Free Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes by Gina Lamm Page A

you not use it around the other servants. They
    should probably not enjoy it as much as I.”
    “I’ll take that under advisement,” Leah said, smiling
    down at the cheese sandwich she was making. A side-
    ways glimpse at the valet revealed that he was hard at
    work removing grime from what looked like a witch’s
    cauldron. And it wasn’t even his job; he just wanted to
    help her.
    “Thank you for helping me.” Her words came out
    without thought, but she was glad they had.
    He didn’t turn, but she thought his shoulders relaxed
    slightly. She popped a crust of bread into her mouth,
    chewing thoughtfully before speaking again. “So how
    did you end up here? Always wanted to be a valet?”
    He paused in his scrubbing to laugh. “Not as such,
    no.” The sound of bristles on metal resumed. “I had
    some little experience in grand houses before this one.
    My former employment rendered me unfit for service to
    most. But His Grace took a liking to me, so here I am.”
    Leah sat back against the wooden slats. “So what did
    you do before that made you ‘unfit’ to most?” She made
    air quotes, even though his back was turned.
    “I worked with my hands.”
    The answer was cryptic, but his tone was even more
    so. Leah pursed her lips. “Like, making things?”
    His laugh this time was bitter. “No, not at all.” He
    didn’t give her a chance to ask a follow- up. “It is of
    no consequence. What is your occupation in the land
    behind the wardrobe?”
    Leah smiled. “That makes it sound like I lived in
    Narnia, which would have been awesome. But no. I’m
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    an elementary school drama teacher.” She pinched off
    another bite of bread. “I’ve got a great group of kids, and
    I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I mean, who else
    gets to play pretend for their nine- to- five?”
    Water splashed as Avery emptied the pot. His muscles
    strained against the damp cotton of his sleeves as he lifted
    the large iron thing. “I am sure that the children enjoy
    their lessons with such a lovely teacher.”
    Leah’s heart thudded at the compliment, but Avery
    didn’t turn. He merely wiped the pot down with a rag
    and continued washing up. She took a bite of the sand-
    wich he’d given her, just because she didn’t know what
    else to say. It would have been so much easier if Avery
    could be the duke. But even though he’d been sweet and
    had just called her lovely, he wasn’t exactly coming on
    to her. She’d spent a lot of time in the friend zone, and
    this was shaping up to be that kind of friendship, sadly.
    She swallowed methodically, flicking a little crumb
    from the corner of the table. As handsome as Avery was,
    she was here to romance the duke himself. That had to
    be it. She’d win his heart and waltz back through the
    mirror with her perfect man in tow. She hoped.
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    Eight
    When Leah and Avery parted ways at the top of
    the stairs, it was one o’clock. After that single compli-
    ment, he’d kept the conversation light, never venturing
    into the territory again. It had been a little disappointing, but even so, she’d really enjoyed talking with the strong,
    quiet man. She watched as he disappeared down the
    corridor, moving slowly. Must be his bruises hurting him.
    She shook her head. Shouldn’t have let him finish the pots.
    Leah’s jaw cracked loudly as she yawned, and she
    covered her mouth with the hand that wasn’t holding
    her candle. Four hours of sleep? It wasn’t going to be
    fun, but she’d make it, she reasoned. It would be worth
    it in the end.
    She found her door without much trouble and pushed
    it open with a creak. Soft snores echoed through the
    room from the occupants who were already in bed.
    Leah shook her head as she set the candle down on a
    small table. She really wasn’t looking forward to sleeping
    with