And then he’d made his decision.
His mind told him to stay in Miami. His heart told him otherwise.
“Are you expecting dinner guests?” he’d asked her that night when they’d danced.
Her beautiful green eyes had stared into his. “Not unless they’re bringing chocolate,” she’d quipped.
She possessed such enthusiasm, such spirit. And he’d hurt her by not being upfront about his relationship with Yvonne. Although in all fairness, he hadn’t considered Yvonne a part of his life after he’d met Candee.
“Uncle Teddy! There she is!” Joseph shouted around a mouthful of pink candy hearts.
Teddy’s gaze riveted on Candee. She sat at an elegantly decorated table with Desiree and two men. Teddy recognized Scott from the night he’d seen him at the country club. But the other man? He’d better not be that guy with two first names.
He grabbed Joseph’s hand and stalked past a group of waiters serving champagne in fluted glasses to the guests.
He stopped Joseph from grabbing a white balloon, and he let a waiter show Joseph where the balloons were stored in an adjoining room.
When he looked at Candee again, she was out of her chair walking toward him.
“Teddy?”
She was exquisite, a glamorous, stunning goddess. Her glossy auburn hair hung to the side, a rosy tint creeping up her flawless cheeks. Her lacy pink dress displayed her alluring figure to full advantage. He was so relieved. Desiree had responded to his texts and told him that she’d finally persuaded Candee to attend this dinner.
He took her hands in his. “You are gorgeous.”
She grinned shyly. “Thank you.”
His gaze wandered across the crowded dining room, and he was annoyed at their lack of privacy, for all he wanted to do was kiss her inviting lips. Already, the hum of conversation was fading, and several diners were staring at them.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her into the hallway.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Because I missed you.”
Her green eyes were soft and tender. “I missed you too.”
“Can you leave?” He gestured impatiently around the corner, indicating the threesome at Candee’s table.
“Yes, of course. I’ll get my capelet.”
“Hi, Miss Candee!” Joseph skipped over to them holding three white balloons. “Did you know Uncle Teddy and I flew all the way from Miami today?”
“Joseph, I’m thrilled you’re here.” Candee affectionately embraced the little boy.
“Uncle Teddy said today is Valentine’s Day. I like balloons,” Joseph said.
“We’ve noticed.” Chuckling, Teddy put an arm around Candee’s waist and held Joseph’s hand in the other. He glanced toward the dining room, grinning when he noted Desiree’s thumbs-up and conspiratorial smile.
“Where are we going?” Candee asked as they exited the club. Teddy buckled Joseph into the child car seat, then came around and opened the door with her.
“I want to show you the Valentine’s gift I bought you.” He started the car, and they covered the miles to Thompson Lane in under fifteen minutes.
“I’m still eating the chocolate from two weeks ago,” Candee said. She tackled a white balloon that had floated into the front seat and turned to give it back to Joseph. When she turned to face front again, she paled, “Please, Teddy, don’t drive down this road.”
“How else can you see your Valentine’s gift?”
He parked in front of the Victorian, then went around to unbuckle Joseph. The boy raced to the tire swing, leaving three forgotten white balloons in the car.
Coming swiftly to the passenger side, Teddy opened Candee’s door.
In the deepening dusk, she followed his gaze to the large red SOLD sign posted on the front door.
“Congratulations,” she said softly.
“The Victorian isn’t mine. It’s yours.”
She flashed him a dubious look, then gazed blindly ahead. “I don’t understand.”
“Some men buy roses for Valentine’s Day, some buy candy. I prefer to buy houses.” He paused, continuing in a solemn voice. “And this particular house is for you.”
“Me?” She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. She stared at the house with the same wistfulness he’d seen on her face the first day they’d met.
“Teddy—I …I can’t possibly accept such a gift.”
“Yes, you can, under one condition.”
“And that is?”
“You allow me to help you renovate.”
“How? You’re in Miami.”
He heard the pain in her voice, and his heart squeezed.
“Not anymore. I’m selling my apartment and moving to Roses, although my realty business will require that I fly to Miami a couple of times a month.” He framed her lovely face between his hands and gazed into her shining green eyes. “I’m assuming you’ll let Joseph and me adopt one of the beagle pups.”
