A Hush of Greek (Out of Olympus Book 4)

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A Hush of Greek (Out of Olympus Book 4) Page 13

by Tina Folsom


  She shook her head at her thoughts and focused her attention back on pruning the bonsai tree she was working on, when the bell over the door jingled to announce a customer. She put down the shears and wiped her hands on her apron.

  “Good afternoon, how may I—” The words got stuck in her throat when she recognized the man stalking toward her. She hadn’t expected to see him ever again. But suddenly he was here, in her shop, in her domain. It couldn’t be good news.

  “Wayne.”

  Her ex-boyfriend approached, flashing his pearly whites in a disarming smile that made deep dimples appear in his cheeks. A smile that could fool any mother into allowing her teenage daughter to stay out with him well after curfew, just because he could charm the pants off anybody. He looked like the boy next door, the quarterback who helped an old lady over the street, the choirboy who saved a cat from a tree. He was all that: handsome, athletic, and charming. Psyche had fallen for it once, too. But she also knew his other side. He was a cheating, unreliable, lazy bastard who lived off his good looks and charm and had never worked an honest day in his life.

  “Psyche, hey!” Wayne greeted her and practically leaned over the counter, making her step back instinctively. “You look great! Wow, haven’t seen you in ages. What have you been up to?” He cast a few quick looks around the shop, seeming oddly nervous and overly talkative. “Nice digs. Love what you’ve done with the place. How’s business?”

  “What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood. Figured I’d say hi.” He ran a hand through his light-brown hair, a gesture she’d seen many times before. He did it to draw people’s eyes to his full hair and his flawless face, features he banked on when trying to land another sugar mama. He leaned one hip against the counter and smiled. “How long has it been?”

  “Not long enough,” Psyche shot back.

  He flashed her a sheepish grin. “Hey, I’m sensing a little hostility here. Listen, I’m not mad at you anymore.”

  Instinctively her eyebrows snapped together. “Mad?” What right did he have to be mad at her? He’d been the one cheating on her.

  “Yeah, for throwing me out of the apartment. I get why you did that.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. Was he for real or had she landed in some kind of bizarre dream? “You cheated on me with that, that…” She hated calling another woman a bitch. “…that woman from upstairs. And you thought you had the right to be mad at me? What the—”

  “Now, now,” he interrupted, “anger doesn’t become you. You’re way too pretty for that.”

  Psyche opened her mouth to respond, when she heard the chime over the door again. Her gaze shot past Wayne to the new customer. She didn’t recognize the middle-aged businessman who strode in, but she was glad for the interruption.

  “Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?” she asked eagerly, stepping past the counter. Wayne blocked her path.

  “Come on, Psyche,” he urged her. “Let’s just forget about that little misunderstanding and bury the hatchet.”

  Glaring at him, she squeezed past him and quickly walked toward her new customer.

  “Yeah, I’m looking for a small flower arrangement for a co-worker. Nothing too fancy,” the man said, looking around.

  “Sure, let me show you a few examples.” She pointed to a glass display cabinet. “What’s the occasion?”

  “It’s her ten-year anniversary working for the company. The boss said to spend no more than forty bucks.”

  She indicated one of the rows in the cabinet. “Any of these would come out to about forty dollars. Have a look, and if you don’t see anything you like, I can put something different together, incorporating your preferences.”

  He stared at the cabinet. “Okay, yeah, sounds good.”

  “Excuse me,” Wayne suddenly said from the counter. “We’re not quite finished.”

  Clenching her jaw, Psyche forced a smile at the customer and said, “Excuse me for just one second.”

  When the customer nodded, she walked back to where Wayne was standing. Lowering her voice, she said, “I want you to leave. Now. Without making a scene.”

  “You don’t mean that, Psyche. We were good together. Claire was a mistake. I realized that immediately. You can’t punish me for one tiny mistake.” He made puppy eyes at her.

  “One tiny mistake? That’s not what I’d call it.”

