Once I’ve dealt with the trash, I wash my hands, dose out the coffee beans and put them in a grinder, then go through the motions of setting up the machine.
The noise and bustle of itisrestful. I can’t deny it.
By the time I hand her a small cup, I’ve calmed down some.
“These are pretty.” Wynter rubs her thumb over the small relief on the cup. “Which Greek goddess?”
“Athena. For wisdom.” I shoot her a lopsided smile. “Not feeling so wise today. My sisters bought them for Shay and me as housewarming gifts. That’s why you have that one and I have this—” I tilt the cup so she can see the face.
Her brow furrows. “Hades?”
“You know your mythology.”
“Well, I always wanted a three-headed dog when I was a kid,” she teases.
“Who wouldn’t?”
“Why Hades? For a gift, I mean. Athena makes sense. College and all. But Hades?”
“It’s just a joke.”King of the Underworld.“The family has high expectations of him.”
“But Zeus is a dick?”
I laugh. “Something like that, and Shay’s not the fondest of the ocean.”
Hasn’t been since he and his mom were almost killed on a boardwalk when he was a teenager.
My smile dims. “So, you wanted to talk?”
Her gaze catches mine then drops. “Not really. I… guess I wanted to be with someone who understood last night and no way in fuck was I going to willingly put myself in Derek Dyers's presence.”
Figuring that maybe I underestimated this girl, I grunt. “He’s such an asshole.”
“I didn’t know how you felt about him until I saw you last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was hovering around you. I think he wanted to vouch for you.”
I gag. “I’m sorry you were stuck with him.”
“Me too. I may have kneed him in the balls after the banquet.”
“Wynter!” I cackle gleefully. “No way! When?”
“I blame the adrenaline.”
“Don’t. Embrace it. That guy’s a rapist— Wait. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No. He tried to get into my apartment. I stopped it before things could escalate.”
“He knows where you live?” I exclaim.
“One of his exes is a neighbor. We’ve seen each other around the building.” Wynter’s fingers smooth over Athena’s face, but there’s no comfort to be found in pottery. “You knew… about Dyers?”
“He’s part of the reason I wanted to join the Veronians.”
“You think he got away with sexual assault because of them?”
