Bad Case of Loving You

by Deborah Cooke

She jumped when someone tapped on the door to the shop, then smiled to find Theo there. He was holding the hand of a woman she’d seen around the club the past few weeks. Their shining eyes made Chynna believe all over again in the power of her secret heart tattoos.

  Theo introduced her to Lyssa, who looked around the shop with interest. Tristan croaked and flew to Theo’s shoulder, then rubbed his beak on Theo, which made them all laugh. “You just want my cufflinks,” Theo accused.

  “Or to watch movies at your place again,” Chynna said.

  “I’ve always wanted a tattoo,” Lyssa admitted, looking around.

  “Maybe one like Theo’s?” Chynna suggested with a smile. “It’s the full moon tonight.”

  Lyssa’s pleasure was clear. “Theo was actually thinking we might get matching tattoos.”

  “To celebrate our getting married,” Theo said. “Something a little bigger than the one I have.”

  Chynna smiled. There was something about ink: once someone got a first tattoo, she often saw them come back.

  He scrolled through the images on his phone, then showed her one. “I saw this in San Francisco and liked it. Lyssa likes it too.”

  “Thumbprint hearts,” Chynna said. “They’re romantic, but we can also personalize them beyond the prints themselves.”

  “How so?” Lyssa asked and Chynna showed her some examples in the book of her work.

  “This one was made into the center of a mandala,” she said. “And this one is a bit different—the thumbprints are the eye sockets in the skull.”

  “I like the mandala,” Lyssa said. “Can we do the thumbprint hearts first, then add to them later?”

  “Of course.”

  They each rolled their right thumb in ink and created an impression for Chynna. She copied them and played with the overlap and the composition, taking suggestions from them both until they all agreed. She’d applied the stencil to Lyssa’s arm when Tristan flew back to his cards. Theo followed him and the raven started to mutter again.

  “He’s been like that all day,” Chynna said, loading ink into her tattoo gun. “I don’t know what’s up with him.”

  Tristan chose a card and shoved it at Theo, refusing to stop until Theo accepted it.

  He turned it over as Chynna watched and smiled. Then he held it up to show her the image.

  The World.

  A card about rebirth and fresh beginnings, about second chances, and grabbing the brass ring. A card about getting it right and making it last through forever. The sight of it made Chynna’s heart sing and when she saw the way Theo’s gaze slipped to Lyssa’s, she knew she didn’t have to explain any of that to them.

  They already knew.

  And once again, Tristan had gotten it in one.

  If that wasn’t a good way to greet the full moon, Chynna didn’t know what was.

  Epilogue

  It was sunny on the ninth of March, a glorious winter day, and all Theo could think about was the butterflies.

  He had a few in his stomach, but that was just excitement. He knew that he and Lyssa were doing the right thing. He met the other partners in the lobby at three in the afternoon, where the boutonnieres had been delivered. Regular customers were coming and going and many stopped for a good look at the bridal party.

  Lyssa had chosen red for her flowers, but not roses because of their venue. Each boutonniere had a large red hibiscus bloom as well as a cluster of pink oleander—the sweet fragrance of the oleander soon filled the lobby. There were sprigs of other orange and yellow flowers that Theo couldn’t name, and he smiled that Lyssa had made her own twist on tradition. Sonja ensured that each of the guys had a boutonniere perfectly positioned on the lapel of their tuxes.

  Tyler, Damon, and Cassie were all standing up with Theo. Kyle had remained in San Francisco with Lauren but was going to call in to participate in the service. Tyler had driven into the city, with Amy and baby Michael, while one of the limos had picked up Damon and Haley on the way downtown. That car had gone on to the wedding venue with Amy, Michael, Haley, Theo’s parents, his sister Naomi and Logan. Lyssa’s friends, Franco and Giancarlo, had been in town all week and had taken charge of the food for the reception. They were going to meet them all at the service as were Chynna and Trevor.

  Cassie wore a strapless little black dress instead of a tux and had her hair all twisted up with a red hibiscus in it. She was obviously chilly in the lobby of the club, but it would be warm at their destination. There was a second stretch limo idling at the curb and more than a few onlookers as the partners strode through the lobby together.

  “You see,” Cassie said once they were in the limo. “Garters never lie. Theo is next.”

  “What about Sonja? She caught the bouquet,” Theo pointed out. She’d stayed behind to finish the afternoon at the club and would join them for the reception.

  “I’m going to get Chynna to give her a tattoo this month,” Cassie said. “That will fix everything.”

  “I’m still not sure it’s sufficiently reliable that we can advertise the full moon tattoos,” Tyler said.

  “Hey, this is a party,” Damon reminded him. “Our Wednesday night business meeting is canceled today.”

  Tyler grinned. “Point taken. Do you think there’s still enough sunlight for the butterflies?”

  “They promised to turn on some lamps if not,” Theo said.

  “I can’t believe you two managed to rent the butterfly conservatory while the museum is still open,” Cassie said. “Did you use your connections?”

  Theo smiled. “No, we just bought all the timed tickets from 3:30 on.” The partners laughed at that.

