Got Love? (7 page)

“Love makes people do stupid stuff. She…” Runa broke off as Fia scowled. “What should we do?”

“I don’t know,” Fia answered on a sigh. “I just don’t know.”

Lost in thought, the ringing of Runa’s cell phone startled them.

“Who could that be?” The elf wondered aloud. “I don’t recognize the number.”

“Answer it.”

“Hello?” Runa greeted, listened for a second, and then covered the mouthpiece. “It’s Tharin.”

“What?” The banshee felt her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. “What does he want?”

Slapping a hand over her mouth, Runa’s eyes grew wide. “He wants to propose!”

Concealing a squeal, Fia bounced up and down on the bed. “Put him on speaker. I want to hear.”

“Tharin, hold on. All right. Fia’s here. You’re on speaker.”

“Morning, ladies. Sorry to call so early, but I need your help.”

Chapter 13

Will the madness never end?

Never in her life had Flora been so ready for the workday to end. Not that it wasn’t going well. Everything had been delivered for Runa’s shindig; the shop was jam-packed full, elbow to elbow with eager customers. The hot chocolate and build-your-own candy vase center was a real hit. Something she would definitely bring back next year. Had she not been in such a lousy mood, she would have loved it. As it stood, her head was pounding so loudly it was a wonder her brain didn’t run away, and her face hurt from keeping the fake smile in place. Chances were high she had whiplash from checking to see who kept coming in through her door every time the bell rang. Hoping against hope that when she looked up, Tharin would be standing in the doorway. Rubbing her neck, Flora was unable to keep from looking up as another customer walked in.
Stupid cupid! Stupid Valentine’s day! Stupid love! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Marigolds!
She needed to get out of this place. Sadly, the chances of that happening were slim to none. They’d been left shorthanded when one of her delivery drivers called in with the flu, and Fia was out on banshee business.

“Flora.” One of her counter helpers tapped her on the shoulder. “Cassidy left the Wainwright order by accident, and we have no drivers who can run it over. Do you think you could take it?”

“Gladly,” Flora answered with her first genuine smile of the day. “Can you refill the cocoa and candy?” She shrugged into her coat and hat before grabbing the box and heading out the back door where she took a deep lung full of crisp cold air.

It felt so good to be outside that Flora felt guilty for a moment. She was over-worked, stressed, and suffering from a cracked heart. She needed to take her breaks when she could get them.

Sliding her phone out of her pocket, she checked for the hundredth time to make sure it was still working. To her disappointment, there were no missed calls and no new voicemails. Sliding it back into her pocket she adjusted the weight of the cardboard box filled with candy vases, and began her trek along Mill Street until it met with Main on the opposite side of the square. Far from where Tharin had kissed her. She needed no visible reminders. Her memories were enough,
thank you very much.

At the light she crossed again, made a left onto Littles Lane, heading for Sanborn Street where the Wainwrights lived. Catching sight of the multitude of cars parked along the way, Flora briefly considered turning back to catch the much calmer Spring Street, then thought better of it. Too close to her destination to adjust, she continued on.

Weaving in and out of foot traffic, she trudged past ShoeMakers footwear and Dashing, Peabody’s premiere formalwear shop, letting her eyes drift over to Ruby’s Jewelry and Gems where sparkly diamonds were displayed to catch the sun’s rays and customers’ fancy.

Eyes roaming over the array of necklaces and earrings, Flora caught sight of something familiar. No, wait, back up. Someone familiar. There was only one man she knew with rich long hair on top of a Viking build, but he was supposed to be away on business.

Balancing the heavy box in one hand, she dug into her pocket for her phone. Calling up Tharin’s number, she pressed “send”, listening to it ring on the other end.

She watched in amazement as Tharin glanced at the phone he pulled from his own pocket and looking at the read out, left-swiped the screen before putting his phone away and accepting the velvet box Ruby herself held out to him. As much as the left swipe hurt, Flora was devastated to see the long-legged blonde in a rich fur jacket and fake tan at his side.

Shattered, Flora watched as the blonde took the box in her own hands, threw her arms around Tharin’s neck, and pressed exuberant kisses all over his face.

