Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes

Geek

girls
dont

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Copyright © 2013 by Gina Lamm

Cover and internal design © 2013 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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To my sister. We used to want to kill each other, and now
we’re best friends. Nana was right. I love you Heather!

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One

“Excuse me, you’re stepping all over my farthin-

gale.” Leah tugged her hooped skirt free of the clueless

knight’s boots. Having the most spectacular garb at the

Renaissance Faire was becoming more of a burden than

a bragging right.

He staggered away from her and blundered into a tree,

his homemade metallic armor clanking. Leah smothered

her laugh at the sight. “Somebody should pop the lid off

that tin can with legs, and if he doesn’t watch out, I’ll

do it for him.”

Ella, Leah’s good friend and Ren- Faire buddy, snick-

ered behind her hand. “Go easy on the guy. He didn’t

make the eye slits in his helm big enough.”

Irritation wrinkled Leah’s forehead as she watched

him apologize to the tree and turn to walk the other way.

“Made his codpiece too big if you want my opinion,”

Leah muttered as she brushed the dirt from the gold

brocade hem of her handmade Anjou gown. “If he was

packing that much, he’d never be able to sit on a horse.”

Ella’s snort brought a smile to Leah’s face. She was

kind of glad she hadn’t called in sick like she’d planned.

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Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes

This outing was just what she needed to get her mind

off her best friend’s upcoming wedding. Jamie’s joy

only reinforced Leah’s own shit- tastic love life. Ella had

encouraged her to stop moping and get back to having

fun, and Leah was determined to give it a shot.

As Ella and Leah made their way through the Faire,

Leah dipped her head and mumbled, “Good morrow,”

to a passing fairy. Why did people insist on doing that? It

was a Renaissance Faire, not a nearly nude fairy- for- all.

It really burned her when people took one of her favorite

events and turned it into another excuse to wear booty

shorts, bikini tops, and clearance Halloween wire- and-

sparkly- mesh wings.

“Ooh, a henna artist.” Ella pointed to a silk tent

strung beneath a large oak. “And bonus, no line! Want

to get inked?”

Leah smiled. “I really need to get going, or I’ll be late

for the coronation. Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll catch

up with you after, I promise.”

“Okay,” Ella said, tilting her head. “If you’re sure.”

Leah nodded. With a parting wave, she wound her

way through the crowd as gracefully as her hooped skirt

would allow.

Once alone, Leah’s mood turned south. She slumped

against a tree by a palm reader’s cart, cradling her head in

her hands. What was wrong with her? Jamie’s wedding

was in just a few days, and if Leah couldn’t get herself

together enough to be there for her best friend, she’d

always regret it. Her own loneliness could shove it until

Jamie’s happy day was done. Besides, she wasn’t really

losing her best friend, so she needed to buck the hell up.

The cheerful chatter of the Faire goers surrounded

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3

her— normally a wonderful, happy sound. Today, instead

of scanning her fellow attendees’ garb for historical

accuracy and nifty ideas, all Leah could do was feel sorry

for herself. Ella was right. She had to stop acting like she

was losing her best friend. Shoving herself upright, Leah

glared at the green canopy of leaves above her.

“Screw this,” she said, adjusting her skirts and

straightening her French hood. “I’ve got a coronation to

attend.” Leah strode toward the parade ground, nearly

mowing someone down in the process.

“I do beg your pardon,” Leah said as she bowed her

head and bobbed a curtsy to the man. “I didst not see…”

She trailed off as she got a look at his face. “Kevin? What

are you doing here?”
Seriously?
She gripped the sides of her skirt so hard the fabric rasped in protest.

“Leah. I hoped you’d be here.” Kevin’s self- conscious

smile didn’t reach his eyes. He smoothed his clearly

expensive jeans over his too- lean hips. “I need to ask

you something.”

“Sorry, I don’t have time to talk. Her Majesty is

expecting me to help with the coronation.” Leah

resumed walking, hoping like hell he’d get the hint and

not follow. Their particular personal history wasn’t one

she wanted to relive.

No such luck. He trotted to keep up with her,

weaving through the crowd. “You’ve got half an hour

before that starts. I checked the schedule. Listen, Leah,

I’ve been thinking.”

