Chapter 486 Hoyt Leighâs Ex-Girlfriend They finally reached their destination, though neither of them expected a crowd today. The place was so jam-packed that they had to step down from the bike and finish the rest of the journey on foot.
Hoyt could not stop repeating every once in a while, âPlease follow me, Miss McKinnon. Donât get lost in the crowd!â
He kept reminding her enough that Deirdre could not stop teasing him. âHeehee. Iâm an adult, you know. Not a kid?â
Hoyt turned and caught her gentle smile, and his cheeks burned⦠again. âI⦠I didnât mean I meant, youâre not familiar with this place, and your eyes arenât very good, so if you get lost, you wonât know where to find me!â
âItâs going to be fine. If I get lost, Iâll just stand where I am. I know youâll locate me again until you find me.â
âT-True.â God, Hoyt felt like he was walking on air.
He sped up his pace a little and led Deirdre to a shop. Parking his bike in its front, he said, âHere you go. Check around and see if thereâs anything you like. Just pick it when you find something you want.â
âOkay.â Deirdre pushed open the door and scanned the blurry interior of the shop. She walked near the racks and carefully felt each clothingâs fabric. All of them seemed sturdy enough to weather the cold.
She was about to ask for the size when she heard a woman cry, âHoyt? Itâs really you!â
She raised her head and saw a woman shoving her way through her. Deirdreâs vision made discerning her features impossible, but she could tell the woman was wearing a lot of gilded jewelry. The light bouncing off the edges was practically blinding her.
Hoytâs face paled. âW-Why are you here?â
âUh, to buy clothes? And what about you?â The woman turned to Deirdre and examined her. Her initial vigilance phased into contempt. âOh my God. Your taste just keeps reaching for the bottom of the barrel after you left me. Now youâre actually dating a woman with so many defects?â
Hoytâs face turned red. He frowned. âDonât say that about her!â
âWhy canât I?â The woman snapped. âSeriously? Youâre getting mad at me because I spoke the truth about your new girl? Jesus!â
Hoyt was in no mood to quarrel. âCome on, Miss McKinnon. Letâs go somewhere else.â
âHold it right there! Why are you avoiding me? After all these years, we finally met for the first time, and your response is to run? And I thought you were still mad at me, but it turns out you changed your heart and found yourself a new girl after all. God, itâs almost as if youâve forgotten all about the promise you made! Remember that? You said Iâm the only girl youâd ever love!â
Hoyt was at his witâs end. âPlease, stop this. You ended up with someone else, okay? That promise is void.â
âOh, I get it. Youâre sulking!â She laughed. âThatâs why you feel so bad about this. Gosh, Hoyt, I have been meaning to explain myself to you, okay? My parents forced me. Iâve always loved you, but youâre just⦠poorer than us. You left me no choice, but things are different now. Come on, Hoyt. Letâs get back together.â
She shot a smug glare at Deirdre, who remained silent. She could not see very well but knew what was playing out.
Hoyt was stunned. âB-But arenât you with Mr. Sach now?â
The womanâs eyes twinkled. âYes, but we havenât been speaking for a long time now. Itâs times like these that make me miss you. I miss the times when we were together. When you would treat me right.
So, how about it? Weâll put the past behind and start over again, okay?â
Before Hoyt answered her, Deirdre suddenly spoke airily. âAre you willing to be his wife?â
âWhat the h*ll?â The womanâs expression darkened, and hostility colored her tone. âExcuse me, who are you supposed to be? Why are you commenting on our business?â
Deirdre smiled. âItâs just a question for clarification. I think Mr. Leight is thinking the same as well. You want to start over again with him, right? So, are you divorced?â