Tears came immediately and unbidden.
Stupid,
she tried to tell herself. So stupid to believe someone like him could want someone like her.
Lying, cheating, cupid. Good for nothing fae-kin.

Balancing the box so she could wipe the tears from her eyes, a passerby jostled the load with a misplaced shoulder. With fast reflexes she was able to save her vases, minus a few candy hearts that landed in the slushy snow.
How apt
…
to have been thrown away so carelessly
.

Unable to watch anymore, Flora hurried to finish her delivery. The quicker Valentine’s was over, the quicker she could nurse her broken heart.

****

Walking arm in arm from Ruby’s, Tharin’s grin was a mile wide. It was the same grin worn by his sister.

“I can’t believe you’re going to get married,” she exclaimed for the umpteenth time. “I can’t wait to meet her. This Flora must be someone really special to catch a hunky fae like you.”

“You’ll have to wait until the party.” Tharin opened the door of the borrowed car, closing it when Callia was settled.

Stepping back onto the sidewalk, Tharin’s gaze caught a handful of colorful objects among the dirty snow slush. Candy hearts. Tharin’s head came up. Where there were candy hearts, there were Flora’s flowers. Scanning the street, Tharin searched for his fairy. Not finding her, Tharin attributed the candy’s presence to a clumsy customer. Feeling certain his secret was safe, the cupid climbed behind the wheel and brought the car to life.

“Where to now?”

“The house. Flora’s friends Fia and Runa are bringing the rest.”

Clapping her hands with glee, the nymph bounced in her seat. “Flora’s going to be so surprised.”

Chapter 14

Aching all over, an exhausted Flora climbed the stairs and made a sluggish beeline for her bathtub, hoping a hot bath and some pain reliever would go a long way toward making her feel better. Leaving her clothes in an untidy pile, the fairy climbed into the warm water, chills racking her body until it acclimated to the soothing heat.

Finally alone, she let the tears of heartache fall, a wrenching sob tearing from her chest as she mourned the death of her first love.

“Flora, are you okay?” Fia burst into the bathroom, eyes wide, Runa on her heels.

“He…he…” She sobbed harder, unable to talk through her tears.

“Honey,” Runa soothed, passing her a washcloth. “You need to calm down and take a breath. We can’t understand you.”

“He was with…another woman.” Flora managed to get out between short breaths, burying her face in the dry fabric.

“Who was?” The friends exchanged wary glances.

“Tharin!” Flora exploded. “At Ruby’s.”

“Are you sure?”

“I called him. He left-swiped me. Then bought jewelry for that blonde tart he was with.”

“Maybe it’s not what you think.” Runa tried to reason.

“What else is there to think when the man you love is in town for Valentine’s Day with another woman, refuses your call, and spends the day buying jewelry for
her
?”

“Oh, hon,” Fia drawled with a shake of her head.

****

Twenty minutes and a lot of cajoling later, Fia and Runa tiptoed from Flora’s room where the heartbroken fairy had finally fallen into an exhausted slumber.

“Crappy, crap. What are we going to do?” the banshee demanded as Runa’s fingers tapped madly on her phone’s keyboard.

“Damage control. We’ve got to let Tharin know.” Hitting “send”, the elf waited for the cupid’s response. “Shoot. I’ve got to be at the benefit-auction in thirty minutes. Can you watch Flora tonight?”

“Unless I get called away.”

“Great.” Runa broke off when her phone rang. “It’s Tharin.”

“Good luck with that. I’m gonna go make some soup.” The banshee headed down to the kitchen.

“Hi.” Runa spoke into the receiver. “We’ve got a slight problem.”

****

Knock, knock
. “Can I come in?” Runa asked from the other side of Flora’s door.

Having been awake since sunrise, Flora pushed herself up in bed, scrubbing fresh tears from her face before allowing Runa entry. “You’re up early. How was last night?”

“Your table settings were a big hit.” The elf climbed onto the bed with her friend. “We raised a good chunk of change toward installing the new playground by auctioning them off. It should be completely paid for and ready for the kids to enjoy by summer break.”

“That’s good.”

They sat for a moment in awkward silence.

“Tell me I’m stupid for falling in love with him so fast,” Flora begged, breaking the tension. “Tell me it was doomed from the beginning.”

