Eros (18 page)

Later that day, when Skye stepped out of the airport and realised just how cold and wet and grey the weather was back in Britain, she was too focused on keeping her head down to avoid the freezing rain to spot Apollo’s golden head on the other side of the road, watching her and smiling unpleasantly to himself at Coop’s predictability.

The Sun God knew that, without Coop in tow, it would take the girl several hours to get back to her parents’ house.
That gave him plenty of time to put his own plans into action.
If there was a flicker of guilt inside him, then he squashed it quickly.
Both the girl and the stupid cherub had conspired to humiliate him in front of all of his friends.
He’d made a complete fool of himself and there was no way he was going to let that slide.
Coop and Skye were going to pay for what they’d done to him.

Less than an hour later, he caught sight of Skye’s mother entering the small local supermarket.
Following her in, but moving quickly across a couple of aisles to wait for her to catch him up, he began perusing the wine section, selecting a bottle at random to pick up and study.
It was cheap plonk but it would serve his requirements.

Fortunately, the woman was a fast shopper and it didn’t take long before she was wheeling her trolley past him.
He cleared his throat and aimed for a congenial tone.

‘Excuse me?’ he said.

Skye’s mother looked surprised and turned to face him.
‘Yes?’

‘I was wondering if you could help me.
I’m cooking dinner tonight for a friend.
A special friend.
I want to get some nice wine to go with it but I don’t really drink myself.
Could you help me out?’

Her eyes crinkled at the edges.
‘I can try.
Does your, erm, friend, like red or white?’

‘I have no idea,’ Apollo said, looking stricken.
‘Does it make a difference?’

‘Why certainly!’ she laughed.
‘But if you don’t know, perhaps it would be wise to go in between and try a rosé instead.’

Aiming for baffled, Apollo shrugged helplessly.
‘What’s a rosé?’

She smiled.
‘You really don’t drink, do you?
Here, I’ll show you.’
She pointed towards the left, picking up one bottle and holding it out to him.
‘This is a rosé wine.
You’ll need to chill it before you serve it but it’s not too expensive and it tastes quite nice.
I’m sure your friend will enjoy it.’

‘Thank you so much!’ Apollo beamed.
Before she could leave, he spoke again.
‘I just want to make sure everything goes right.
I really want to make her happy.
I’ve only known her for a couple of weeks but I can just tell that it’s meant to be.’

‘Oh, young love,’ Skye’s mother said warmly.
‘There’s nothing quite like it.’

‘Indeed,’ he agreed.
‘This happens to me all the time, to be honest.
When I fall, I fall hard.
I’m always in love for the first couple of weeks.’ He paused and looked earnest.
‘Sometimes even months.
It’s important to keep them happy to begin with.
Then when the sheen wears off and I’m bored with them, at least they’ve had a good time and have some pleasant memories to remember me by.
I find that being in love is only fun during the initial period.
I like the excitement and the nervous fluttering feeling you get.
Once that rubs off, well, it’s time to move on.’

The flicker of distaste which flashed in her eyes told Apollo he’d found his mark.
Trying not to grin, he continued. ‘Thank you for your help.
I’m sure she’ll enjoy this wine.’

Skye’s mother pasted on a smile and pushed her trolley forward again.
‘You’re welcome.’

Apollo watched her go, amused at the straight line of her back which indicated her disapproval.
As soon as she had disappeared from view, he put the nasty looking wine back on the shelf and checked his watch.
Nemesis would be open in a few hours and Helios had already agreed to let him in early to have a chat to the girl’s friends.
This was going to be easier than taking candy from a baby.

***

When Skye finally pushed open the door to her parents’ house, feeling distinctly damp and very tired, she felt a rush of warmth at the familiar sights and smells.
With Coop to distract her, she’d not had time to think about missing home; now she was thrilled to be seeing her parents in person rather than talking to them on the phone.
Both of them immediately appeared in the small hallway, huge smiles stretching across their faces.

Her father stepped over and reached out to envelop her in a huge bear hug. ‘We’ve missed you!’
He pulled back and looked her up and down.
‘You’re looking good, Skye.
You’re looking happy.’

Skye glanced over at her mother and saw the equally approving expression on her face.

‘That’s because I am,’ she said softly.
‘I’ve got so much to tell the pair of you.’

‘It’s great to have you home,’ her mum said.
‘Let me put the kettle on while you go upstairs and have a shower and change into some dry clothes.
Then you can tell us all about it.
Greece sounds wonderful.’

Skye’s eyes shone.
‘It is, Mum, it really is.’

Half an hour later, all three were in the living room.
The rain outside had picked up tempo and was drumming against the window but inside the house was warm and cosy.
Skye curled her legs up underneath her and sighed happily.

‘Even though it’s only a short visit, it’s great to be back.’

‘Are you sure you can’t stay for longer?’

Skye nodded.
‘I promised Emma I’d go and visit her on my last night.
I’ve only got three days. I need to be back in Greece by Friday.’

Her father frowned.
‘He doesn’t give you much time off, this boss of yours.’

Skye’s eyes lit up.
‘He’s not really my boss,’ she said.
‘Not any longer.’

Alarm showed on both her parents’ faces.

