“Nope. In fact, I could introduce you to the brave woman if you like.”
“Yes. I’d really like that.”
“Now, you should know she eventually changed her mind…but you don’t have to.”
“You mean she became a modern muse after all? Why? What changed her mind?”
“I’ll let her answer that.” Karma tipped her face up to the ceiling. “Bliss? Karma to Bliss. Can you pop in for a moment?”
A pretty brunette appeared. She glanced at the table and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the kitchen table expanded, and an extra chair appeared. “Hi, Karma. And who might this lovely young woman be?”
“Bliss Cameron, meet Dawn Forest, soon to be Dawn Fierro.”
Bliss’s eyes rounded. “Of the legendary Boston firefighting Fierros?”
Dawn smiled. “Well, yes and no. My future husband, Luca, became a cop.”
Bliss chuckled. “Oh yeah. I heard about that. It must have caused quite the stir in a family of firefighters.”
Dawn rolled her eyes. “You could say that. They called him the blue sheep. He’s a PI now though.”
“Nice. My husband, Drake, is a firefighter. He worked with Jayce Fierro for a while. But that’s not why you called me, is it?”
“No. Karma said you had originally turned down Mother Nature when she wanted you to become one of her modern muses. Did she retaliate?”
“Who, Gaia? Not at all. She would never do that. She needs us too much.”
“But if she needs me and I said no…”
“Don’t worry about it.” Bliss snapped her fingers, and a cup of coffee materialized in front of her. “I said no for a very good reason. She wanted me to become the muse of the internet.”
Dawn’s jaw dropped. “The whole internet?”
Bliss chuckled. “Yeah. I’d have lost my mind. We eventually compromised. I’m the muse of email. It’s fairly easy. I just lean over a potential dum-dum’s shoulder and whisper, ‘You might not want to send that.’ Or ‘Just save it in your drafts folder and think about it for a while.’ If Gaia’s asking you to do something that’s too much, say no and stick to your guns.”
Dawn scratched her head. “It’s not unreasonable. It’s just that I already have a job, and my fiancé and I are trying to grow his PI business, and now Gaia wants me to teach the original nine muses how to use technology.”
Bliss groaned. “Good luck with that. They’re not known for their left-brain skills. They handle the arts, mostly—all right-brain stuff. That’s why Gaia’s hiring.”
Dawn turned to Karma. “What do you think? Is it worth it to try? I also have my job with…well, you know.”
Karma shrugged. “It sounds temporary. I can give you a leave of absence until you’re ready to come back.”
Dawn glanced between Karma and Bliss.
“It’s okay. Bliss knows,” Karma said.
“Whew! I didn’t want to spill the beans again.” Dawn wiped invisible perspiration off her forehead.
Karma chuckled. “And I appreciate that.”
Bliss rose. “I think I’ve given you all the guidance I can. If you don’t need me for anything else, I sense an idiot about to commit career suicide with a scathing email. You can call me if you need me.”
“Thank you. It was nice meeting you.” Dawn shook her hand.
“Likewise.” Bliss grabbed her coffee mug, returned the table to normal size, and disappeared.
“Well, you have a lot to think about. I need to leave too,” Karma said.
