Page 16 of Hang the Moon
“Why do you care whether Annie thinks romance is dead? It’s no skin off your nose what your sister’s best friend thinks.”
He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone thinking love was a lost cause, believing they needed to settle for less than fireworksbecause they hadn’t found the right person yet.Yetbeing the operative word.
“It’s the principle of the matter. It’ssad. And, okay, from a professional standpoint Idohave skin in the game. Annie’s not the only person who thinks romance is dead. The annual intimacy-and-dating survey was pubbed yesterday.Thirty percentof people polled think dating apps have removed the romance from dating. I can’t just ignore that.” OTP couldn’t ignore that, either. Maybe he couldn’t convince everyone, but if he could convince Annie? It would be a start.
A line formed between her brows, and her lips twisted downward in a frown. “I say this with all the love in my heart, but you need to accept the fact that you can’t single-handedly deliver happily-ever-afters for every person on the planet. Even you have limits, Brendon.”
Limits, his ass. He shot her a grin. “Says who?”
She pressed a hand to her forehead. “Didn’t you learnanythingfrom what happened with your sister and Elle? Like, I don’t know,notto meddle in other people’s love lives?”
Sure, there’d been that hiccup where Darcy’s fear of winding up with a broken heart had led to her pushing Elle away and ruing the day Brendon set them up, but she’d gotten over it, proving that love could, in fact, conquer everything, including your deepest, darkest fears. “Everyone keeps throwing that in my face, but I’m pretty sure my intervention paid off. Besides, this isn’t meddling. I told Annie I’m going to change her mind. I just don’t knowhow.”
“And you thought, what?Let me ask Margot. She’s a fount of knowledge.You’re the expert on mushy shit, not me.”
“Mushy shit?”
She rolled her eyes. “I said what I said. All thatyou complete meandhad me at helloandyou’ve bewitched meandyou make me a better manandyou’re perfectandyou’re a bird—which, what the fuck does that even mean?” She stuck out her tongue. “Mushy.”
“There were at least five butchered romance references in there, maybe more. You sound pretty knowledgeable to me,” he teased.
“All moviesyouhave forced me to watch. You live for sappy shit, is what I’m saying.”
“They aren’t sappy. And even if they were, there’s nothing wrong with a little sap. They’re hopeful. They show that love...” He trailed off. An idea formed, hazy and incomplete but more than anything he’d been working with so far.
Margot’s brows rose. “Show that love...?”
He riffed out loud, “What better way to prove to Annie that romance isn’t dead than to show her?”
“Show herwhat? No offense, but I don’t think forcing her to sit through a remedial rom-com marathon’s really going to do the trick.”
A lightbulb went off, puzzle pieces clicking into place. “You’re a genius.”
“Duh.” Her expression faltered. “Mind filling me in onwhyI’m a genius?”
“Because you’re right. Showing her a bunch of movies isn’t going to cut it.” He tossed his water bottle back into his bag with a grin. “Which is why I’m going to woo her.”
“Woo her?” She shut her eyes and groaned. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“No, I’m serious. I’m going to woo Annie, and what better way to do it than by using my favorite movies as the blueprint?”
The greatest grand gestures and romantic moments? He was going to re-create them.
She stared at him blankly from behind her glasses.
“I’m serious, Mar. Do you know how many movies were either filmed or set in Seattle?Say Anything,Sleepless in Seattle,10 Things I Hate About You, Singles—”
“I get the picture.”
“This city’s more romantic than anyone gives it credit for. We’ve got the greatest restaurants, the waterfront, a giant Ferris wheel—”
“What the fuck does a Ferris wheel have to do with romance?”
“Have you seenThe Notebook?Love, Simon?Never Been Kissed?” Ferris wheels were a romance staple by this point. “You have no chance of being interrupted, you get a stellar view, it’s private—”
“Ergo, romance.” Margot rolled her eyes. “And your end goal with all of this iswhat? Make Annie fall in love with you?”
“All I’m looking to do is show her romance isn’t a lost cause. That there’s someone out there for everyone and the right person will be willing to sweep her off her feet. At the very least, we’ll have fun.”