  He seemed to realize he wasn’t swaying her, so he changed tactics. “But I’m sorry for it. I really am. I was a cad. But I’ve changed. I want you back. And this time things will be different. Better. I got a job, you know.”

  She huffed. As if the fact that he was finally employed would make a difference in how he treated women. “Please leave.”

  “Well, I suppose this is all a little sudden. You need time to think. I get that.” He smiled. “But I’m not giving up. See you soon, Psyche.” Then he turned abruptly and marched out of her store.

  Shell-shocked, she took a deep breath. There was no chance in hell she’d ever hook up with Wayne again, even if she weren’t just starting a relationship with Eros. She’d rather be single than be with a man like Wayne.

  “Miss?” her customer prompted.

  She lifted her head and smiled. “Yes. Have you made a decision?”

  21

  Eros watched with pride as Justin shot another arrow into the target. Though it didn’t hit the center, the boy was getting better and better.

  “Yeah!” Justin pumped his fist in the air, then looked over his shoulder. “Did you see that, Mr. Eros?”

  “I did, Justin. You’re getting good!” Eros glanced over the fence into the Claytons’ garden. Mrs. Clayton sat on the back porch, a glass of iced tea on the table in front of her, and a book in her hands. She’d been sitting there, watching them on and off for a couple of hours, satisfied that no harm was coming to her son.

  She looked up from her book and glanced over to them. “Very nice, Justin!” she praised, though she hadn’t even looked at where the arrow had landed.

  Eros smiled to himself. Over the last couple of hours he’d seen Justin gain more confidence in his abilities.

  “Go, and collect the arrows, and we’ll do another round before it gets dark, okay?”

  Eagerly, Justin nodded, put the bow down and ran to the target.

  Mrs. Clayton took the opportunity and approached the fence. Eros walked up to her.

  “I’m very grateful for what you’re doing for my son. I’ve never seen him so happy.” She smiled.

  Eros shrugged. “He just needed to find something he enjoys, and a goal to work toward.”

  She nodded. “Yes, he told me you encouraged him to sign up for the archery competition at the sports festival next week.” Suddenly she sighed. “I just don’t want him to get disappointed. There’s no way he’ll be good enough to win any prize.”

  “Don’t say that, Mrs. Clayton. He’s talented, and he’s a hard worker. I’ll practice with him every day until the event. He’ll do just fine.”

  “I hope so. I hate to see his hopes crushed. He’s such a sensitive little boy.” Her gaze drifted toward her son. “You don’t have children, Mr. Eros, but when your child is in pain, you’re in pain, too.”

  “I understand,” he said. “I’ll make sure he achieves his goal.”

  She nodded gratefully, then her gaze strayed away again, this time toward the house. “Oh, it looks like you have a visitor.”

  Eros pivoted. There on the terrace of his house stood Psyche, still dressed in her work clothes. She waved at him.

  “Hey!”

  He smiled back at her. “You’re back. I’ll be done here soon.”

  Psyche made a dismissive hand movement. “Don’t rush.” She pointed at her clothes. “I’m covered in soil from repotting some plants. I’m gonna take a shower and get changed.”

  “Sounds good.”

  She turned around and went back into the house.

  “I rarely see you have visit
ors,” Mrs. Clayton said from behind him.

  Eros turned back to her. “My girlfriend. We’ve only been dating for a short while.” It still felt strange to call Psyche his girlfriend, strange, yet exciting at the same time.

  “I’ve got all the arrows,” Justin called behind him.

  “Well, onto another round then! Shall we, Justin?” Eros asked.

  “I’m ready.”

  As Eros walked toward Justin to adjust his posture, he saw a man appear on the porch of the Claytons’ home. Eros glanced toward him and recognized him.

  “I’m home, honey,” Mr. Clayton called out.

  “Justin,” Mrs. Clayton said immediately. “Your dad’s home. Let’s call it a day.”

  “But, Mom!” Justin complained.

  “Mr. Eros has a guest, too, so let’s not take any more of his time today.”

