Perpetual Devotion (Book 4 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Excuse me... I'm sorry, I was wondering if this was the only type of sketchbook you have in stock?"

The middle aged woman behind the counter glanced down at the plain black hard covered sketchbook held out towards her then up to the girl holding it. She turned back to the gentleman she was currently assisting with his purchases, taking the credit card held out to her.

"I'm afraid whatever we have on the shelves is what we have left, honey."

She nodded with a small smile to the man taking his card and receipt before looking to the young lady again. The girl was pouting in disappointment at the book in her hands and lowered it onto the glass counter displaying the different spray cans special made for arts and crafts.

Her hand rested on top of the book, dragging it downward slowly.

"Oh..."

Mrs. Barrington glanced sideways at the girl still standing at the counter as she was scanning items for another customer. She'd never seen someone come into a shop before with their hearts set on something so badly. Just by the way the girl's pout pursed to the side and looked over her shoulder at the rather empty shelf was a bit heartfelt for the older woman.

Sighing as she punched into her cash register, Mrs. Barrington apologized to the girl and suggested she come back next week after the opening when they'd have more.

When the girl lifted her head from pouting at the sketchbook Mrs. Barrington was startled from handing over the change to the blonde woman on the other side. She glanced at the customer muttering an apology for being so jumpy and then turned to the young lady who lowered a brow, puzzled by the older woman's behavior.

Mrs. Barrington's caramel eyes widened leaning over the counter and raised her brows in amazement.

"Honey...? Are those real?"

Darla tilted her head batting her eyes slowly, oblivious as to what the woman was referring to. The woman leaned closer making the teenager reel her head back, otherwise remained unmoved. When the woman clarified her question if Darla's eyes were real, the girl smiled and nodded that in fact they were.

Mrs. Barrington raised her brow straightening back to her side of the counter.

"My, my, my... That's a beautiful color you have there." She nodded once again if she was sure they were real.

Darla laughed, raising a shoulder and promised they were.

"Hmph... those are some genes your father and mother have then! God given is what that is," she declared, raising a finger and then craning it down to point at Darla.

Mrs. Barrington smiled at her next customer asking how they were doing and began to scan their expected purchases. After completing the transaction, the dark-skinned woman returned to stare at Darla who looked down at the sketchbook again.

When she looked up, the teenager squinted her eyes, shrugging her shoulders to her ears and weakly smiled, "Are you sure there's no other sketchbooks?"

Darla really needed more than one.

They were her personal diaries; filled with dreams, thoughts, feelings, and so much of her life. She'd already had fourteen moving boxes in the attic filled with the used ones. Her father helped her stack them into the boxes, mark them with a sharpie, and placed them in the corner to prevent Mara from throwing them out by accident during the end-of-the-month clean up where her mother would take things the Henrys no longer had use for to the Goodwill.

Darla kept all the new sketchbooks her father bought her under her bed so she wouldn't have to restock for the next few months.

All the birthday money her Poppy Ben stuck into birthday cards was saved up in a tin can tucked in her underwear drawer. She'd finally saved enough to start buying her own art supplies and was so excited until now that she would have to wait a whole week to return to the shop. Darla had been told about the shop by her therapist at the last session she attended.