After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough.
Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.
She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.
Excerpt 1
Janessa folded her arms and looked at me for so long I started to
squirm. “What?”
“I wish you’d look at yourself. You’re ruining your life with this stupid obsession.”
“I wish you’d look at yourself. You’re ruining your life with this stupid obsession.”
“I’m not obsessed.” I stood up quickly, nearly tipping my chair over. I
rinsed my plate and put it in the dishwasher. I could feel Janessa’s eyes on me
the entire time, but I refused to look at her. “And just because I’m not
interested in this guy doesn’t mean my life is ruined.”
“Let me guess. Was he blond?”
“Knock it off.”
“Too short?”
“He wasn’t short. I’ve got to go.” I left the kitchen with Janessa on my
heels.
“Was he too cheerful?”
“Oh brother. I’m not having this conversation with you.”
Janessa grabbed my arm and turned me toward her. “Yes, you are.”
“I’m going to be late for work.”
“Then we’d better talk fast.”
“I don’t have anything to say,” I said.
“Then I’ll talk. You listen. You have to start giving these guys a
chance.”
I folded my arms tightly. “I give them a chance.”
“You give them one date, two at the most. But you’re not really giving
them a chance because your mind’s already made up before you even go out.”
I was getting annoyed. “I don’t have time for this conversation again.”
Janessa was practically reciting word for word what she’d said after my last
date. And the one before that.
“Lizzie. If you don’t want to have the same conversation, do something
different. Shake things up a little.” She smiled and did a little shimmy. I
refused to smile no matter how silly she looked.
“How do you suggest I do that?”
“If this guy… What’s his name?”
“Chad.”
“If Chad calls you back, go out with him again.”
“I don’t see the point.”
“Did you get a serial killer vibe from him?”
“No, I got a nice-guy-that-doesn’t-deserve-to-be-led-on vibe from him.”
“Nice guys are good. So you’ll say yes, right?”
“If I’m not interested, it wouldn’t be fair to say yes.”
“Oh knock off the baloney. You haven’t been fair to a guy since high
school. You’re just afraid if you get to know a guy, you might like him. And
wouldn’t that be awful? Was Chad funny?”
“Yes, he was funny.”
“Handsome?”
I sighed. “I don’t know if I’d call him handsome, but he was cute.”
“Cute is good. Especially if he was funny. So go out with him again.”
“You act like it’s all up to me.” I walked to the closet and collected
my purse. Like a tiger leaping on her prey, Janessa pounced at the bowl on the
entry table and grabbed my car keys. “This isn’t funny, Janessa. I’m going to
be late for work.”
“Then let’s make a deal. You agree to go out with him ten times before
you toss him aside and I’ll give you your keys.”
“Ten times? No way.”
“That’ll give you time to get to know him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m serious, Lizzie. Ten is a good number. In that amount of time, you
can make a real decision. Instead of one based on a stupid movie.”
Now Janessa was skipping through a minefield. “It’s not a stupid movie
and I’ve got to go.”
“It’s the stupidest movie in the world if it ruins your life.”
“Nothing’s ruining my life and I’m going to be late. Give me my keys and
we’ll talk about this later.” A little tussle ensued as I tried to rescue my
keys from her clutches. I almost had them when she darted to the bathroom and
shut the door hard and fast, locking it behind her. “This is real mature.”
“I don’t care about mature. You’re my best friend, Lizzie. I love
you and I’m trying to save you from yourself.”
I banged on the door. “Give me the keys. Now.” My voice had become
shrieky.
“I’ll give you the keys as soon as you promise you’ll go out with him
ten times.”
“I doubt he’ll ask me out again.”
“Why? Were you a jerk?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
I hesitated, knowing I hadn’t been very good company. “I’m pretty sure.”
“If he doesn’t ask you out, you have to ask him.”
“No way am I asking out a guy ten times. No way!”
“You just have to ask him out once. If he doesn’t return the favor you
can move on. But you have to be nice to him and give him a reason to want to
ask you out again.”
“This is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”
“Listen Liz, I’m doing this for you. Give a guy a chance before you give
him the old heave-ho.”
I leaned my head on the door. “Just give me the keys. Please.” Now I was
whining.
“You’re the one keeping yourself from your keys. And probably true
love.”
I looked at my watch. Now I’d have to risk a speeding ticket or get to
work five minutes late. I wasn’t sure which was worse—a ticket from a police
officer or a tongue-lashing from Delia.
“Fine. I’ll go out with him again if he asks me.”
“And?”
“If he doesn’t ask me, I’ll ask him?”
“Right. And how many times will you go out with him?”
“Way too many,” I said under my breath.
“I can’t hear you.”
“Ten times. If he asks me.”
The door cracked open. “And you’ll be nice to him?”
“Whatever you say. Now give me the keys.”
Janessa emerged from the bathroom and triumphantly dropped my keys into
my outstretched hand.
“You’re an idiot,” I said.
“An idiot that loves you and wants you to be happy,” she said. She
turned and headed down the hall. “Someday you’ll thank me,” she sang.
“If I don’t kill you first.” I slammed the door behind me.
Excerpt 2
It was a busy Monday morning.
I was looking out at the line of waiting customers when he walked in. I gasped,
shut my thumb in my cash drawer, and then tried not to cry while Mr. Sandoval
from a hearing aid store asked me if I was okay.
When I finished Mr. Sandoval’s
transaction, I looked at him again. He was taller than anyone in the room. Of
course. His hair was dark and a little disheveled. It was hard to see from
where I was, but his eyes looked like they were blue. And best of all, he
didn’t smile. He looked gorgeously unpleasant and impatient. He looked around
the room and his eyes met mine. Still he didn’t smile. My heart was racing. He
looked perfect.
I did my best to time it so I’d be
his teller. I went a little too fast with one customer and accidentally shorted
her a twenty dollar bill. I tried to concentrate as I corrected the
transaction. I slowed way down on the next customer, but just when I thought I
was finished and would be able to help him next, my customer asked me to break
a ten into change. He walked up to Courtney’s window while I counted out
nickels and dimes. Furious, I stomped my foot. Not too loudly but enough to
release a little of my frustration.
I listened closely as Courtney helped
him to see if I could learn anything, but he hardly spoke. He gave a terse nod
when Courtney thanked him for coming in and turned on his heel and left. He had
excellent posture and a nice, confident stride.
I finished with my customer, and then
before anyone else could step forward, I picked up the phone and dialed
Courtney’s extension. She glanced at her phone’s display and looked over at me
curiously.
“Who was that?” I whispered when she picked up the receiver.
“Who was that?” I whispered when she picked up the receiver.
“Elizabeth, look how many customers
there are.”
“I know. Just tell me who that was.”
I watched as Courtney picked up her last transaction slip.
“His name is Matt Dawson.”
“Is he married?”
“I have no idea,” Courtney said.
“Was he wearing a ring?”
“I didn’t look. What’s going on,
Lizzie?”
“I just need to know about him.”
“Well, I don’t know anything about
him and Delia’s watching us. I’ve gotta go.”
Matt Dawson. Matt. Matthew. Like
Matthew Macfadyen. Dawson. It was pretty close to Darcy. The only way it could
be better is if his name was Fitzwilliam but I’d never met a Fitzwilliam in my
life.
Matt Dawson.
This had to be a sign.
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