  Justin seemed to want to protest again, but Eros said quickly, “Tomorrow, same time, Justin?”

  The boy beamed at him. “Yes!”

  “Okay then.” He took the bow from Justin’s hands and watched him join his parents.

  Mr. Clayton waved briefly and Eros nodded back, acknowledging his greeting. Then he turned back to the house, bow and quiver in his hands. He went inside and walked upstairs. Stepping onto the second floor landing, he could already hear the shower in the guestroom running. He smiled, about to head into Psyche’s room, when he realized he was still holding the archery equipment. Quickly, he went into his own bedroom and stashed the magical items in his vast walk-in closet.

  The memory of what Psyche had looked like when he’d first surprised her in the shower—when he’d thought her to be a burglar—was already heating his blood. This time, he knew, his showing up while she took a shower wouldn’t be unwelcome. Maybe he’d even join her.

  Already imagining the endless possibilities of making love in the shower, he walked to the guestroom, opened the door without knocking and eased it shut behind him. Psyche’s dirty jeans and T-shirt lay on the floor next to the closet, her handbag sat on the chair, and her cell phone lay next to it. The door to the bathroom was ajar, and the fan inside was doing its best to disperse the steam of the shower.

  Grinning, Eros started unbuttoning his shirt and was about to take it off, when Psyche’s cell phone chimed. He looked in the direction of the sound and noticed that she had a new text message. He was already turning away when something caught his eye. The name of the sender. He snapped his head back and picked up the phone.

  The message was from Wayne, Psyche’s ex-boyfriend.

  Think about what we talked about today. We’re good together.

  For a moment, Eros stood there in stunned silence. Psyche had seen her ex today? The same guy she’d mentioned at their dinner at the French bistro, where she’d said that he’d been a cheat and a mooch, and therefore the very reason why she was gun-shy when it came to relationships?

  The water in the shower suddenly stopped running. Eros dropped the cell phone back on the chair as if he’d been burned. Maybe it was all entirely innocent. It had to be, because only last night, he and Psyche had resolved to give this relationship a try.

  Eros took a few deep breaths and turned to the bathroom door just as it opened wide.

  Psyche, a towel wrapped around her body, let out a startled gasp and pressed her hand to her chest. “What are you doing?”

  He smiled and stepped closer. “I was gonna surprise you in the shower, but I guess you’re too quick for me.”

  She laughed. “I don’t like to waste water. Sorry, maybe another time?”

  “You’ve got it,” he promised. Then he pulled her into his arms and brushed a kiss to her lips. “So, how was your day?”

  “Oh, as usual, quiet.” She eased out of his arms and turned to her bag, pulling out panties and a bra. “I had exactly three customers today. Not stellar.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. So what did you do to keep busy?” Surely, now she would tell him about Wayne.

  “I did some repotting and tidied up the office. Updated my cashbook, you know. Boring stuff. How was your day?”

  Eros noticed how quickly she changed the focus of the conversation, turning it onto him. And it didn’t sit well with him. Psyche wasn’t telling him the truth. But he wasn’t born yesterday. He knew how to turn the conversation around again.

  “I almost stopped by your shop today,” he lied.

  “Oh?” She turned away, looking for something else in her travel bag.

  “Yes, to take you out to lunch, but then I thought it might be presumptuous of me to assume you didn’t have plans for lunch already.”

  “Actually I had no lunch plans. I just grabbed a sandwich from the deli next door and ate it in the shop. I don’t like to close the shop for lunch, in case I miss any customers.”

  Eros forced a smile. “Yeah, I understand.”

  He’d given Psyche ample opportunity to tell him that she’d seen Wayne today. Yet she continued to hide it from him. Why? Why was she refusing to fess up to the fact that she’d seen her ex-boyfriend today? Was it because she was playing him? Was she hooking up with Wayne, in case it didn’t work out between them?

  “I saw you were teaching the neighbor’s boy again. That’s very sweet of you.”

  It appeared Psyche knew a thing or two about turning a conversation around, too.

