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Zeus laughed and slapped his knee. ‘Yes, a fine diversion it’ll be. There are rules, though. No-one must discover your true identity. You cannot sire any demigods with a human, and you cannot use your powers to better your position in the social classes. You will have to work for it as humans do. Anteros can be my messenger, ensuring you keep to the rules of the wager. Upon your human death, you will return. You may not do so until then, and you shall have to suffer the curses of ageing. When you come back to Olympus, you will remain the age you perished at. Your only way home will be through death.’
‘Deal.’
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
EVA
The realtor moved into the kitchen area, tapping on his iPad and stopping to take photos here and there. Penny sat at the bar drinking a soda while I fidgeted next to her.
‘You don’t look like you want him here,’ Penny said as she slid a soda toward me.
‘I kind of don’t. Objectively, I know it’s what I need to do to go back to London and continue with my life, but I can’t imagine never being here again. Never curling up in Pop’s favourite chair to read a book, or finding another cake wrapper that’s fallen somewhere it shouldn’t.’
‘You’ve fallen back in love with Rusty’s,’ Penny said with a smile. ‘You could always stay. Renovate it into the bar you’ve always dreamed of having.’
‘The locals have always been so resistant.’
‘I think you’ve won them over. Maybe not the hard-asses like Bill, but you can’t let him ruin something that’s rightfully yours to do with as you please. He’ll come round. Or he’ll find a new watering hole.’
The idea of staying had started as a silly little kernel, but as the days wore on, the kernel had expanded and hardened until it was impossible to ignore.
I’d gone to London seeking the anonymity of the bustling city, and I’d gotten it. Returning to Coal’s Lake had never been my intention. Small-town life had some downsides. Everyone knew your business and liked to have their say in it, but with that came people who looked out for you. People who loved you.
Penny, Jack, Joe, Scout; they’d all accepted me and made my days a little brighter. Being surrounded by the items from my childhood and all of my Pop’s things was like a balm to my soul.
Rusty’s was a part of me, and I, a part of it.
‘Mr. Greyson,’ I said, walking toward the kitchen with a grin plastered to my face, excitement skittering up my back. The realtor turned to face me.
‘Yes, Ms. Lexington?’
‘I’m not going to need your services after all. I’m so sorry for wasting your time.’
He pursed his lips briefly before shrugging with a smile. ‘Good. It’s what Rusty would have wanted. You’ll do great, kid.’
When the door shut behind him a few minutes later, I turned to Penny and squealed as she leapt off the bar stool and threw her arms around me.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as relief swallowed me up.
I was coming home for good.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
AMOR
Coal’s Lake smelled different. The air held a fresh scent of spring as I walked through the town, heading for the only place I wanted to be.
Nerves rumbled in my stomach. Would Eva remember me? Would she be furious? Would she tell me to leave her alone and resign me to a life as a mortal without her? Would she even be there?
I’d spend every day showing her I needed her if I had to.
Rusty’s bar was bustling as I approached, a mix of younger people and old regulars spilling out the front and chatting while smoking cigarettes.
‘Excuse me,’ I said as I made my way through the bubbly throng and inside.
The pink walls remained, but both the layout and décor within had changed. Key pieces of the old bar remained, mingling with the newer, chic design within. A large pink neon sign lit the back wall, Rusty’s emblazoned above the bar.
There were new staff members serving drinks and collecting glasses, and my stomach fell as I searched the room for Eva. Had she gone back to London? It would make it more difficult to track her down, but I would fly halfway around the world for a minute with her if I had to.
