My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White Read Free Book Online

you’d find a message taped to his
shoelace.”
    “Did you really do that?”
    “I did. I sent her all
over Portland.”
    “Wow. How long did it take
you to set it up?”
    “Hours and hours. No
wonder the girl wasn’t very interested. I probably cost her $25.00 in gas.”
    I laughed. “How did she
answer?”
    “She had her brother tie a
note that said ‘yes’ to my shoes during a swim meet.”
    “After all your hard work,
that’s all she did?”
    “Yep. She probably didn’t
want to spend any more time and money.”
    “I guess I should be
thanking you for just asking me and sparing me the tour of Portland.”
    “So? Will you go with me?”
    I sighed. “I suppose. But
if it’s Sadie Hawkins, isn’t the girl supposed to ask.”
    “Okay. Go ahead. Ask me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I promise I’ll say yes,” Chad said. His crooked smile was
way too cute.
    “Chad, will you go with me
to Sadie Hawkins?”
    “I’d love to. Thanks for
asking. By the way, where are you taking me to dinner?”
     
     

    LIGHTS FROM INSIDE The
Pink Salamander left bright patches on the dark ground. Two restaurants on the
street were lit up but the other businesses were dark.
    “This must have been an
amazing house,” Janessa said.
    “I know. It’s really beautiful.”
    “When did they turn it
into a bookstore?”
    “I’m not sure,” I said. “I
remember noticing how pink it was my second year of college, so it’s probably been
about three years.”
    The bell jingled as we walked
in and the exquisite girl from behind the counter stood just inside the door.
    “We’re closed unless
you’re here for the Nanette Eggleston event,” she said. Her long, slim skirt
and delicate white blouse looked incredible and I felt underdressed, even in my
favorite outfit—a knee-length printed skirt, a lace tee and cardigan, with
mustard-colored tights and brown boots. Janessa said I looked elegantly quirky,
but next to Miss Exquisite, I felt much more quirky than elegant. I just hoped
Mr. Dawson would notice me.
    “We’re here for the Eggleston
event.” I felt pretentious just saying it.
    “Go straight down the hall
to the parlor on the right.”
    Just inside the parlor
door was a table with stacks of Ms. Eggleston’s books. A couple that looked promising.
I’d never owned a signed book before. Maybe tonight I’d own two.
    A small platform with a
stool and microphone sat in the corner. Chairs faced the platform in tight semi-circled
rows. A few people were already sitting in the chairs, flipping through the
pages of books. A small fire burned in the fireplace next to the platform.
    “Let’s sit by the fire,”
Janessa said. We took two seats on the second row.
    A few minutes later, Mr.
Dawson and Ms. Eggleston, a woman in her thirties, walked in. They stood at the
edge of the platform, just a few feet from us.
    “Wow, I see what you
mean,” Janessa said. “Grow out his sideburns and put him in a waistcoat and
it’d be hard to tell the difference.”
    “See, I told you. And
watch him. He carries himself the same way, too.”
    We discreetly watched him
for a minute. “I thought you had to be exaggerating but you weren’t.”
    I was glad Janessa had
come with me. It was much easier than coming by myself and I felt a little
thrill to hear her confirm what I already thought. Now she’d understand why I
wanted to make him notice me.
    No. Why I had to
make him notice me.
    “However did you come up
with the name The Pink Salamander?” Ms. Eggleston asked Mr. Dawson.
    “I let my younger sister
name it. It was her idea to paint the exterior pink, as well. I suppose that’s
what you get when you let a teenager make important decisions.”
    “Well, I think it’s perfectly
charming.”
    I wasn’t eavesdropping on
purpose. They were just standing close enough to hear and I couldn’t help it.
    “It gets people’s
attention. We’re happy you included us on your book tour. I must confess I
haven’t read The Dawn of All