In fact, he was on board. More than on board. I had a sneaking suspicion he was in on it—with Eros and Zeus, no less. To say I was livid was an understatement. But I alsovalued my existence, so I was going to let this nightmare unfold.
If Eros wanted his daughter paraded around for the world to see in her shapeless sad sack of a dress, who was I to stand in the way?
“I just sent you an email. Pull it up,” Jazzy demanded. “You will never believe who applied to be a contestant.”
Unfortunately, I could. But I didn’t hesitate to open my email. Might as well get this train wreck started. Just as I suspected, Jazzy had forwarded a link to Demi’s application. It surprised me Jazzy hadn’t already said something about how different Demi appeared and how tragic her clothes were.
“It’s Demi Blake.” Jazzy couldn’t contain herself. “You know, the world-champion gymnast who disappeared?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled and clicked on the link to Demi’s headshots and video audition. I felt the disaster brewing already.
“I don’t know where Demi Blake has been all these years,” Jazzy continued, “but let’s just say time has been good to her. Very good. I thought for sure after seeing all those pictures of the horrific accident she was in that she was in hiding because she was disfigured or something, but that is definitely not the case. She is stunning!”
I scrunched my brow, confused. Of course, I knew Demi wasn’t disfigured. Well, maybe she was under her unflattering clothing—I wouldn’t know. But for Jazzy to think she was stunning? What the hell had Zeus done to my casting director?
I pulled up Demi’s photos, expecting to see the real picture—so to speak. I could always tell if a god had placed aglamour—a magic spell—on an object. Illusions didn’t work on me. Not divine ones. Not mortal ones.
Demi’s photos appeared, and all I could do was stare wide-eyed at them, gripping my desk.
What had happened to her since I’d seen her a few days ago?
There was no muumuu. No dingy hair. The enormous glasses were gone, although she still wore a pair of sleek ones that looked as if they were made specifically for her. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was unveiled. At least partially. She was still hiding behind black clothing and glasses she didn’t need.
Regardless, I didn’t like it.
In fact, I hated the stirrings she elicited. It was like she was awakening the teen boy inside me who used to want nothing more than to know the girl lighting up every TV screen.
But I knew the woman, and she was awful. The bane of my existence, even. I didn’t care how gorgeous she looked. What was she playing at, showing up like this year’s top model? It was beyond fishy.
“She’s absolutely divine,” Jazzy trilled.
If she only knew howdivineDemi really was.
“Don’t you think?”
“Uh . . . she’s okay,” I lied, stuttering through it, unable to tear my eyes from the screen.
Demi’s red hair gleamed like fire, cascading down the back of a form-fitting black pantsuit that hugged every curve she owned, and the jacket dipped just low enough to show that she’s . . . well . . . let’s just say,blessed.Damn,was all I could think.
“Just okay? Are you insane?” Jazzy gaped at me. “I know your ex-wife is a supermodel and your standards are sky high. But Demi is every bit as gorgeous, or even more so than Carmen. She has that whole sexy-librarian vibe going for her.”
I cleared my throat, wishing she weren’t right. I needed Demi to go back to being frumpy. “My opinion doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be the one dating her.” Thank the Titans for that. I felt sorry for all the poor guys we would cast this season. They’d take one look at her and think they were in for a treat only to find out she was the ice queen. “Assuming you cast her.”
Jazzy barked out a laugh. “Um . . . of course she’s in. Her backstory alone is worth millions of dollars in advertising. And her audition video? I love it. She has bite. That whole emotionally complex, wild card vibe. It’s like she went from America’s sweetheart to an aloof Greek goddess.”
I coughed uncomfortably. She’d hit the nail on the head.
“What?” Jazzy asked. “She’s been living in Greece almost the entire time since her disappearance. At least that’s what her application says.”
I had wondered what her cover story was going to be. I saw she went with a partial truth. It made sense. She had spent a lot of time in Greece attending school on Mount Olympus.
I leaned back, my eyes still fixed on Demi, all while loathing myself for being so fascinated by her transformation. “That’s interesting,” I said dryly.
Jazzy tilted her head. “Are you feeling okay? I thought you would be more excited about this. Demi is ratings gold for the show.”
Jazzy wouldn’t be all that excited about Demi either if she knew the truth about this special season. Or that Demi was a walking nightmare. She’d soon find that one out.
I straightened up and forced my gaze away from the screen. It was more difficult than I cared to admit. “Sorry. I’m tired. And I’m stressed trying to pull everything together on such short notice.”
