All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Three

        "What do you mean you've never been to Target?" I asked, my eyes wide.

        Grayson, once again, looked uncomfortable. "I've just never been, that's all. I've never had reason to go."

        Suspicious, I asked, "Do you have Target in Canada?"

        "Of course we have Target!" he said indignantly. 

        I shook my head as we walked in. Grayson did not find Target that impressive, although he did enjoy pushing the cart. I told him he could look around while I grabbed some clothes, and he did–for a bit. He circled back around ten minutes later, finding me with am armful of clothes. I had only grabbed enough for a few days, figuring my odds of finding a washing machine were pretty high.

        Grayson frowned. "That's all you're getting?"

        "Yes, I didn't think I needed much, maybe just a few outfits worth," I said, feeling bad about spending his money.

        "No, get as much as you want. I'm not sure how long we'll be stuck in this mess anyways, so you might as well be prepared," he said breezily.

        "I couldn't—"

        "Look, how about this one?" Grayson suggested, pulling a green romper off a hanger. "It would bring out your eyes." 

        I blushed furiously at his remark. My eyes were nothing special, just brown, except some days, if I looked at the right angle in the mirror, I felt as if they had green flecks in them. Maybe Grayson had caught the semi-imaginary flecks too. Either way, I was surprised he'd commented on something so personal.

        He seemed to realize that he'd slightly overstepped and quickly put the romper back. "Sorry, um, nevermind. If you don't think it's cute–"

        "No, it is," I said quickly, adding it to my basket. Grayson gave me a shy smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets, almost looking proud of himself.

        "Did you find anything?" I asked politely.

        He held up a bag of Laffy Taffy. "American snacks! I can order anything online, obviously, but this is more fun."

         So we went to join the checkout line, laden with an obscene amount of clothes and some chewy candies. I cringed when the total came up-well over a hundred dollars-but Grayson didn't even bat an eye. I'd never spent that much on clothes all at once before, especially using someone else's money, and now the thought made my stomach churn.

       Grayson caught a glimpse of my expression. "Seriously, Jackie, it's fine," he said firmly as we walked outside. "If it really makes you feel bad, think of it as a sorry gift for dragging you through all this legal mess."

        "Mm. Thanks," I said, his reason not helping my feelings much.

        "Okay, I'll call my lawyer again. At very latest, you should be home tomorrow evening," Grayson said brightly. His optimism was kind of adorable, although I couldn't bring myself to match it.

        "I'll be five minutes," Grayson promised, holding the phone to his ear and stepping away. I parked myself on a bench nearby, wishing it weren't quite so boiling hot. My wishes were sadly not fulfilled, even by the time he returned.

        "Why, what's wrong?" I asked, referencing the grimace on his face.

        "Apparently there's some paperwork we need. Your birth certificate and some other things. I need them too," he sighed.

        "Oh, I have mine!" I said, excited that one thing had gone right. Then I wilted. "Or I did, before my stuff got lost."

        "Would Kylie have them?" he asked, hardly daring to be hopeful.