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  “N-n-no problem.” The young girl stuttered, gathering the menu to her chest. “I’ll be back with your order shortly.”

  Shaking his head, Tharin didn’t miss how the waitress was treated to hi-fives from each of her co-workers from behind the counter, or how they did their best to muffle their hormone-charged peals of laughter while typing madly on their phones. Females! No matter the species, they were all alike.

  Turning his attention back to the town, he caught a flash of yellow from the floral shop. It was the same yellow he’d caught from the corner of his eye between the aisles at Tartan and Thistle earlier.

  Sipping his water, Tharin watched the feminine figure, obviously a fairy, dressed in a yellow hat and matching half Wellies stop in front of the window display. Hands on curvy hips hidden under her floral topcoat, she paced back and forth several times before rushing back in, her arm snaking through the hanging decorations to fiddle with a few vases before rushing back out where she repeated the process until she gave a satisfied nod.

  The nod was one echoed by an approaching female in a red hat and black wool coat. From his viewpoint, Tharin could see high cheekbones and porcelain skin that bespoke of elven blood. Chatting like old friends, they stood arm in arm as fluffy snowflakes began to fall around them.

  Thanks to powerful glamour charms placed devotedly around the town, humans couldn’t see the palpable flare of pure vibrant magic that pulsed in waves from the duo. For a second, it caused Tharin to feel sorry for the humans. They were missing a beautiful sight.

  “Your lemons and your salad.” The waitress grinned as she slid the plates across the table.

  “Thank you,” he answered absently, busy watching the duo before him.

  They were a pretty picture, and he enjoyed watching until a dark shadow joined their group. A surprise, it was enough to have Tharin choke on his water. By all that was holy, Death had come for his fairy. Sweet Brigid! Heart in his throat, Tharin watched as his personal ray of sunshine reached out and pulled the dark shadow from the doorway where it was exiting the floral shop and into a hug.

  Not Death, Tharin realized as his heart began a slow thump. Comforted by the piercing blue eyes he saw, instead of the black obsidian Death carried, he realized she was just a local banshee. And they were coming his way.

  Like a moth drawn to a flame, Tharin found himself watching the fairy as she entered the diner. Without blinking, Tharin watched as a pink-hued cloud began to gather above her head. Slowly the cloud began to take the shape of a heart, growing bigger, bolder, and brighter until it burst like a confetti-filled balloon, covering her in a spray of glitter visible only to him. Without a second thought he left his booth, compelled forward by an unknown force. He had to know who she was.

  Chapter 3

  Wiping her feet on the welcome mat, Flora made a beeline for the to-go counter. “All right, ladies. Let’s make this fast. If these fluffy flakes come down any harder, we’ll be covered in the white stuff before too long.”

  “Don’t you ever slow down?” Runa complained, blowing heat on her cold fingers.

  “Can’t you ever remember your gloves?” The fairy shot back. “I’m looking at sixteen hour days for the next two weeks. I’m just trying to get through it as fast as I can while staying sane and in one piece. Right now, I’m running on adrenaline and coffee. If I stop, I’ll crash and burn and it won’t be pretty sight.”

  “I’ve considered switching her coffee out with decaf when she’s not looking, but I’m afraid of the retribution she might deal out when she wakes up,” Fia confessed aloud, only to break off with a less than silent squeal.

  Snickering, Runa didn’t let the subject drop. “You could slow down a bit if you hired a manager and another counter person. Oh…my.”

  Oblivious to her friends’ distraction, Flora carried on as if nothing was wrong. “Maybe next year, but right now it’s not possible. Besides, the best manager I know is already taken.” Flora sulked briefly. “Unless you’d like to take a huge cut in salary and prefer to be paid in flowers?” She directed at Runa. Absently noting how the cold had brought out the color in her cheeks.

  “Peabody needs me.”

  “Dedication. That’s why I love you, Ru. Plus, I’m sticking to the business plan Ward and I came up with. After using what little nest egg I had built up to start the lawn care business, we agreed I would have to wait another year to justify the added cost. Things are just going to be stretched thin until that happens.”