‘Has he fired you?’ her mum demanded.
‘Just like that awful Helios man?
I’ve still got half a mind to go down to London and tell him just what I think of the way he treats his employees.
Honestly, giving you the sack when all you were doing was standing up for yourself.’
She shook her head.
‘It’s not on, Skye.
You’ve still got rights, you know.’

Skye smiled at her vehemence.
‘It’s okay.
It all worked out for the best,’ she reassured her.
‘And I’ve not been fired by my new boss.
It’s more like our relationship has, um, changed.’

Her mum looked confused for a moment then her expression cleared.
‘Oh.
Oh!
You mean…’

Skye grinned.
‘Yes.
He’s wonderful, Mum.
I’ve never met anyone like him before.
His name’s Coop and he’s thoughtful and kind.
He loves literature and he’s forever quoting it to me.
I’m in love.
Really, genuinely in love.’
Skye’s cheeks reddened at the truth of the words but her heart felt full to bursting.

‘But he’s your employer,’ her mum said, looking troubled.
‘Are you sure he’s not taking advantage of you and the situation?’

Surprised that her mother wasn’t happier for her, Skye answered,
‘No!
Definitely not.
He’s told me he loves me and I believe him.
We just fit together.
He’s not perfect by any means but his faults make him even more endearing.
You’ll meet him soon and you’ll see.’

‘I’ll look forward to that,’ her dad said gruffly.
At least he seemed pleased for her.

‘You’ve barely known him a month, Skye,’ her mum interjected.
‘How can you know you’re in love?’

‘I just know,’ Skye said quietly.

‘What does he do, this Coop?’

Skye was prepared for this.
As much as she loved her parents, she didn’t think they’d quite be prepared to listen to the fact that Coop was an invisible love god. ‘He runs a dating agency,’ she said smoothly.

The corners of her mum’s mouth turned down.
‘Does he, indeed?’

‘Mum!
What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Someone who runs a dating agency sounds like someone who knows a lot about the mechanics of love.
Who knows how to give the impression of being in love.’

‘You’ve not even met him and you’re already doubting him.’

‘I’m sorry, sweetheart,’ her mum answered. ‘It’s just I met this awful man today who…’

‘I don’t care about some man you met today, Mum!
Coop isn’t some stranger I met on the streets.
If you knew what he’d done for me and the way he treats me, you’d think differently.
We really are in love.’

‘It seems so fast.
So sudden.’

‘That doesn’t make it wrong.’

Her mum sighed.
‘You’re right.
Just tell me this, does he do it often?’

Skye was puzzled.
‘Do what often?’

‘Fall in love.
Some men are like that, you know.
Serial monogamists who always have a new girl on their arm.’

‘This is ridiculous!
You should trust me and trust my judgment.’
Skye pushed away the little voice in her head that reminded her of Hermes’ words about all the women Coop had been with in the past.
She also tried to forget that Coop hadn’t answered her question about how many times he’d taken girls to meet his mother.
She didn’t believe he was lying when he told her how he felt.
The emotion in his voice was too clear.
Besides, why
would
he lie?
He had nothing to gain from it.

‘Marj,’ her father chided, ‘Skye’s looked into his eyes and seen the truth there.
She’s not some airhead who lurches from man to man.
We should be happy for her.’

Her mum shook herself.
‘You’re right.
I’m so sorry, Skye.
It’s just because of this man in the supermarket.
He seemed to think it was okay to fall in love at the drop of a hat and then move on a heartbeat later.’

‘Only you could get into a conversation about love in the supermarket, Mum.
Coop’s not like that.
He didn’t even believe in love until a couple of weeks ago.’

‘Then I’m happy for you,’ her mum said, standing up and moving over to give her a big hug.
‘I shouldn’t have questioned him.
Perhaps you’ll bring him with you next time?’

Skye smiled and nodded.
Only if he’s not still invisible, she thought, biting her lip.
He sent you away, the little voice inside her whispered.
You’ve not looked into his eyes and seen the truth there at all.
Skye swallowed.
No, she had to trust him.
She
did
trust him.
He felt the same way about her as she did about him.

***

Two days later Skye met Emma in the heart of Covent Garden.
Her friend bounded up to her with a face wreathed in smiles.

‘You look amazing!’ she yelled.
‘How the bloody hell are you?’

Skye smiled.
‘I’m good, Emma, really good.’

‘It’s so great to see you!
I’ve got loads to tell you.’

Emma pulled on her arm and led her to a nearby coffee shop.
They ordered a pot of tea and sat down together.

‘So how are Joy and Chrissie?’ Skye asked, once they were settled.

‘Oh, they’re the same as ever.
They say hello and to tell you they’re missing your baking.’

Skye grimaced.
She’d avoided ovens and anything like cupcakes since her disaster at Nemesis. ‘Tell them I said hi.’

‘I will, I will,’ beamed Emma.
‘But let’s get down to more important things.’ Her face turned serious.
‘Your boss and the crush you’ve got on him.’

‘It’s not a crush,’ Skye said quietly.
‘I’m in love.
You should meet him, Emma.
He’s just perfect.
I can’t believe how lucky I am.’

The shadow on her friend’s face was unmistakable.

‘What is it?’ Skye asked.