Besides, I had other things to worry about.
Things like how my ex had dropped off our daughter yesterday—unannounced—and told me she’d landed a movie role. Which meant I’d be taking Junie full-time this summer. Don’t get me wrong—I was thrilled to have her. I missed her terribly when she was with Carmen. But I hadn’t planned for this.
And now I was scrambling—rearranging schedules, reworking logistics, trying to figure out how to run a show and be a full-time dad. Thankfully, my mom had agreed to come with us to Wyoming. She’d help with Junie when I wasn’t available. Still, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Or maybe—given the gods’ involvement—it was exactly as intended. Something about Carmen landing a movie role felt . . . off. It wasn’t unusual for models to pivot into acting. But Carmen had never shown an interest in that career track. And she hadn’t even auditioned for this role. She just got a random call from the director of a big-budget action film.No callback. No screen test. Just “We want you.” It didn’t sit right. Not because I didn’t want her to succeed.
But because it felt orchestrated.
It was apparent someone wanted me to have Junie all summer and for Carmen to stay out of the way.
I almost asked Eros why. Surely he knew, but he probably wouldn’t answer, and that would just tick me off more.
“You’re unhappy with your godfather,” Eros mused.
I said nothing. Just crumpled another piece of paper and tossed it. Thinking about how much my life had been disrupted in the past several days, all for a woman who hated my guts and whom I wasn’t fond of either. What was worse was that I was going to have to spend the next six to seven weeks with her and, if possible, help her find love even though she believed what I did was a joke.
“Roman,” Eros said more contritely. “I appreciate everything you’ve done so far and will continue to do. I know this hasn’t been easy, and you have your misgivings, but I hope you trust me enough to know I have your best interests in mind.”
I stared at the phone. Silent.
Trust him?
He’d handed me what felt like a no-win situation. A cast member who made me question everything. And a daughter whose presence felt like both a blessing and a setup. I didn’t know what game Eros was playing. But I was starting to suspect I was the pawn.
“You don’t believe that,” Eros said after several beats of dead air.
“Do you blame me?”
“I suppose not. Demi isn’t exactly happy with me either.”
“Then why?” I couldn’t keep the edge out of my voice. “The last thing either of us wants to do is spend a summer in each other’s presence. We’ve never gotten along.”
Eros thought for a moment. “I hope that will change once you truly get to know each other. Your father and I always hoped you would be friends.”
I almost scoffed at the notion, but Demi’s headshots stared straight back at me on my laptop screen. I wished I could say I was only looking at them and studying her application and bio to prepare for our interviews. Doing my job. But that would be a lie. Her damn photos had me mesmerized. And I found myself looking at them way too often, wondering what made her tick and why she had always hated me. And why I hated her for stealing something I couldn’t name.
The more I stared, the more loss I felt. It only fueled my dislike of her. Yet I couldn’t look away from the gorgeous, maddening creature.
“I don’t see that happening,” I muttered.
“A lot can happen in six weeks.”
“Yeah, sure.” I didn’t see any point in arguing. I had better things to do with my time.
“Roman,” Eros sighed. “Please, I need your help here. This has to work.”
His panicked tone startled me. He was always calm and infuriatingly collected. “What are you not telling me?”
He paused before admitting, “This is a quest for Demi. Given by Zeus. She must fall in love before the August full moon rises or she can no longer live in our world.”
My eyes landed on her photos. There was a part of me that thought maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing for her to bebanished from our world. The way she ran the Bureau made it feel like love was a crime. Like she was punishing the very thing she was meant to protect. But the heartbreak in Eros’s voice made me rethink my callous thought.
I couldn’t help but ask, “Why is it so important to Zeus that she fall in love?”
“Because the world needs her.”
“Why?” I couldn’t imagine what grand benefit she was to the world.
