Page 21 of Arranging Ayra
“Well, then come on,” I managed to say without sounding too giddy.
We headed out and he immediately turned to the right.
“My car is over here,” I said, guiding him to the left.
“No. We’ll take my car. I got a neat little sports car and I’ve been dying to take it out for a ride.”
“As much as I would love to take a ride in a sports car, I’m going to need a little more trunk space than that... a lot more, in fact.
“Well, in that case, we can take my truck.”
Shoot! You have a sports car, and a truck parked out here for whenever you need it?
I smiled. “Oh. Perfect then.”
We got into his truck and drove off.
“So,” he said after a few minutes on the road. “What did you think of my Mr. Darcy?”
“Impressive,” I said. “I was completely brought back into the book that I remember so fondly. I couldn’t imagine anyone doing a better job.”
“I’m glad you liked it. Knowing how much you love the book, your opinion matters a lot.”
It does?
My heart raced. I could hardly believe that I was sitting in a car with Mr. Darcy... oh, Barnaby. I didn’t want to gush. I didn’t want it to be so obvious that I had a wild crush on him. Therefore, I dared not speak.
“You’re rather quiet this morning,” he said after a long moment.
I had to find something to talk about... something other than my feelings for him. I quickly pulled out my shopping list. “Look at this list,” I said, feeling rather silly. “How am I ever going to find all these items? Some of these things I don’t even know what they are. I don’t even know where to begin. What sort of store sells these things.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with such soothing calm. “I know plenty of places and there are at least three magnificent antique stores in town. Surely, you’ll find most of what you need there. And even if they don’t have precisely what you need, they’re knowledgeable enough to offer you a suitable replacement.”
I smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.” After a long pause, I added, “How do you know Derbyshire so well, Barnaby?”
He chuckled. “First of all, please do call my Barn. All my friends do.”
My smile broadened. “Oh. Okay.”
“And secondly, I lived in Derbyshire as a child... until I turned fifteen.”
“Where’d you go?”
“London.”
“It’s so beautiful out here. You must miss it terribly.”
“Indeed. I’ve yet to find a prettier place on earth.”
“Well, I’m honored to have you help me out today. Your knowledge of the area will surely be invaluable.”
He nodded with a proud jut of his chin. “Now, tell me... what are these mystery items you know nothing about.”
Befuddled, I simply gazed at him.
“Your list,” he said, looking down at the sheet of paper in my hand. “You said there were items you knew nothing about.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.” I glanced down at the list. “Well, like.... let’s see here... a Canterbury rack.”
