A porter showed them to the Tudor Bar, where drinks were being served. Felix left Thea by a leather banquette before heheaded to get them a drink. The room was alive with chatter and bustle, with guests smiling and laughing. All except Thea. She stood stiffly where he’d left her, continuously picking at the scrunchie on her wrist.
Felix worried his bottom lip. She’d always struck him as indestructible. A force to be reckoned with. Apart from her legs, her no-bullshit personality initially attracted him to her. But right now, she looked as frail as a stalk of straw. He hoped nobody would snap her.
He collected a couple of glasses of champagne, noting with a smile that Daniel had picked the best one. He suspected Amber had a hand in that. With a chuckle, he turned around to take the drinks back to Thea, but the look on her face made his heart stutter in his chest.
A blonde lady in a puffy violet dress was patting her arm, talking loudly. He couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but Thea’s bottom lip gave the smallest tremble. Felix frowned and, abandoning their drinks on the bar top, pushed through the crowd to join her.
By the time he got there, tears pricked at the corners of Thea’s eyes, and the blonde woman’s words became clearer.
“Well, I’ll just say it’s such a shame you’re here on your own. Didn’t you have a girlfriend you could bring? It must be hard being at a wedding when, well, when you’ve lost your own husband.”
Within a heartbeat, Felix was at Thea’s side. He threaded a hand around the soft curve of her waist. The drag of her cotton dress caressed his fingertips as they came to a stop.
“Thea’s not on her own,” he said before leaning in and kissing her just behind her ear. She gave a sharp intake of breath. The heat of her skin and the floral scent of her hair enveloped his senses, and Felix inhaled before returning his gaze to the other woman. “I’m Felix Walsh. And you are?”
The woman blinked at him several times before blushing a vivid pink. “You were on the telly. That cooking show.”
Felix tamped down the urge to roll his eyes. This was why he hated to go out in public these days. Damn Adrienne for her ridiculous suggestion to go on television. People would forever know him as the man from the cooking show.
“Yes!” squeaked Thea, wide eyes firmly on his face. Her body was as stiff as a board under his hand. Had the kiss been too much? “Felix is…” her mouth gaped as if she struggled to find the words to describe him.
“A hotelier, but I moonlight as a minor celebrity on the side.” He lowered his voice and leaned in towards the woman. “I have to ask, though, please don’t draw attention to me. There are only so many breasts I can autograph in a day.”
A smile grew on the woman’s face, and she giggled. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“Not at all. I carry at least two Sharpies. I think Thea has them in her purse. Is that right, darling?” He drew Thea in closer to his body.
She relaxed under his touch a little, and the corners of her pink mouth trembled. “I think one of them has run out.” She reached a hand towards the other woman. “But I can tell you, Julia, there are some voracious women around. I’m thinking of fitting Felix with a chastity device. I found one the other day online that had…”
“That’s enough,” Felix growled playfully, giving Thea’s waist a gentle squeeze. “Your friend doesn’t want to hear about your possessive streak.” He turned to the blonde woman. “Being in demand is so hard. Thea’s a saint for putting up with me.”
Thea giggled. She probably agreed with him but for entirely different reasons.
“You really sign ladies’ boobs?” the woman asked, her fingertips running over the frill at her neckline.
“Only on Wednesdays. The rest of the time, I’m an absolute saint.”
The woman’s mouth formed an “O.”
“He’s joking, Julia. Aren’t you, Felix?” Thea’s clear blue eyes met his, and their glow almost had him reclaiming her neck.
Felix gave her another subtle squeeze, enjoying pressing her body against his. “Of course I am. I only carry one Sharpie.”
The blonde lady let out a tinkling laugh, and Thea grinned. “Julia, this is Felix Walsh. He owns the Rusty Plough in Clavenham.”
One of Julia’s fair eyebrows shot up. “Well, now. A minor celebrityanda business owner. You have hit the jackpot, Thea. Let’s catch up over a gin and tonic sometime. You need to give me some tips.”
Felix chuckled, in full schmooze mode now. “It’s lovely to meet you. Can I get you a drink? I was just about to whisk Thea away for a quiet stroll around the maze. You’re welcome to join us if you like.”
Julia cast her eyes from his head to his Italian leather shoes, assessing him like a new car. “I think I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.” With a glance at his left hand, she gave Thea a wink, then plunged into the crowd.
Felix reluctantly abandoned his hold around Thea. “I’m sorry if the kiss was a bit much. Do you think she’ll be telling her friends that the man from the cooking show will sign boobs after the ceremony?”
She shook her head, running her palm over the spot his hand had claimed only moments ago. “Probably not. It’s not a Wednesday.” Thea looked at him, her face suddenly serious. “The kiss probably wasn’t appropriate, but thank you for rescuing me. Julia means well, but subtlety isn’t a word I’d use to describe her. She’s Kitty’s aunt.”
Felix swallowed. “Oh, great.”
“What?”