“I can’t lie to you like that.” Runa sighed. “Even a blind troll could see you two were meant to be together. I’m sure there’s been a mistake. A misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?” the fairy demanded. “He’s been avoiding me for days, doesn’t call me when he gets back to town, and then I see him in Ruby’s with another woman. I saw him holding a box out to her.” Flora’s voice broke as a new wave of tears threatened. “She…she started kissing him all over his face and threw her arms around him. I couldn’t watch anymore after that. Why else wouldn’t he tell me face to face he was going out of town if there wasn’t someone else?” Flora rebutted. “The only mistake was letting him into my heart.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

At Fia’s knock, Flora called out for her to enter, comforted by the way her friend wrapped her in a tight hug. Proving all a girl really needed when she was down was a pair of good friends to depend on.

“Look, since we’ve obviously canceled the welcoming party on account of the new neighbor doggin’ it up, why don’t Fia and I treat you to a home spa day, followed by brunch at The Tea House.”

Sniffing, Flora rubbed her nose. “I love their scones.”

“And they have that gorse ice cream you adore. While we’re at it, we’ll pick up some more of that wine you like, come home and drink the whole bottle. We can all call in sick tomorrow because we’ll be too hung over to do anything productive. But the next day, we have to go back to the real world, face our problems like adults.”

“I don’t like being an adult.” Flora grumbled.

“I know. Deal?”

“Deal.” Flora offered a watery smile.

“Great. I’ve got some of that fancy face mask left over from my birthday.”

“And I’ve got some herbal bubble bath. Then we can do each other’s nails. Sound good?”

Nodding weakly, Flora let herself be drawn back into Fia’s comforting embrace.

“Come on, go brush your teeth while I fill the tub and get everything together. We’ll have you functional in no time!” Runa smiled.

Flora snorted. “Functional?”

“What? It fits better than saying, ‘We’ll have you feeling better in no time!’ That’s just insensitive.”

Agreeing, Flora nodded again. “You’re right. Functional,” she repeated, testing the word out for herself. “Functional it is.”

****

Dressed in a flattering gray-felted wool dress with black lace appliqués and trim, turquoise tights, matching jewelry, and black booties, Fia walked into Flora’s bathroom, ready to get the show on the road. Hoping that their orders to get Flora to Tharin’s house no matter what, wouldn’t cost her a friend in the process.

“Just about done. What do you think?” Runa asked, stepping back to get the full effect of Flora’s makeup.

“Too light. Lipstick needs to be brighter.”

“That’s what I thought.” Runa swept the color on again, adding a glossy top coat before declaring her job done and leaving to go get her own self dressed.

Digging through Flora’s jewelry box, Fia kept a watch on the fairy as Flora slipped her feet into yellow-heeled Mary Jane’s with raindrop cutouts, before adjusting the white lace top she’d tucking into a high-waisted wool skirt in forest green.

“Here.” She offered Flora the silver dollar-sized pendant of a framed gorse flower, sliding it over Flora’s freshly curled hair, allowing it to rest gently between her breasts. Flora added a pair of diamond studs to her ears.

“So?” She turned to Fia for approval.

“Perfect.”

“I’m ready.” Runa returned, tucking her cell phone into the pocket of the matching purple coat she’d thrown over the sweater dress she exchanged for her bathrobe.

“Great shoes.” Fia complimented on the sparkly pumps, planning on snatching them from Runa’s closet the first chance she got.

“Thanks. Flora, you ready?”

Taking a deep breath, the fairy nodded. “Ready.”

Reaching out to put a supportive hand on Flora’s shoulder like they had pre-arranged, Fia phased them straight to Tharin’s house without a second thought, praying that she and Runa were doing the right thing.

Chapter 15

“What the hell, Fia?” Flora exploded the second they reappeared. “A little warning would have been appreciated. I thought we were taking the car! Where are…?” The fairy broke off, immediately recognizing the familiar shade of blue on the living room walls and sweet Dori looking at her from her dog bed. Glaring daggers at her friends, Flora turned on her heel, making immediately for the front door.
Forget this crap. I’ll walk the five miles home by myself if I have to! Stupid phasing
.