I knew exactly why she’d left. She’d been dating a god—Heimdall, to be exact. She hadn’t known he was a god. That was another unbreakable rule deities had to follow—no sharing the secret. She thought he was a fisherman who took people out on whale-watching trips in the spring.
And yes, he was a fisherman. Nice, quiet-spoken man for the god who was supposed to alert all the gods in Valhalla that Ragnarok was upon them.
It never ceased to amaze me that the gods worked jobs during their mortal vacation that had nothing to do with their god powers.
The quiet of the sea had been Heimdall’s chosen profession.
Still, he had a little of that light that gods, even unpowered gods, carried. Some mortals were more susceptible to it. Moths to eternal flames.
Lila Carson had fallen fast and hard for the quiet fisherman.
It had lasted two years, then Heimdall—or Heim, as he preferred to be called—had broken up with her.
Heim might be a quiet fisherman, but Lila Carson and her broken heart did not leave that relationship quietly. Furiously would be a better term.
Vengefully.
Great. Just what I needed in my town. A jilted ex-lover to a god.
“So we’re keeping eye on Margot and Lila,” I said.
“I’ll make sure Chris knows that Margot and Lila are sisters,” Myra said.
“Better go out now and tell him,” I said. “The easiest disaster to deal with is the one we can prevent.”
“Sure.” Myra shrugged into her jacket. “Oh, and Jean got a line on someone for temporary help. You okay with us hiring without your input?”
“Able body, listens to orders, not Dan Perkin, and it’s fine by me.”
I thought I caught an all-too-satisfied smile before she started toward the door. “Good. We’ll do paperwork, then introductions tonight at Jump Off’s around seven.”
“Why are we conducting a hire in a brewery?”
“Because you need to eat a decent meal, and the casual setting will make getting to know our new team member more pleasant.”
“Who put you in charge of office decisions?”
“You did. Just now.” She paused at the door. “As soon as you get that report done, go home and get some sleep.”
“Not my boss.”
She snorted. “Call it a strong suggestion from a coworker. Take a long lunch break, okay? Roy will call if something else blows up.”
Roy gave a quick two-finger salute, then went back to clicking the Rubik’s Cube.
I shook my head and watched her stroll out the door. Death, destruction, and a pile of paperwork. What a way to start the day. I took a drink of the coffee.
It went down bitter and thick, and I chuckled. If Myra and Jean really had roped someone into helping us out, I’d make them do my paperwork.
“Any idea who they have on the hook to hire?” I asked Roy as I settled in at my desk again.
“Nope.”
I was pretty sure he was lying.
“Any reason why you’re lying to your boss?”
This time he smiled, though he didn’t take his eyes away from the cube. “Yep.”
