Page 56 of Cursing My Cheating Husband

Her eyes found mine immediately, and her face lit up with genuine warmth. She glided over to me, her arms outstretched.

“Calliope! Darling!” She pulled me into a hug, then held me at arm’s length to look me over. “You look wonderful. How are you finding the fair?”

“It’s incredible,” I said, keeping my voice light and confident. “There are so many possibilities here. I’m weighing my options.”

Astrea’s eyes narrowed slightly. She knew me too well.

Her gaze shifted past me to Maddox, and her expression curdled. “And you brought your baggage along, I see.”

Maddox looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. Since he had always declined to accompany me on any visit back to Nightshade Cove, he hadn’t seen my mother in years.

“Astrea, it’s good to see you again—” Maddox attempted.

Astrea snapped her fingers, and suddenly there was a sock stuffed in his mouth, with such abruptness that he was still speaking, his words suddenly muffled and unintelligible.

I burst out laughing. He set down my bags and reached to his mouth, sheepishly pulling the sock out, then looking unsure where to put it.

Astrea turned her attention back to me, her expression softening. “Come, let me walk with you. I want to hear what’s caught your eye.”

We strolled through the aisles together, Maddox trailing behind us like a pack mule, gradually falling further behind. I pointed out a few booths that interested me, trying to sound more enthusiastic than I felt.

“The magical architecture was fascinating,” I said. “And the wedding planning felt like a match for a minute…”

“But?” Astrea prompted.

“But... I don’t know. Nothing’s totally grabbed me yet.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “That’s perfectly normal, you know. You don’t have to choose your entire future today. The important thing is to keep an open mind. Explore. Try things. You’re capable of anything you set your mind to, Calliope. Don’t let uncertainty hold you back.”

“I know,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it.

We approached a booth surrounded by basins of water in every shade from murky brown to clear blue, where a witch was mid-demonstration, showing the process of magical purification and desalination, and speaking on its potential to solve global freshwater shortages. As we got closer, the attendant’s eyes went wide.

“High Priestess! What an honor!” She bowed deeply to Astrea, then turned to me with an expression of delighted recognition. “And you must be Calliope. We’ve heard so much about you.” She clasped her hands together eagerly. “Are you seeking new opportunities? It would be a great honor to have the daughter of a High Priestess join the Aquatic Council.”

Heat rushed to my face. “I’m just exploring right now.”

“Of course, of course. But please take our information. We would be thrilled to have you among our ranks.”

She pressed a glowing brochure into my hands, her smile so wide it looked painful.

I mumbled my thanks, and we moved on, but the pattern repeated at the next booth. And the next. Each time I stopped at a booth with Astrea, the attendants fell all over themselves to court me.

My cheeks burned hotter with each encounter as I remembered it wasn’t just Astrea herself that had once made being her daughter so impossible. It was the way others reacted to me as well. It was unpleasant to always have to wonder if they were interested in me, or in my connection to her.

My mother placed a gentle hand on my arm. “Come. Let’s step away from the crowd for a moment.”

She steered me toward the perimeter of the convention floor, away from the bustling booths and eager recruiters. We walked quickly to open an even wider distance between us and Maddox, and found a quiet alcove near one of the tall windows.

“Talk to me,” Astrea said.

I glanced back at Maddox. Time to stop his progress so he didn’t overhear us.

With a subtle shifting of my fingers, I added another fifty pounds to the bags. He yelped as his knees nearly buckled, and he had to stop to readjust his grip. That should keep him occupied.

I took a deep breath. “I just... I don’t know what I’m doing. Everyone here seems⁠—”

“What did you just do?” Astrea demanded.