  “Whatever dear Ward recommends.” Runa snarled at the mention of the local accountant. “Conniving usurper!” She hissed the words into Flora’s ear. “You know that puffed up Brownie stole the junior year class election from me.”

  “That was years ago. It doesn’t mean he’s not a good accountant.”

  “Goes to character.”

  Rolling her eyes, Flora stepped up to the counter, gathered the waiting coffee and to-go bag with her name on it. She glanced back at her friends frantically whispering while darting quick looks at their phones.

  “Hey Livvy,” Flora greeted, setting her coffee down to pull money from her pocket. “I’m getting our lunches today. Keep the change, spread the wealth will ya?”

  “You got it.”

  Tucking a few extra napkins in her coat pocket, Flora picked up her coffee, only to spin around and smash right into a cashmere-clad brick wall.

  “Aw, snapdragons!” She exclaimed over a chorus of stunned gasps and excited squeals, the contents of her cup now soaking the shirt in front of her. Thinking quickly she dropped the near empty cup, pulled her scarf from around her neck, and used it to blot at the spreading coffee stain. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s my fault, I was too close.”

  Flora looked up. All rational thought fled her mind. This was no elf, fairy, or nymph in front of her. Oh, no, this was a cupid! Gorgeous beyond description with tempting chocolate eyes a fae-kin could get lost in for days, he had a neatly-trimmed beard that framed a perfect white smile and dark shoulder-length hair that accented a face obviously carved by The Mother, Cailleach Bheur herself.

  “Wow, you are ripped under there, aren’t you?” She admired without thinking, only to blush when she realized what she’d said. The man was in possession of a clearly well-muscled chest and the requisite washboard abs that went with it. “Not that I’m trying to cop a feel or anything,” she confessed. “But that’s nice. Kudos on the hard work by the way.” Shaking her head, Flora mentally chided herself. This was not going well.

  “I hope I didn’t burn you. Or ruin your shirt. If you give me your number, I can buy you a new one, or pay for the dry cleaning. Not that I’m trying to get your number. Oh, gladiolus!” She continued to ramble, looking wildly about for a rock to crawl under, only to have her eyes land on his legs. Thick-muscled legs encased in a dark, hugging denim. Sweet marigolds! Flora continued to pat the man’s chest, only stopping when a large hand settled firmly over hers.

  The action was enough to silence the nervous chatter and draw Flora’s attention back to his face.

  “What is that amazing perfume you’re wearing?” the baritone voice inquired, sending shivers of lust down her spine.

  Flora began to melt under the stranger’s touch. “Um, um, it’s, that would be my shop. I’m Flora Hawthorne. I own A Touch of Wild Flora. It’s the florist shop across the street.”

  “Tharin Terize, nice to meet you, Flora.” He pulled her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss that felt anything but chaste to her knuckles. From the multiple sighs echoing around them, it was obvious they had attracted the attention of numerous onlookers. Stepping to the side, Tharin tugged Flora in his wake. Her friends followed as if they were attached at the hip.

  Blinking, Flora could only nod. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” At the loud clearing of a throat behind her, Flora’s brain cells began firing again. “Oh, um, Tharin Terize, my best friends, Runa Gilchrist and Fia O’Malley.”

  “Afternoon, ladies.”
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br />   “You must be our new neighbor.” Runa reached out to shake his offered hand, the one that wasn’t still holding Flora’s. “You bought the house on Durning, right?”

  “Word travels fast.”

  “It’s a great place,” Fia commented, causing Flora’s head to bob up and down in agreement.

  “It’s got character,” Tharin agreed. “Perhaps you’d like to see it sometime, once it’s been tidied.” He directed this at Flora.

  “We’ve never been in the house,” she confessed, “Only peeked in through the windows.”

  “Then it would be my honor to give you a tour.”

  Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Flora continued to stand as if in a trance. “I’d like that.” At Runa’s elbow to the ribs, she amended her statement. “Um, I mean we’d like that. Thank you.”

  “In the meantime, we hate to run, but we’ve got orders to fill.” Fia smiled. “Busy, busy.”

