,” he said with a shrug. “Work is a lot, so I don’t have the downtime to really let myself be absorbed by a story. Usually, by the time I’m done, I don’t want to do much at all.”

“But you can always find the time,” I insisted. “When I had a hectic schedule before, I used to read books at lunch or right before I went to bed—whenever there was a moment really.”

“See, that sounds nice in theory, but sometimes the work takes so much energy that you’re too physically exhausted to really concentrate on a story.”

“Then you have to find a story that doesn’t require energy, one that takes you far away from whatever world you’re in at the moment.”

A smile was slowly breaking out on Grayson’s face, and I realized I was probably sermonizing but he didn’t seem to mind. “And I imagine that you have books you would recommend for this?”

I nodded. “I don’t know if they’ll be your taste, but I certainly have a few books that I really enjoyed and I think you might, too.”

“Is that so? Why don’t you show me?” Grayson gestured for me to lead the way, and I did so with a large smile on my face. I spent the next hour or so taking him on a tour of all my favorite books and finding a few that I still wanted to read. He caved in and bought a few of the ones I recommended for him, and then insisted on buying me some of the books that I was interested in, even though I told him I still had plenty to read back at his place.

“You’ll get to them eventually,” he said by way of explanation. “Besides, you’re so pretty when your face lights up like that.”

This made me blush, and I accepted the books without any more protest. By this time, I had finished my drink and the two of us headed out to look at the clothing shops that Grayson had wanted to take me to.

First we went to a sweet little boutique that was decorated in all pastel colors and had a certain warmth to it. They were playing some soft indie Christmas songs in the background, and the shop clerk immediately came up to greet us with a large smile on her face.

“Can I help you with anything today?” she asked.

“I was looking for some cashmere dresses for my girlfriend,” Grayson said, one hand on my shoulder.

I blushed at the fact that he called me that, my stomach twisting when I realized that he had never said it before. We hadn’t really had any sort of a conversation about it, and I wondered if he really meant it or was just saying it for show.

“We just got some pretty dresses in for the season,” the clerk said. “We have a few cashmere ones, but also some others that I think she would look lovely in.”

“Start a changing room then,” Grayson said. The clerk nodded and scurried over to the racks, beginning to take out several beautiful dresses on slim golden hangers.

“If you see anything you like, let her know,” Grayson said, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “Don’t worry about the price.”

That was certainly easy for him to say, knowing how rich and influential he was, but I was used to worrying about the cost of things. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of price tags a business like this might have. I was almost tempted to look, but knew that it would most likely make me feel sick to my stomach.

“Come on, dear,” the clerk said, gesturing to the curtained changing room. “I have a selection of clothes for you to try on; let me know if anything else catches your eye.”

I followed her lead and stepped into the changing room. It was lovely, bigger than I’d expected with several candles