  “I think the ceremony is going to be gorgeous,” Cassie said with a sigh and Theo agreed.

  “Does Lyssa like living without the spotlight?” Damon asked. “It’s a big change.”

  “She loves it,” Theo said. “And that’s why the wedding is pretty small.”

  “I wonder if anyone will recognize her,” Tyler mused.

  “Jaded New Yorkers,” Cassie said. “If they do, they won’t care.” She sat up suddenly and leaned forward to tap on the glass. “Please stop in Times Square,” she urged, then grinned at Theo. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  Theo thought he knew what it was, but he was only half right.

  There was a new billboard for F5, and Theo stared at a pumped and air-brushed image of himself. He was turned sideways and looking out, his gaze smoldering, his biceps pumped. There was a corona of flame behind him, apparently responsible for the glisten of perspiration on his skin. The heart tattoos on his arm seemed to be lit by fire. He was looking out at the camera, as if to challenge the onlooker, and a slight smile curved his lips. Light your inner fire at F5 was the slogan.

  Cassie licked her fingertip and made a hissing sound as she touched it to Theo’s shoulder. “Hot stuff,” she said.

  “The line of new members will go around the block,” Ty said with approval. “You look great.”

  “Damon’s workouts were brutal,” Theo admitted and they all laughed together.

  Then Cassie pointed out the other window. On the opposite side of Times Square, there was another billboard of a smiling woman, her chin braced on her hand, her head tilted, her hair tousled and her eyes shining. She could have been smiling at the F5 billboard—or Theo could have been challenging her.

  Because it was Angel, or Lyssa, or a woman someplace in between. She was recognizable as Angel but her hair wasn’t quite as silvery and her make-up wasn’t quite as perfect. There was a tiny line at the outside corner of her eyes, one that no one had airbrushed out, but she looked both beautiful and confident, at ease in her own skin in a way that Angel had never been.

  For beauty that’s more than skin deep was the slogan and the logo of the make-up company that donated to that charity was beneath it.

  “It’s like you’re looking at each other,” Cassie said with delight.

  “It’s not a secret,” Theo said, glad he’d seen them both.<
br />
  “Hey, we’d better not be late,” Damon said and Ty leaned forward to speak to the driver.

  Moments later, their limo parked at the curb behind another identical limo, both in front of the American Museum of Natural History. Heads turned as the wedding party got out of the car and headed for the steps. In the lobby, they found the rest of their party and the special events organizer from the museum. There were kisses and handshakes all around. Theo’s parents and his sister were waiting there, and so was Logan. Tyler and Amy had missed the dinner the night before to welcome Theo’s family, so introductions were made and Michael was admired. Ben and Simon were there, but Sandra was coming with Lyssa.

  “Hey, handsome,” Cassie said and bent to kiss Logan’s cheek. She curved her hand over her stomach as she bent down and Theo wondered if she was pregnant.

  “Lyssa is on her way,” the organizer said, her phone in hand. “Shall we proceed to the conservatory?”

  Reid nodded at Theo. “You’d better go first so you don’t get an early peek at the bride. We don’t need any bad luck.”

  Logan slipped his hand into Theo’s and they led the way up the grand stairs. “Is it true that you can sleep overnight here?” Logan asked when they reached the second floor. He eyed the blue whale suspended from the ceiling in the main gallery, just the way he always did.

  Theo nodded. “It’s true. Maybe we should do it this summer, with Simon and his dad.”

  “Definitely!”

  “You remembered the rings?” Theo asked.

  Logan pulled the little satin box out of his pocket. “It’s the only job I have.”

  “Well, it’s an important one,” Theo said. “And any job, no matter how small, is worth doing well.”

  “You sound like Grandpa.”

  Theo realized he probably did.

  The organizer waved them onward and Theo caught his breath when they walked into the conservatory. He felt like they’d suddenly moved from Manhattan in the winter to a Caribbean island.

  And there were butterflies everywhere. There had to be more of them than the other times he’d visited. He and Logan almost walked into a blue morpho, its wings shimmering as it changed course and fluttered over their heads. He could hear water splashing and the chirping of small birds. A bright beam of sunlight shone onto the path ahead and butterflies fluttered through it.

  The organizer picked a cluster of tiny fresh flowers and tucked them into Theo’s boutonniere with a smile. “Fresh nectar,” she said then indicated he should continue.

  He and Lyssa had married at city hall the day before, so their exchange of vows before their respective families was simply to share their joy. Theo stood where they’d decided to have the service, surrounded by fluttering butterflies. One landed on his lapel and he didn’t know what kind it was, but he watched it sip from the fresh flowers. Chynna was wearing a sleeveless dress and more than one butterfly paused to check the rose tattoos on her arms. Franco was taking pictures of everyone. Theo marveled that an English Lit class had led to this place, to this boy standing beside him and the woman who held his heart.

  “There she is!” Cassie said and Theo looked up to see Lyssa smiling at him from the entrance to the conservatory. The organizer was tucking flowers into her bouquet as well, and Lyssa smiled at him, her eyes brimming with laughter and joy.

