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“Go in first. I will go in a few minutes later.” He waves his hand over mine, and my ring disappears.
I gasp and reach for it, and I feel it’s still there. “Why did you hide it?”
“In case that’s the reason Carl is holding back with you.”
Overwhelmed with emotion and Eros’s thoughtfulness, I throw my arms around him in a crushing hug. “Thank you, Eros.”
A rush of breath escapes him, a sigh that sounds like it has the weight of the world within it.
“Are you okay?” I ask and pull back to look him in the eye.
“Why do you ask?” His golden eyes search my face, looking for something, but I don’t know what for.
“You just feel… off. Are you still mad at me for needing some time to myself?”
“I wasn’t mad,” Eros explains. “I was… concerned for your well-being. Still am.” His words feel true, but it also seems like there’s more to it than that. As soon as this lunch mission is over with, I plan to get to what Hermes claims about Eros.
My love god pulls out of my embrace. “If you leave with Carl for lunch, I will stay out of sight. Tap your ring again to call me when you’re done.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and march toward the front doors.
When I enter the small lobby, a petite, attractive receptionist looks up quizzically from her computer monitor. “How may I help you?” she asks politely, but with an edge.
“I’m here to see Carl Davies.” I look to the right and notice the only way up is a huge metal security door.
“You don’t have an appointment,” she says without looking at any schedule.
I decide to change tactics. “Hi, I’m Dee. Who are you?”
“Annie,” she answers with some reservation, as if I plan to use it against her.
“I’m a close friend of Carl’s. We… live together.” It feels weird to just announce I’m his girlfriend, especially since people here might know about his fling with Mercy. Besides, we haven’t defined our relationship yet.
“Oh.” Annie’s eyes widen ever so slightly. “Um. Is heexpectingyou?”
“No. I thought I’d surprise him and take him out to lunch.” I’m feeling more and more stupid by the minute.
Why did I let Eros talk me into coming here?
“Let me call and have him come down and meet you,” Annie suggests helpfully.
Strange, they really don’t want just anyone to go inside. His company is as private as he is.
Annie picks up the phone and presses a few buttons. “Hello, Carl. Dee is here and would like to take you to lunch.” She pauses for his reply and hangs up. She looks at me with sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry, but he isn’t available for lunch. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Uh, no thanks,” I say as I walk out of the building in a rejected daze. I feel like collapsing from humiliation, but I try to tell myself I’m overreacting to being blown off. He couldn’t even be bothered to come down and tell me no himself?
My phone chimes.
Carl: Not sure why you showed up unannounced. Is there some kind of emergency?
Dee: No. Just thought it would be a surprise treat.
Carl: We’ll talk later.
Ouch.Thatdoesn’t sound promising. Why is he so irritated? Is Eros correct in thinking something is up with him?
As I head across the street to my car, I scan the area for signs of Eros, but I don’t see him anywhere. Maybe he’s invisible and making his attempt to get in the building.