“You can adopt all six,” she gladly agreed. Leaning back, she stared lovingly at him. “Will you please tell me the reason you bid against me?”
“I’d intended to bid all along, and your sister knew my plan. Somehow along the way, I managed to mess things up. I never meant to hurt you, and I’m sorry.”
She glided her fingers through his hair. “You texted your apology a great many times and you’re forgiven.” She paused, glancing at the tumbledown Victorian and Joseph skipping up and down the porch steps. “Where will you and your nephew live?”
“I didn’t want to stop at one house when I could buy two.” Chuckling, Teddy gestured to Mr. Dunworthy’s home. “He was more than happy to sell, and he’ll be moving into a retirement community so he can be closer to his son.”
“You’re doing all this for me? Why?”
He hugged her close, breathing in her shiny hair, the scent of sweet and spicy roses.
“Because building a new life often begins with tearing down a few walls.” He smiled at the stunning woman nestled in his arms. “Candee Contando, I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
And then he kissed her, sealing the most important deal of his life.
THE END
A Note From The Author
Dear Friends,
1-800-CUPID is the first book in my contemporary sweet romance series: Flipping for You. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other people find this book and write a review.
House flipping is a subject I’ve always been fascinated with. In my spare time I enjoy watching home-improvement television shows, and several were an inspiration for my story.
1-800-CUPID is set in the small town of Roses, North Carolina.
Despite the odds, Candee, the heroine, is strong and determined. And Teddy, the hero, faces unique challenges of his own.
It is my hope that you will enjoy their house flipping adventure, and come to love the supporting characters and their continuing house-hunting escapades in future books.
Happy Reading!
Josie Riviera
Recipe for Rob’s Surprise Muffins
Makes: 12 muffins Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
14 strawberries, fresh or defrosted frozen
red food coloring
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
Hershey's Kisses, Hugs or strawberry jam
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix eggs one at a time and add milk.
Rinse strawberries and mash. Stir berries into the butter and milk mixture, adding a few drops of red liquid food coloring.
In separate bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder, and stir. Add flour mixture to the berry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to stir until the white disappears.
Line muffin
tins with paper liners. Drop the batter from a tablespoon to fill the cups halfway. If you are adding the "surprise", place an unwrapped Kiss, Hug or 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the middle of each muffin. Then spoon batter to fill almost to the top. Bake until muffins begin to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center (but not in the Kiss) comes out clean, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove muffins from tin. Cool. Serve warm in a basket lined with red doilies.
Acknowledgments
An appreciative thank you to my patient husband, Dave, and our three wonderful children.
About the Author
Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable Shih Tzu who constantly needs grooming and live in an old house forever needing renovations.
Become a member of my Read and Review VIP Facebook group for exclusive giveaways and ARCs.
To connect with Josie, visit her webpage and subscribe to her newsletter. As a thank-you, she’ll send you a free sweet romance novella directly to your inbox.
josieriviera.com/
[email protected]
Also by Josie Riviera
Seeking Patience
Seeking Catherine (always Free!)
Seeking Fortune
Oh Danny Boy
I Love You More
A Snowy White Christmas
A Portuguese Christmas
Holiday Hearts
Candleglow and Mistletoe
Maeve (Perfect Match)
The Seeking Series
Love’s Sweet Cadence (A Kindle Worlds Romance)
I Love You More Chapter One
“You needed to get away from the cold and come to Charleston. After the cancer scare and your divorce ...”
Anastasia grimaced at what her friend, Jaclyn, was saying as they walked to Jaclyn’s car after a quick lunch. She took a deep breath. “It was difficult leaving Soo-Min with my ex and his newest flame.”
“I can’t believe Justin actually married Eliza. She’s one of his students and half his age.”
Anastasia shrugged, hoping the gesture covered her sadness. Despite applying sunscreen, she adjusted the wide-brimmed straw hat to protect herself from the sun. Then she averted her face to hide her tears.
“Valentine’s Day in Charleston means romance. February fourteenth will arrive in two weeks and the streets will be filled with love and sweets and horse-drawn carriages carrying good-looking men,” Jaclyn said with a smile.
