Got Love? Page 6

  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.

  “Flora,” Tharin called out, just as she reached for the wrought iron knob. “Please let me explain. I’ve made such a mess of things, and you need to know why!”


  Feeling twice betrayed and unwilling to listen to what her conniving friends or that cheating cupid had to say, Flora continued to open the door.

  “I love you!” Tharin shouted, panic coloring his words. “I love you. It’s that simple. I’ve loved you since you spilled your coffee on me. And I know you love me, too. How could I not when every time I look into your hazel eyes with those beautiful sunbursts in them, they tell me without words just how you feel? You have no idea how humbling it is to know that after two centuries of helping other couples find love, I’ve finally found my own. A friend and lover who shares the best parts of her heart with everyone she meets. A living ray of sunshine, you brighten the lives of everyone around you, and I am no exception. I have been blinded by the love you stir in my heart, and I beg your forgiveness, sweet Flora.”

  Without turning around, the fairy gently pushed the door shut, swallowing against the lump in her throat and the tears that threatened to fall. “You should.”

  “I need you to know that you’re the only one for me and will be, long past the end of eternity. I didn’t tell you where I was going, because I was talking to your parents and mine. What you saw yesterday at Ruby’s wasn’t what you thought it was. The woman I was with is my sister, Callia. I was showing her around Peabody, and she went with me to pick this out for you.”

  A slight rustle of fabric and a quiet snick filled the acute silence. “Flora Orlaith Hawthorne. Born of The Green Man and Gorse Fairy Queen, I will love you until the end of time and every moment that follows. I am asking from the very depths of my soul to be eternally bound to you in marriage, if you will have me.”

  Turning slowly, Flora faced Tharin, the sight of him on one knee, holding a ring, caused the ball of fear and anger in the pit of her stomach to dissolve as if it had never been there. “Your sister?” One of two he’d mentioned the first night he kissed her, Flora remembered.

  “She and my parents are waiting in the kitchen to meet you.”

  “So, it would look really bad if I turned you down, wouldn’t it? Especially after all the hard work my friends went through to get me here.” Friends, she noted, that had wisely made themselves scarce.

  “I don’t know that I could ever show my face in public again, if you do.”

  For the first time in twenty-four hours, Flora smiled. “And what a pretty face it is.”

  “It would be a shame to deprive the public of such beauty,” Tharin agreed with a grin. “As a rejected cupid, I doubt I could ever work again.”

  “Guess that pushes the odds in your favor,” Flora agreed, stepping forward until she was standing in front of Tharin, the square canary yellow diamond flanked by a triangle of white diamonds winking madly at her. “Wow. That’s a great looking rock.”

  “It made me think of you.”

  Sinking down to her knees in front of Tharin, Flora took his hands in her own. “You really think I’m living sunshine?” she asked, with all seriousness.

  “I should have told you as soon as I realized it, Flora. You deserve to hear every day just how special you are and how much you mean to me.”

  “From now on, you’ll do your best to make sure that happens, right?”

  “With my last breath.”

  Flora nodded her head, a wide smile on her face. “Then yes. Yes, Tharin, I will marry you.”

  Yanked up faster than she thought possible, Flora felt herself being squeezed tighter than ever before. The room passed by in a stream of colors as Tharin twirled her round and round. Her feet barely touched the floor before a trio of strangers, led by her friends, came in from the patio. Before she knew it, she was being tossed from arm to arm, given warm hugs all around.

  “Welcome to the family.”

  “I’m so glad to have another sister.”

  “A new daughter joins the family.”

  Pulling Flora to his side, Tharin introduced her to his mother, sister, and father. “Iliana couldn’t be with us today, but she sends her best wishes. Now, I have one last surprise for you.”

  Flora shook her head, pressing a kiss to Tharin’s cheek. She hated surprises. Falling in love with a cupid had been the biggest of all, but she guessed that turned out well enough. Smiling at Tharin, she braced herself.

  “Okay. I’m ready.”

  A word about the author…

  A married mother of two, Angela Hayes lives with her family in Alabama. When not writing, she can be found with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

  www.authorangelahayes.blogspot.com

  www.facebook.com/imahayes

  https://twitter.com/imahayes

  Thank you for purchasing

  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.