My list is a combination of gestures that my fictional leading man and my real-life leading man have both used to add a little romance to their respective relationships.
Cook for her
This past Valentine’s Day, it just so happened that I was scheduled to be in charge of my community’s soup kitchen. I love volunteering there, and there’s nothing more important to me than making sure that people are fed and cared for. I was a little bummed that it fell on Valentine’s Day, but what better way to show love, right? Well, when I got home, hot and tired from cooking and serving over steaming pots and starving because I didn’t have time to eat, my husband had made an entire Chinese dinner (he doesn’t cook hardly at all, so this was monumental), complete with my favorite wine (which he doesn’t even like), roses, AND earrings!
In my book, Blake, also not known for cooking much, takes it upon himself to make Lizzie a lovely breakfast of waffles, bacon, and coffee in her kitchen while she’s still sleeping. Lizzie had had a difficult weekend, getting her car blown up, being questioned by the police, and getting her favorite dress ruined by a catty frenemy, so Blake decides to surprise her and pamper her a bit.
Give gifts: flowers and jewelry, but not chocolates—and for heaven’s sake, NEVER a scale.
Flowers as a gift for various holidays are great, but flowers for no reason—now that’s romantic! I’ll have to say that my husband did the “flowers for no reason” thing a lot more when we were dating, but it still happens every once in a while, and when it does, I get all swoony. Jewelry is always great. Just make sure it’s real and not heart-shaped.
There are gifts that can backfire, gentlemen, and chocolates are one of them. If we ladies are on a diet (which, face it, most of us at least pretend we’re on a diet constantly), then chocolates are not always well-received. Along the same line, never, EVER buy a woman a scale. Just don’t. Even if it’s state-of-the-art, beams your weight wirelessly to your computer, etc. Don’t. Do. It. My husband got me one for Christmas last year. Granted, it was kind of a symbol of a commitment for us both to get healthier, and we did actually lose 100 pounds between us. But please, wouldn’t it have been better to just buy it, and not wrap it up and put it under the tree? Nothing says, “You’re fat” like the gift of a scale.
PDA
Nothing says, “I love you” more than showing it in front of the whole world. Guys, women like to be touched—and by “touched” I don’t mean “groped”. There’s a difference. Public groping is uncool. Don’t do it. It makes us feel cheap. However, holding our hands, putting an arm around us, brushing our hair back from our face (gently, especially if we’ve spent an hour styling it), and maybe a quick peck on the cheek or lips is all good, and very welcome.
Blake loves to be near Lizzie. They work together, so there’s definitely no PDA in the office, but he takes every opportunity elsewhere to hold her hand, play with her hair, hug her, and kiss her. The only instance of Blake’s PDA gone wrong is when he and Lizzie broke into a suspect’s office, and as they were trying to avoid the police, he pulled her to the ground and kissed her. He tried to convince her that their “cover” was that they were engaging in a little outdoor hanky-panky rather than fleeing the scene of a crime. Yeah, Lizzie didn’t buy it, either.
Save her life
Although I can’t say that my husband has ever had to do this for me, I’m confident that if faced with the situation, he would be very heroic.
Ever the hero, Blake saves Lizzie in the end. I don’t think I’m giving away too much of the plot here, because the book is a mystery, and they have to deal with a killer, so it stands to reason that there would be a big finish. And, considering there is a sequel, Lizzie obviously is indeed saved. Anyway, this might not be a gesture that can be done on a regular basis, but when it is, it is the ultimate romantic gesture.
IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH by Caroline Fardig is a #1 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble’s Humor and Women Detectives lists! IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH will be on sale for .99 through October 24th. Get your copy today!
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Book blurb:
The sleepy town of Liberty hasn’t seen murder in…well…ever. Residents are stunned when the body of a young woman is found strangled, and reporters at the Liberty Chronicle are thrilled, rather disturbingly, over the biggest news story to hit town this century.
Lizzie Hart has even bigger problems. Lately, she can’t seem to concentrate on her job as copy editor at the Chronicle with the new hunky investigative reporter, Blake Morgan, swaggering around the office. How can a girl work when she’s using all of her energy combating Blake-induced hot flashes and struggling to repress the giggly inner schoolgirl that’s constantly rearing her dorky head? It’s a good thing that Blake barely knows Lizzie exists.
After an odd string of events, however, Lizzie begins to wonder if Blake is really as fabulous as she has fantasized. When Lizzie and Blake find a co-worker dead, Blake’s personality changes completely—and not in a good way. Even though the police rule the death as an accident, Lizzie immediately suspects foul play and senses a connection to the recent murder. She is determined to bring the killer to justice, but is having some trouble getting her Nancy Drew on thanks to the pesky stalker she’s picked up—Blake Morgan. Wait, didn’t she want him to follow her around and pay attention to her? Not like this. Blake has turned from cool and smooth to cold and downright scary, making Lizzie wonder if he should be next on her suspect list.
About the Author: CAROLINE FARDIG was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. Her working career has been rather eclectic thus far, with occupations including schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom. Finally realizing that she wants to be a writer when she grows up, Caroline has released her debut novel, IT'S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH, now a #1 Bestseller. She is currently hard at work churning out a second novel in the LIZZIE HART MYSTERIES series. She still lives in that same small town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.
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