Valentine’s Round-Robin Romance: Part Two by Kathryn Freeman

I’m so excited to be able to take part in Choclit’s Valentine’s Round-Robin Romance.

The Round-Robin Romance will be different authors each day this week writing a section of fiction, and every piece will create a beautiful story, which you can follow on different blogs.

I am excited to be sharing the second part with you written by Kathryn Freeman. After reading you will see a question at the bottom, to be in with the chance to win a giveaway from Choc Lit!

Read part one on Reading in the Sunshine here!

Ethan stared in horror at the name on the card and then cast his eyes back to her sweet face. If that’s who her ideal man was, he had about as much hope of catching her attention as he did catching a ride to the moon.
She cleared her throat. ‘Isn’t this the part where I pay?’
He flushed. It seemed he couldn’t stop impressing her. First he’d blabbed a corny line about her sending him flowers. Now he’d been caught gawking. ‘Err, yes, sorry.’ Quickly he rang up the amount on the till.
As she handed over the money, their fingers briefly touched. His heart hammered and he felt a zing through every cell in his body.
She was looking at the rose.
‘So, umm, do you work there too?’ he asked, acutely aware this was it: his last chance to unleash his wit and charm, heck, at least to find some, before she tucked the change into her purse and he never saw her again. ‘Is that how you met him?’
‘Yes.’ Her curls bobbed around her face as she nodded.
‘I thought so.’ She stared at him questioningly. ‘Oh, I mean, I thought that was where you worked. I see you walking by here every morning, heading in that direction.’ Shut your flipping mouth, Ethan. Now she thinks you’re stalking her.
Thankfully she laughed. ‘Right.’ She was still staring, almost wistfully, at the rose. ‘I’ve never done this before. Do you really think he’ll like it?’
Ethan ran a finger over the soft petals and then looked into her equally soft blue eyes. ‘If he doesn’t, he’s a fool.’ Her eyes widened and her cheeks tinged with pink. He smiled. ‘You look even more like Michelle now.’ Her embarrassment turned to confusion and he couldn’t blame her. How on earth was he going to get out of this one without making a further twit of himself? ‘I mean, you look like the rose. You know, your cheeks are creamy white, but slightly pink …’ Oh God, kill him now.
But she didn’t look horrified, or laugh in his face. She grinned, and his heart danced. ‘I’ve never been told I look like a rose before. Even if it is because my cheeks go red.’
‘No, it’s not just that …’ He ground to a pathetic stop. He didn’t have the words, or the confidence, to say any more. Unlike the man on the card. ‘Well, thanks for coming in. I’ll make sure he gets Michelle this morning.’
As soon as the real Michelle closed the door behind her, Ethan thumped his fist on the bench. What a total muppet. How on earth was he ever going to get the girl, if he couldn’t string two coherent sentences together in her presence?
Sighing deeply, he set about wrapping up the Michelle Rose. Frankly, it didn’t matter that he couldn’t talk to her. Not now he knew who she’d set her heart on.
It just about summed up his life. He now had to deliver an expensive rose to a guy he hated. Worse, the rose he’d have to grit his teeth and politely hand over to the git wasn’t from a faceless passerby. Oh no, it was an expression of love from a girl he, Ethan the flower boy, had a desperate crush on.
Not a good start to the day then.
But on the plus side, at least he now knew her name and where she worked. If only he knew what to do with that.

Follow the next part of the story on the 12th February on Chick Lit Reviews and News

Kathryn’s bio:

Kathryn was born in Wallingford, England but has spent most of her life living in a village near Windsor. After studying pharmacy in Brighton she began her working life as a retail pharmacist. She quickly realised that trying to decipher doctor’s handwriting wasn’t for her and left to join the pharmaceutical industry where she spent twenty happy years working in medical communications. In 2011, backed by her family, she left the world of pharmaceutical science to begin life as a self-employed writer, juggling the two disciplines of medical writing and romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero…
With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to bother buying a card again this year (yes, he does) the romance in her life is all in her head. Then again, her husband’s unstinting support of her career change goes to prove that love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes can come in many disguises.
Kathryn’s novels include: Too Charming and Do Opposites Attract? (July 2014)

To be entered into Choc Lit’s special Valentine’s Day giveaway, collect the questions at the end of each part of the story and send your answers to info@choc-lit.com

Question:

‘What’s the florist’s name? A) Ewan B) Ethan C) Evan