Dreams of Perfection (Dreams Come True) Read Free

Laura Armstrong was an account executive for Giddings-Rose, one of Madison Avenue’s oldest ad agencies, and had her sights set on a VP position. Not that Laura’s father would notice.
    Darcy thought of Laura as the female version of Mad Men’s Don Draper—well, minus the chain-smoking, the infidelity, and the shadowy past. But still, Laura worked hard and played hard, especially when it came to men.  
    Laura had said she needed to get some, and maybe she did, but unlike Laura, cheap sex didn’t interest Darcy, so until Mr. Right came along, she’d just have to remain celibate. And if Laura’s opinion counted—which it did not—grouchy.
    She groaned, rolling over onto her stomach and dragging a downy pillow with her. Hugging the pillow, she wondered again if Laura was right about her expectations being too high. She couldn’t imagine settling for someone less than who she wanted, or spending her life with someone who didn’t know her inside and out and love her in spite of her foibles. Or maybe even because of them. Someone who would never tell you he loved you and then cheat on you. Someone perfect. Someone like Blake.
    She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, clothes and all, with visions of Blake Garrett, the Perfect Man, dancing in her head.

Chapter 3
    The crowd roared as A-Rod’s two-run homer sailed over the outfield wall. Josh smacked Darcy’s hands in an overhead double high-five.
    Darcy, thumb and index finger in her mouth, let out a very unladylike whistle, while Josh hooted his approval.
    From their seats along the first-base line, they’d watched the Yankees play season after season, hoping to catch a coveted foul ball, since Josh took a job in her father’s law firm and could afford the tickets. It was the one activity he made time for in his demanding schedule as a law firm senior associate, and the fact that it involved Darcy made it all the better.
    “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Josh clapped his hands. 
    Resuming their seats, they clanked beer bottles in a toast to their beloved Yankees.
    Darcy closed her eyes and lifted her face to the warm April sun. “I just love baseball season,” she said with a wistful sigh.
    “Me, too,” Josh said with a grin. “And the Yankees are in top form. Look out, Red Sox.”
    “Darcy?”
    She opened her eyes to see a guy in faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt. “Steve. Hi.”
    He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head. “You’re looking good.” He glanced over at Josh before leaning over to kiss her cheek.
    “Thanks.” Steve was one of the rare guys she’d dated more than once. Given her dating record since Cheating Bastard, one might have even called it a long-term relationship—two weeks. But things took a turn for the serious and rather than invest more time in a relationship that would likely end, she broke it off. Besides, she’d just begun writing My Tender Passions and laid-back Steve just couldn’t compete with dark, brooding Derek, and it didn’t seem right to string Steve along.
    He’d appeared devastated when she broke it off, telling him she needed to focus on her work, which wasn’t exactly a lie. She had been keenly focused on her obsession with Derek.
    Darcy introduced Josh then tilted her head, considering. Steve was still a hunk. Maybe now that she’d gotten over her ‘brooding hero’ stage, she’d ask him for a drink. And he was a doctor just like Blake.
    “Darcy, this is my wife, Shelley.”
    Doh! So much for that drink.
    A beautiful blonde with a big smile and an even bigger chest extended her hand. Was it possible for someone’s mouth to actually reach from ear-to-ear? Darcy took Shelley’s hand and shook it briefly. She looked a little like one of those scantily clad models you see draped over the hood of a sports car in some tawdry motor oil calendar.
    “You’re Darcy Butler. I just love your books. I can’t wait for The Doctor’s Dilemma.”
    A fan. Maybe Steve had good taste in