？It？s just perfect；？ she breathed； her eyes transfixed on the endless train of pure white silk。
？Have you set a date？？
Um； how about a proposal first？ And what about； you know； college？
？I？ll take it；？ Blair declared。
？Of course；？ Lyla agreed。 ？You won？t be sorry。 He？s going to love it。？
Blair nodded back hypnotically； still staring at her own reflection。
？And what about the necklace？？ Lyla queried。
Why not？Blair thought。
Oh； yes； why not？
there？s something about danny
The single plaint Dan had about his job at the Strand was that the bookstore lacked one
essential； modern amenity： air…conditioning。 This morning he was stationed in the pletely
airless basement； manning the information desk and keeping an eye on special orders； like the
request for a skin diseases photo calendar。 After a couple of torturous hours； he was definitely
ready for some fresh air。
If that？s what you call a smoke。
As soon as his replacement？a scowling； silent guy named Brent who？d worked at the store for
about twenty years？ arrived to take his place； Dan jogged up the narrow staircase and outside。 A
concrete ledge ran alongside the square beige building and he perched on it； enjoying the shade as
he lit up。
The sidewalk was crowded with passersby browsing the Strand？s large outdoor carts； which were
full of super…discounted books no one wanted； likeCollectible Coins from Contemporary Canada
andTiger：The True Story of the Dog Who Loved a Cat 。 Dan closed his eyes and tuned out the
chatter of the bargain hunters。 He took a deep drag on his cigarette and thought about Herman
Hesse？sSiddhartha 。？Love stirred in the hearts of the young