  She wore a white wedding gown, sleeveless and fitted through the bodice, then flaring and swirling to the floor. It was made of heavy satin with very little beading or lace, expertly cut to look both classic and modern. She didn’t have a veil, just a red hibiscus tucked behind her ear. Her hair was still cut short and she wasn’t wearing much make-up. Her bouquet spilled to her knees in a riot of red and yellow and orange, and even as she stood there, the butterflies began to land on the feast she offered.

  She took his breath away and Theo knew that would never change.

  He smiled, aware that the other guests murmured in admiration, but his attention was fixed on Lyssa. Sandra was her matron of honor and remained with her. Sarah had come alone and Theo could see that she was glad to be in attendance. The sisters had reconciled and had met a couple of times. He knew it would take time to restore their trust in each other, but he was glad they’d begun.

  The harpist played a soft tune, one that fit perfectly with the tranquility of the setting, and Lyssa walked toward Theo, surrounded by an ever-changing cloud of butterflies.

  One more time, he was in exactly the right place.

  He offered his hand to the love of his life, who, within moments, would be his wife forever more.

  “Hi,” she said when she reached his side and put one hand in his.

  “Hi,” Theo said back and gave her fingers a squeeze.

  A pair of blue morpho butterflies landed on her bouquet, fluttering there, their wings shimmering in the sunlight. Kyle called in to read the poem after they’d exchanged their vows. Theo stared into Lyssa’s eyes, knowing every syllable was resonant with truth.

  “For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine;’

  With separate ‘I’ and ‘thou’ free love has done,

  For one is both and both are one in love:

  Rich love knows nought of ‘thine that is not mine;’

  Both have the strength and both the length thereof,

  Both of us, of the love which makes us one.”

  When Kyle fell silent, the harpist began to play again. Just as Theo and Lyssa leaned toward each other to seal their vows with a kiss, a baby cried. Lyssa blinked and Theo looked around before they realized the cry was coming from Theo’s phone.

  Kyle laughed. “So much for holding out on that surprise. Ariel has arrived a little bit early, but as you can hear, she’s just fine.”

  “How’s Lauren?” Amy asked.

  “I’m fine!” Lauren said, apparently seizing the phone. “Glad it’s done. Kyle can send you all the details.”

  “And pictures!” Cassie said.

  “And pictures,”Lauren agreed. “But wedding pictures first. We don’t want to steal any of Lyssa and Theo’s thunder today.”

  “Even though we did,” Kyle said.

  “It happens,” Ty said, and squeezed Amy’s hand.

  “Babies are like that,” she agreed and Michael started to cry.

  Ariel wailed again, apparently having heard her cousin. “Ariel says kiss the bride already,” Kyle said, a tinge of desperation in his tone. “Will she stop?” he asked Lauren in an undertone that carried through the phone and made everyone chuckle.

  “I think Ariel’s right,” Theo said with a smile, then bent to do exactly that.

  Thanks for reading Bad Case of Loving You.

  If you’d like to leave a review on your outlet of choice, I’d appreciate it. Reviews help all of us make better buying decisions.

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  There’s information after this about Some Like it Hot, which is the next book in the Flatiron Five series.

  All my best

  Deborah

  Some Like It Hot

  Flatiron Five #7

  Aidan Connaught has a dream...

  He's spent his whole life working for his big acting break but time is running out. His plan is to win the contest at Flatiron Five to be their next billboard model for visibility, then to ace the lead role in an amateur production of Romeo and Juliet. He hopes the combination will catapult him to success. But when he discovers that his director doesn’t even believe in love, Aidan knows he has to change McKenna’s mind, no matter what it takes...

  McKenna Singer no longer believes in dreams...

  Being abandoned at the altar once is enough to teach anyone that love and romance is for other people. McKenna’s all about making a differe
nce, so she’s seizing the chance to turn Romeo and Juliet upside down and inside out—until Aidan Connaught’s audition casts a spell over the entire cast. If he thinks seducing the director will encourage McKenna to compromise, she’s is more than ready to surrender. It’s just a fling and a play—at least until McKenna has to step into the role of Juliet, and realizes she wants so much more.

  Some Like it Hot

  Flatiron Five #6

  Coming February 25, 2020!

  Pre-order available at some portals

  About the Author

  Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance called Romance of the Rose published under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published over fifty novels in a wide variety of sub-genres, including historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, time-travel romance, women’s fiction, paranormal young adult and fantasy with romantic elements. She has published under the names Claire Delacroix, Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke. The Beauty, part of her successful Bride Quest series of historical romances, was her first title to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books. Her books routinely appear on other bestseller lists and have won numerous awards. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America’s Mentor of the Year Award.

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  Currently, she writes contemporary romances and paranormal romances under the name Deborah Cooke. She also writes medieval romances as Claire Delacroix. Deborah lives in Canada with her husband and family, as well as far too many unfinished knitting projects.

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  Visit Deborah’s Website and Blog

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  Visit Claire’s Website and Blog