  Remembering herself with a shake of her head, Flora pulled her hand from Tharin’s, leaving her scarf in his grip. They were starting to draw a crowd. A very estrogen-filled crowd. And if they didn’t leave now, the hair might very well start flying.

  “Right, thanks Fia. We’ve got orders to fill. Sorry. Um, it was nice to meet you. Send me your bill, okay. Um, bye. Nice to meet you,” she repeated for a second time, nearly tripping over her feet as Runa pushed her toward the door.

  “You as well, Flora Hawthorne. I look forward to our next meeting.”

  Snorting into her cooling coffee, Fia tried to cover her amusement. “I hope you’ve got some wings hidden under that sweater, cupid. The way she’s running, you’re going to need them.” The banshee turned to trail after her friends.

  Retracing her steps, Runa turned back to Tharin. “You can’t send her flowers,” she cautioned, doing her best to encourage the spark she saw between her friend and this new fae-kin. “Her shop’s the best in town and competitors won’t do. Homegrown is your best bet. She already has enough energy that sweets and candy might push her over the edge. Ditto for coffee, as you just experienced.

  “You’ll need to be unique, patient, and persistent. Owning the house on Durning is a strong plus in your favor. She dreams of that house. Her favorite color is yellow, as if you couldn’t tell, and you can’t go wrong there. She has a weakness for ice-skating in the winter and picnics when it’s warm. Other than that, you’re on your own.”

  Advice given, Runa rushed from Presto’s to join her friends at the shop.

  Chapter 4

  “Oh my gladiolus!” Flora exclaimed, shutting the break room door behind them. “What just happened?”

  “You just came face to face with a cupid!” Fia grinned like a mad woman. “How did he feel, was he all buff and tight under that sweater you couldn’t take your hands off of.”

  “Of course he was, Fi. She announced it loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. ‘Wow, you’re really ripped under there aren’t you? Not that I’m trying to cop a feel or anything’,” Runa imitated, ending in a fit of giggles.

  “Shut up.” Flora pulled her unused napkins from her pocket to throw at her friends. “My brain was fried by the overload of eroticism that flowed from his every pore. Man he was…” Flora broke off to fan her flushed face. “Whooo!”

  “I can safely say that we all have eyes in our heads and drool on our chins and that Sandy has no idea how right she truly is.”

  “Not one single female in Presto’s could keep their eyes off him.” Fia put in, taking her foodstuff from her bag. “By the looks of it, Flora’s cupid will have a bunch of groupies hounding him by nightfall. Not that he doesn’t already.”

  “He’s not my cupid,” Flora grumbled into her lasagna soup, the full weight of public embarrassment upon her shoulders.

  “I wouldn’t mind being chased by a cupid!” Runa confessed on a sigh, earning herself a pair of raised eyebrows as she neatly folded her now empty to-go bag. “I’m talking cupids in general. You think he’s got a brother? Cousin? Maybe a friend?”

  Pondering the chances of that for a minute, the girls sat in revered silence.

  “Good news is cupids are known for their longevity,” Fia announced suddenly, causing Runa to pound a choking Flora on the back between her shoulder blades.

  “What?” the banshee asked, a taunting grin on her lips when Flora glared at her from teary eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, you shameless hussy. What I meant was that when they decide to commit, its forever. There’s no second-guessing, no backtracking. Total security and honor when a cupid holds your heart.” She ended on a dreamy sigh that was echoed around the table. “Plus, they love to travel. What better way to spend life than phasing around the globe with a single thought. But they also love to put down roots. As someone who knows how important good roots are, Flora, I think that would appeal to you.”

  When Flora remained silent, Runa cut her gaze back to Fia. “Might be that it appeals to her so much she’s scared.”

  ****

  Rubbing absently at the burning arrow tattoo hidden under his left sleeve, Tharin watched Runa run into the shop. Wasn’t she just a helpful little elf? He smiled to himself. Resisting the urge to press his nose into Flora’s scarf and inhale her sweet perfume, he casually tucked the fabric into his pocket.

