Dating Mr. Darcy - Kate O'Keeffe Page 0,46
of a little bolstered puppy action.”
I laugh. It hurts. “You’re not afraid of a whole lot, Reggie.” I slip the stays over her head and begin to pull.
“Tighter.”
I pull some more.
“Tighter,” she repeats, her voice strained.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she squeaks.
I give one final pull on the cords and tie them up. Reggie examines herself in the mirror. “I’m thinkin’ of keepin’ this when I leave.”
“Because you’re a masochist?”
“Because they make me look hot, darlin’.”
“To each their own.” I finish off my outfit and then set about styling my hair.
Reggie settles onto her bed and pulls out a notebook and begins to scribble.
“Whatcha writing?” I ask.
“I record everythin’. I plan on vloggin’ my entire experience on the show when it goes live.” She sighs. “Oh, how I miss my phone.”
“Do you? I quite like the calm.”
“Calm? You’re insane if you think the girls here are calm.” She finishes what she’s writing and says, “What’s your plan?”
I cock an eyebrow. “Plan?”
“Yeah, you know, how you’re gonna get yourself noticed.”
“By Sebastian?”
“Sure.”
I think of Penny’s advice the day this all began. “Be myself, I guess.”
“Be yourself,” Reggie repeats as though I said “eat Brussels sprouts.” Side note: I hate Brussels sprouts.
She gives me a look like I’m being completely dense. “You’ve gotta get yourself out there, darlin’. That’s why we’re all here: for after the show is done and dusted.”
“Right. For the follows.”
“The follows, the endorsements, all of it.” She glances around the room, even though we’re alone. “This is our moment. We have got to grab it by the balls and not let it go.”
Reggie might be here for promotion in a way I’m not, but we do share a common goal: use the show to get ahead. Now, I need Sebastian to deliver on his offer to help get Timothy some air time.
“I hope it works out for you, Reggie. Now, we’d better get down there.” I stand up to leave. “We don’t want to upset Mrs. Watson.”
She hops up off the bed and collects her spencer from the closet. “Heck, no. That woman scares the livin’ crap out of me.”
We are the last to arrive in the living room, and we try to sneak in without being noticed. But you can’t pull a fast one on Mrs. Watson, as we find out pretty quickly.
“Ladies, how nice of you to join us,” she says with a disingenuous smile.
“Sorry we’re late,” we both mumble as we try to merge into the background.
“Since you’re here last, you have the honor of going first in today’s activity.”
“Okay,” I reply worriedly. “What is the activity, exactly?”
“Horse riding.” She pauses, and then adds, “Side saddle,” before she shoots us a triumphant smile.
Horse riding? Side saddle? I blink at her in disbelief. Is she freaking kidding me right now? I may be Texan born and raised, but the full total of my experience with horses is owning a yellow My Little Pony I called “Matilda Horsie” when I was five. Not so helpful in riding an actual, live horse.
I flash my eyes to Reggie’s. She’s a city girl through and through. I bet she’s as freaked out as I am.
I clear my throat. “Mrs. Watson, neither of us have any experience of riding horses. Can’t one of the other girls go before us? Someone who knows about them?”
“Miss Emma, after your remarkable rendition of that song about a horse in the singing competition, I felt quite certain you would leap at the opportunity to ride one.”
Sebastian in all his Mr. Darcy regalia appears at the door, and the cameramen turn to capture him. They were clearly not expecting him.
“I’d be more than happy to assist you,” he says.
For some inexplicable reason, I blush.
The women in the room begin to gush their greetings, and there’s much toying with hair and battering of eyelids as he steps further into the room.
“Oh, my,” Reggie says beside me. “I have said it before. This guy is smokin’.”
“Oh, it’s only because he’s dressed as Mr. Darcy,” I explain knowledgeably as I think of the way he made me feel last night in his room. “He’s one of the most romantic heroes of all time. It’s The Darcy Effect.”
“Sure, darlin’. If you say so,” she replies, obviously unconvinced. “I’d prefer to call it The Hot Guy Effect, but maybe that’s just me.”
I open my mouth to respond as I watch Sebastian greet the contestants in his riding boots and snug-fitting jacket with the long tails (I really should find out what those are called).