Special Delivery: A Little Bit Cupid

By Ellen Mint

FROM EXCITING ROMANCE AUTHOR ELLEN MINT

From the A Little Bit Cupid collection

Jack never saw this special delivery coming.

Jack Dawson has been madly in love with Tan Nguyen since high school. So when his oldest crush walks into his flower shop to place an order, Jack...runs into the closet to hide.

Valentine's Day is the worst day for florists, especially lonely ones who just want a boyfriend at least a quarter as hot as Tan. Add in Jack having to hand-deliver a special romance basket for Tan's secret date while wearing a bright red suit and he's tempted to flee to Canada.

But, to his shock, this is going to be a February Fourteenth that Jack will never forget.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839430053

Ellen Mint

Ellen Mint adores the adorkable heroes who charm with their shy smiles and heroines that pack a punch. She recently won the Top Ten Handmaid's Challenge on Wattpad where hers was chosen by Margaret Atwood. Her books, Undercover Siren and Fever are available at Amazon as well as a short story in the Lucky Between The Sheets anthology. Married, she lives in Nebraska with her dog named after Granny Weatherwax. Her hobbies include gaming, painting, and halloween prop making. The basement is full of skeletons because they ran out of room in the closets.

Book preview

Totally Bound Publishing books by Ellen Mint

Happily Ever Austen

Pride and Pancakes

A Little Bit Cupid

SPECIAL DELIVERY

ELLEN MINT

Special Delivery

ISBN # 978-1-83943-005-3

©Copyright Ellen Mint 2020

Cover Art by Claire Siemaszkiewicz ©Copyright February 2020

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Jack never saw this special delivery coming.

Jack Dawson has been madly in love with Tan Nguyen since high school. So when his oldest crush walks into his flower shop to place an order, Jack…runs into the closet to hide.

Valentine’s Day is the worst day for florists, especially lonely ones who just want a boyfriend at least a quarter as hot as Tan. Add in Jack having to hand-deliver a special romance basket for Tan’s secret date while wearing a bright red suit and he’s tempted to flee to Canada.

But, to his shock, this is going to be a February Fourteenth that Jack will never forget.

Dedication

Endless thanks to my husband for being my sounding board and my dog for not caring I’m writing, but enjoying her chance to sleep on the couch as I do. I couldn’t do this without Kristi, my awesome alpha reader, or my editor, Rebecca.

Last thanks to Cupid, that wacky armed god whose aim can take a while but strikes true—unless he got into Dionysus’ good stuff.

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll

Airbnb: Airbnb, Inc.

Arsenic and old Lace: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Crocs: Crocs, Inc.

Facebook: Facebook, Inc.

Monopoly: Hasbro, Inc.

Netflix: Netflix. Inc.

Tide: The Procter & Gamble Company

Tinder: Tinder, Inc.

Werther’s: August Storck KG

Chapter One

Crap!

I dropped to the floor behind the counter while a tinny bell jangled through the small shop. The reason for my panic strolled in out of my sweaty, highly awkward teenage memories to fondle the begonias. Probably fondle them. I could only take a quick peek through baskets of scissors to savor the pressed navy trousers cupping his legs.

Tan Nguyen, the hottest guy to ever attend Carmel Cove High School in two hundred years, strolled into the tiny flower shop where I worked. Just walked right in as if the sight of his chiseled, sky-high cheekbones wasn’t guaranteed to give me an instant heart attack. And if that didn’t finish me off, those rich chocolate eyes sweeping across mine would be a double brain aneurysm with strawberries on top.

Excuse me…?

Oh shit, that voice. How did I forget that voice? Full-bodied like a cello back when he’d been the star of the track team and I’d changed in the showers so no one would see my skinny legs. Now, age had given him a delectable gravel that hummed with an electric spark I wanted to feel strike every nerve of my body. Which would probably be another death at his hands.

Uh, Jack? A garish pink Croc knocked into me and I glared up at the face of my bemused coworker, Lauri. Red ribbon circled her arms up to her elbows as we both fought the oncoming war that was Valentine’s Day.

And she’d just revealed to Tan that I was hiding. This required every four-letter word in English! Swallowing down the pile of curses that’d get my mouth washed out with Tide, I muttered to the floor, Yep. It’s all good back here.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, wiping my hands on the ugly green apron that boxed in my skinny body. Pivoting away from the gorgeous customer, I focused on Lauri instead. Her face was in full laugh-at-me mode, a finger rising to accuse me of having fallen to my stomach for no good reason.

Doesn’t look like any possums got in, I babbled, the smile I forced turning into a terrified grimace. Possums? What the hell was I talking about? But we should watch them anyway. They sure do love to…smell flowers.

Mother of God, stop talking!

Some other creature born out of a life of customer service inhabited my babbling meat sack, turning me towards Tan. What brain matter remained after the simultaneous stroke and heart attack combo whimpered that he was in a suit tailored to a perfect V. Without a tie…and he’d left the top two buttons undone. Dead. Fully gone. Jack Dawson is no more.

At least Lauri could bring a nice peace lily to my funeral.

How can I help you? the last remnants of my gray matter asked.

When Tan