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"Water for me," Mia said. "I'm only allowing myself one drink daily, and I’m saving that for the welcome dinner."
The pregnancy hypothesis was growing stronger.
"I'll have some of that whiskey." Tom pointed at one of the bottles. "We don't have much time, so I'll try to make it short, which makes it very difficult."
Maybe Mia wasn't pregnant after all.
"I've got this." Her friend drove her chair to the bar. "Do you remember the Perfect Match adventure Tom and I shared?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"What if some of it was real?"
Frankie snorted. "Of course, some of it was real. You two fell in love."
"I'm not talking about that. Can you believe that gods and immortals and people with all kinds of paranormal talents exist in the real world—our world?"
Frankie handed Mia a glass of water and Tom his whiskey. "I believe that aliens are real, and I also believe that they visit from time to time. As for people with paranormal talents, not so much." She grimaced. "My aunt Susanna claims to get messages from beyond, but so far she hasn't learned anything useful, so I doubt she does. She doesn't charge for it, so she's not a crook, but most of the others you see on television are fakes who do party tricks for money. What are you trying to say?"
Her friend took a deep breath. "I'm immortal. I wasn't before, but I always had the genes in me. They just needed someone to activate them, and Tom did that. That's how my heart was miraculously healed, and I started re-growing my amputated legs. It wasn't thanks to the fancy Swiss clinic or the experimental treatments I told you about." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about lying to you, but I'm sure you can understand why I couldn't tell you the truth."
Frankie gaped at her friend, waiting for Mia to tell her that it was an idea for a story she was writing. She'd wanted to see Frankie's reaction so she could describe it better. Or it was a stupid prank someone had put her up to.
Mia was too nice to pull something like that.
A long moment passed, and no one laughed or shouted 'Smile, you're on candid camera' or something to that effect. Frankie shifted her eyes to Tom. "Are you immortal?"
He made a face that was a mix between a grimace and a wince. "Yes, but I'm more than that." He flicked his fingers, and his skin started glowing. "I'm a member of a species of people who call themselves gods, and the reason I'm telling you all this now is to prepare you for what and who you are about to see during the welcome dinner. I don't want you to get alarmed when you see a beautiful, glowing goddess give the welcome speech."
Frankie looked down at the gin and tonic she'd made for herself. It couldn't be drugged because she hadn't drunk from it yet. She looked up, but Tom's skin was still luminous. Every part that wasn't covered by clothing was emitting a soft glow.
"It gets better," Mia said. "We think that you are also a dormant carrier of godly genes and can be turned immortal, and the same goes for Margo." She grinned. "We can be besties forever, for real."
Frankie felt dizzy. "I knew that I was inThe Twilight Zone."
Toven
As Frankie started to fall, Toven zipped around the counter and caught her before she could hit the floor. "Is your friend prone to fainting?"
"Not that I know of. Maybe she's wearing a compression garment under that dress. It looks awfully tight."
He frowned. "I didn't know ladies still wore corsets. That silly fashion used to be a major reason for fainting." Carrying Frankie to the couch, he laid her down gently.
"Compression garments are not as bad as the corsets of yesteryear, and they shouldn't restrict breathing, but Frankie is not used to them. She probably put one on only because of the dress."
"What do we do now?" Toven looked at the woman and listened to her breathing and heartbeat. Both sounded fine, but he wasn't a doctor. "Do we call Bridget?"
"Let's give Frankie a moment." Mia parked her chair parallel to the couch and leaned over to brush her fingers over her friend's cheek. "Frankie, sweetheart. Can you look at me?"
The girl's false lashes fluttered, and then she opened her eyes. "What happened?" She lifted a hand to her forehead.
"You fainted. Is something wrong with you that you are not telling me about?"
Frankie pursed her lips. "I've never fainted before. But then I've never had my friend tell me crazy stories about gods and immortals and scare the bejesus out of me."
"Why were you scared?" Mia frowned. "Do you find me or Tom frightening?"
Frankie glanced at him and promptly closed her eyes. "Can I go back to sleep and wake up again, and you'll tell me that none of this is true?"