  “He’s a bright kid. I enjoy his company.”

  “Where did you learn archery? You seem to be very good.”

  Very good? He was the best in his field. But he wasn’t going to brag about it. It would only raise suspicion. So he shrugged. “I’m average, but good enough to teach a young kid. It’s all about form and concentration. Not so much about strength.”

  She unexpectedly brushed her hand over his chest, making him realize that he’d unbuttoned his shirt to join her in the shower. “I don’t know about that. You look pretty strong to me.”

  Was she trying to seduce him? Why? Had she sensed his suspicion? Was she trying to divert his attention so he wouldn’t ask any more questions? Did she really think he was that easy?

  He took her hand and pressed a kiss on her fingers, so it wasn’t obvious that he was trying to stop her. “How about you get dressed and we go out for a bite to eat?”

  For a second, disappointment swept over her face, but she hid it quickly and smiled. “Sounds great. I’ll see you downstairs in ten minutes?”

  “Sure.” He turned and left the guestroom. After closing the door, he stood there for a few seconds. Was he being suspicious without good reason? And if he was, who could blame him? Gloria had been screwing around on him for months before he’d caught on, and he wasn’t going to let the same thing happen to him again. No, this time, he’d be proactive and make inquiries to find out if his suspicion was warranted. Better to know now than to find out months down the line after he’d invested his emotions. His emotions? Was he really ready to bring his emotions into this? Or had he acted too impulsively when he’d told Psyche that he wanted a relationship? Had he made another mistake? He hoped not.

  22

  It wasn’t hard to find out where Wayne lived and worked. That was one advantage to being a god: Eros could find mortals and spy on them without much fear of being discovered. Maybe he should have used those skills when he’d dated Gloria. It would have saved him from a lot of heartache. Well, at least he was using his godly abilities now to avoid making the same mistake twice.

  Since it was past ten o’clock in the morning by the time Eros left the house after doing his research on Wayne, he didn’t bother going to Wayne’s apartment. Instead, Eros headed for the address he’d found listed as his place of work: a used car dealership. He didn’t park right outside the large lot that was decorated with cheesy banners and balloons to attract customers, but drove past it and stopped around the corner. He parked the car and walked back, casually glancing into the lot where cars of all makes and models were parked, big price signs on their windshields.

  Sale! and Best d
eal in town! were popular slogans on many of the signs. The place was tacky at best, and, judging by the No money, no problem sign, probably shady when it came to their financial dealings.

  When Eros entered the lot through the open gate, he looked around as if he were interested in the cars. He glanced at prices and looked through windows. He didn’t have to wait for long. Within a minute, he heard the door of the rickety office shack open and footsteps approach from behind.

  “Good morning, sir,” a male voice said, “if there’s anything I can help you with…”

  Eros turned around slowly, but the man who was practically charging toward him, his hand stretched out in greeting, wasn’t Wayne. He was much older. Most likely the owner of the place.

  “I’m Kevin.” He pointed to the sign above the office. “Kevin’s Rides. That’s me.”

  Eros was forced to shake the man’s hand, but released it as quickly as he could. “E…Eric,” Eros lied, giving a fake name at the last moment. “Name’s Eric.”

  Kevin rubbed his hands. “Well, what are you looking for, Eric?”

  He was looking for Wayne, but couldn’t make it obvious. He had to be a little more subtle and perhaps employ a diversion.

  “Well, not a hundred percent sure yet. But I saw how many cars you have here, so I figured I’d stop in to see if there’s anything that would suit me.” He smiled broadly. “Don’t tell me you’re running this place on your own. It seems too big for just one salesperson. You must get a lot of foot traffic.”

  Kevin took the bait. “You bet! We do a boatload of sales. Hired myself a great salesman just a little while ago.” He leaned in and pasted a smarmy smile onto his face as he glanced at Eros’s clothes. “But, you know, the important customers I like to handle myself.”

  Eros played along. “I appreciate that.” But it still meant he’d have to get rid of Kevin, so that Wayne would take over.

 

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