“About Teresa, hopefully. She
is
the one you’re going to marry.” Leah fought the angry blush climbing her

neckline. How could she have been stupid enough to

believe that Kevin loved her? She quickened her step,

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wishing she could leave him, and the past he reminded

her of, behind.

“You know I didn’t mean for that to happen the

way it did. I still care about you, Leah. I always wanted

to stay friends with you, and Teresa wants that too.

She actually wanted me to ask you to possibly, I don’t

know— beabridesmaidorsomething.”

The rushed words sent a white- hot knife of hurt and

anger through her chest. She stopped so fast that Kevin

nearly knocked her down. Whirling, she gaped at him.

“You have
got
to be kidding me. A bridesmaid? She

called me a slut the first time she even met me! And she

met me on the night that I’d thought…” The words

swelled in her throat, and she fought to get them free.

“I’d thought…”

“You thought I was going to propose to you.” Kevin

scuffed the toe of his leather loafer in the dirt. “I know.

I didn’t want to hurt you. It was just…I don’t know.”

“Hard to tell me you’ve been in love with Teresa

for five years? Hard to tell me you’d been engaged the

whole time you were stringing me along?” She dashed

the angry tears away, hating that he could see how much

she still hurt over the whole sorry situation, six months

later. “Sorry, Kevin. I can’t help you.”

“Come on, Leah, it wasn’t like that. You know how

my parents are. Teresa is an attorney— she’s great at what

she does. Her family has known mine forever. They’re

from DC too, and they all move in the same circles. I like

you, you know that.”

“But an elementary school drama teacher who just

happens to enjoy fantasy more than fundraising events

was more than your ancient and revered family name

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could take. It’s fine, Kevin. I get it.” Her voice was

ragged and her chest tight, but she stood her ground. She

wasn’t going to apologize. She’d tried to be the kind of

girl he wanted, but that particular mask hadn’t fit. It was

just as well. His mother had hated her with a passion, and

no matter how hard Leah tried, she could never live up

to that impossible standard. It had been much easier to

cling to Jamie than to try to fight for Kevin anymore. Of

course, now she didn’t have her best friend either.

He took her hand, gently rubbing a tiny circle over

her knuckles. “I still care about you. A lot. And I know

it’s shitty of me to ask this. But listen, Teresa’s cousin

Wendy had to back out of the wedding. Her doctor

put her on bed rest until the baby comes. You can wear

Wendy’s dress for the ceremony and be in the pictures.

And you don’t have to worry about anything because

the photographer said he can Photoshop Wendy’s face

in afterward.”

She’d have laughed if it wasn’t so pathetically painful.

Jerking her hand away, she stared at him— his fancy

clothes, hair perfectly gelled into that tousled look,

his complete discomfort at standing on a dirt path in

the middle of the woods— all of it. Even though she’d

wanted him desperately at the time, she could see now

that she’d been a total idiot to think he could have made

her happy. Didn’t stop it from hurting like hell though.

“There is no way that I’ll be in your wedding. You

and that attorney bitch really deserve each other.”

She walked away without looking back, her aching

heart turning to lead in her chest. What a stinking

mess her life had become, and it was nobody’s fault but

her own. She’d been so busy chasing the dream of a

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happily- ever- after that she’d completely lost sight of who

and what she wanted.

The coronation, normally one of Leah’s favorite

events, seemed to drag on forever today. She performed

her bit perfectly—
like
a
trained
monkey
in
a
circus
, she thought, her dark thoughts belying the bright smile on

her face. She didn’t miss a step, and her solo perfor-

mance got the largest applause. Once the final song was

completed and the parade through the fairgrounds done,

Leah yanked off her hood and went straight to the gates.

Her sanctuary was only a few miles away. She had to go

see the one man in the world who could make her feel

better about everything.

“Leah, there you are,” Ella called to her from a pottery

vendor’s stall. She grinned as she approached. “You were

beautiful in the coronation ceremony.”

Leah gave as sincere a smile as she was capable of

considering the roiling mass of snarled emotions inside

her. “Thanks.” She scuffed the toe of her slipper in