  Returning to his booth to finish his cooling soup and sandwich, Tharin was well aware he and Flora were the hot topic of murmured conversations being carried on around him. He could care less. Before the month was out, he’d give his new neighbors plenty to talk about.

  “Can I get you anything else?” The waitress slid his cake slice across the table. “Maybe more napkins for your shirt?”

  “It’s almost dry. How about a coffee?” he asked, giving her a reason to leave him alone so he could think of Flora’s auburn hair. Did it feel as soft as it looked under that knit cap she wore? And her eyes, such a unique hazel, a swirling of brown and green with a sunburst of gold flaring from her irises. He had enjoyed the way they widened when their eyes first met. Beautiful, lush lips framed a mouth that wouldn’t quit. He caught himself wondering if she always rambled like that, or if it was nerves doing the talking.

  “So you know Flora?” the cupid asked as the girl carefully sat his coffee in front of him.

  “Sure. She graduated with my older brother. So did Runa and Fia. Biggest graduating class Peabody ever had. She opened A Touch of Wild Flora three years ago. Got a real knack for it, if you ask me. Flowers just seem to bloom under her touch, ya know?”

  With a magic touch like hers, Tharin didn’t doubt it. From the instant Flora touched his chest, trying to dry him, Tharin felt bewitched. It was like she was touching his heart. Tempting it to open just enough for her to find a way under his skin to curl up like she belonged. He’d never had another female, human or fae-kin, make him feel like she did. As much as that thought should worry him, Tharin was long past ready to meet his love. He was ready to share his long life with a counterpart who would complement him and make him whole.

  If two hundred years had taught him anything, it was that you needed a strong partner to stand beside you in life and love.

  “But then, all those Hawthornes are born talented. She’s got some family who own a farm on the outskirts of town. They grow all kinds of stuff out there. Fruits, vegetables, that kind of thing. You ought to check it out.”

  The only one Tharin was interested in checking out was Flora. He wanted to get to know her real well.

  “Maybe I will. What else can you tell me about Flora? Does she eat here often, since you’re right across the street?” He was glad his waitress was such a fount of information.

  “She’s here a couple times a week, always gets her lunch to go. Never settles down. Too busy working. Last year, she opened a lawn care business to go with the floral shop. My cousin had some work done and says they’re great. I see her every now and then at Ma Guinness. That’s a local pub down at the other end of town. They’ve got music every night. She sings some
times, when Runa and Fia can talk her into it. Pretty good voice. A real earthy tone, mellow and soothing.”

  Tharin made sure to file that information as he tried to come up with a way to see Flora again. He thought of calling for a delivery, but he didn’t want to chance ordering flowers and not have Flora deliver them. Runa had warned him against the usual courting treats, so he was at a loss of what to do next. He could walk across and hire her to do his yardwork, but with all the snow, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was dealing with.

  “You know, when it’s cold, Flora always stops by for a white hot chocolate to go before she heads home. Cook keeps a batch made especially for her.”

  Jackpot. “Is that so? You have been so helpful. How about letting your cook know I’ll be back for dinner tonight, and I’ll be taking Flora her drink.”

  Grinning widely, the waitress went to pass the message along, leaving Tharin to think things through while he finished his dessert.

  Chapter 5

  For every box of conversation hearts Flora poured into the hollow between two nestled vases, a handful made it into her stomach.

  Crunching the sugar treat between her molars, she stared into space, chewing as she pondered Runa’s last words.

  Scared. Who were her friends to say she was scared? Flora thought. She wasn’t scared…exactly. Maybe cautious was a better word for it. After all, who in their right mind would be willing to jump straight to romantic unrealities ten minutes after meeting somebody? Sex-filled, sweaty fantasies of a man who was lust incarnate and love personified.

  Geez, Flora thought, crunching down on another heart. I’m just as bad as my friends are. Sandy’s right. Shameless hussies, the lot of us.

  Glancing up as the doorbell tinkled, Flora was ready to call out that she was closed, only to swallow the last of her candy and her words before they could form. Lust had just walked into her store, and boy did he look good in a pair of jeans.

  “Tharin.”

  “Flora.”