“Thanks for setting up a free lawyer consultation for me.” Anastasia lifted her travel bag over her shoulder and couldn’t help a grin at her friend’s matchmaking attempts. She’d need a city overflowing with fragrant red roses and Sea Salt caramels to distract her from her lack of romance back in Vermont. “You could hand out ‘I Love Charleston’ badges because you like it here so much.”
“I love Carolina blue skies and cloudless days.” Jaclyn shaded her eyes from the afternoon sun. “However, I think they’re predicting rain for tonight.”
“Then those good-looking men in their horse-drawn carriages will get drenched.” Anastasia regarded a flower shop window overflowing with candy-red roses. Her grin faded as she reflected on her morning. Feigning a polite smile she hadn’t felt, she’d handed over her precious four-year-old daughter to the man she’d once assumed she’d be married to forever. Now she believed his parenting skills were inadequate.
Although the textbook family she’d always wanted was gone, her priority was her daughter, and her determination to give Soo-Min a picture-perfect life remained firm.
“Your ex acts as if he’s the next Shakespeare, but beneath that tweed blazer—”
“Is the father of my little girl,” Anastasia said.
“He’s the adoptive father.”
Anastasia felt her face heat as she met Jaclyn’s pale-blue gaze. “Whether a child is natural or adopted, the child is yours to love. In fact, you love that child more.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ve always considered my adoptive parents to be my true parents.”
Anastasia gave her friend a quick hug. “Apology accepted. If Soo-Min wasn’t mixed up in Justin’s mid-life crisis, I wouldn’t care what he did or whom he married.”
Jaclyn tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her multi-pierced ear. “The custody dispute won’t be easy. Justin is a community college professor and you’re ...”
“A cancer survivor? Yes, and stronger because of the ordeal.” And fortunate to be alive. “Is your bungalow far from here?”
“The house is in an oceanfront community a few miles across the bridge.”
Anastasia easily kept up with her friend’s pace. “Aren’t you a struggling travel agent?”
Jaclyn laughed. “Yes.” She pointed to a metallic-red smart car parked illegally and ducked into the driver’s seat. “Get in. Oh, and I probably should’ve told you sooner, but it’s not mine.”
“Don’t tell me you stole the car.”
Jaclyn shook her head. “Not the car. The oceanfront house, and I didn’t steal that, either. You remember my older brother, Luciano, don’t you?”
An unexpected ache settled in Anastasia’s throat. There wasn’t a woman on the planet who wouldn’t remember Luciano.
Read the rest of Anastasia’s story. Pick up your copy of I Love You More today!
A billionaire and a single mother have more in common than they know.
He’s a billionaire businessman …
Luciano Donati, entrepreneur and eligible bachelor, lost his first wife to cancer. So though he lives in romantic Charleston, SC, he has every intention of ignoring the upcoming holiday for lovers … at least until he sets eyes again on his younger sister’s best friend.
He remembers Anastasia as a teenager who idolized him, not this lovely, fragile woman with heartbreak in her eyes. Heartbreak that he finds himself wanting to cure. Her smile warms his soul, her touch ignites his desire, and her little girl Soo-Min melts his frozen heart. Adopted internationally himself at a young age, Luciano understands all too well the strong need to belong somewhere.
She’s a single mom …
Anastasia Markow, cancer survivor and divorced mother, didn’t come to Charleston, SC, for romance. She's here to make sure she has custody of her adopted daughter, Soo-Min. But when she encounters the first man she ever loved, here in the city of horse-drawn carriages and candlelight, her battered heart can’t help but bloom again. And when Luciano and Soo-Min take to each other, resisting his charm becomes even harder.
Handsome, self-assured, every inch the successful billionaire, Luciano is out of Anastasia's reach. But when a hurricane strands them together and they must trust each other to survive … things heat up despite the driving rain and gale winds.
Author's Note: Thousands of families around the world have opened their homes and hearts through international adoption. Soo-Min is the embodiment of many, many fortunate adoptive children and parents who’ve together created forever families.
Don’t miss this poignant story of love, loss and renewed hope! I Love You More
1-800-CUPID_A Sweet Contemporary Romance Novella Page 8