I didn’t know how to explain that my father was a sperm donor, so there was no way that he could be anything other than human. After the Accords had been signed, the United States government had made it illegal for supernaturals to donate eggs or sperms for humans to use to produce offspring.
“He was human,” I confirmed.
Effie leaned back in her seat, clearly dissatisfied with my answer. “Well maybe it’s super diluted from hundreds of years ago. Probably fae blood since they’ve been intermingling with humans for millennia.”
I shrugged, wishing I could just get back to work. “I dunno.”
“Don’t let anyone outside of the shop know that you can see the glamour. Monsters get twitchy when humans have special abilities they shouldn’t have. You can tell Cash if you want, though.”
“Why would I tell him?” I asked with a frown.
Effie shot me a dry look, her lips turning up in the corners. “Because I saw you getting out of his truck this morning? I have to hand it to you, Cash usually doesn’t get involved with anyone and you work fast.”
Heat rose in my cheeks at her choice of words. “It’s not like that. He just gave me a ride this morning.”
The nymph just snorted. “Whatever you say, Daphne. As long as you don’t quit being our receptionist I don’t care what you two do.”
She had completely misunderstood everything.
“We aren’t doing anything, Effie, I swear. Now can I get back to work?” I asked hurriedly, wanting to change the subject as soon as possible.
But Effie, like a shark scenting blood in the water, was relentless.
“C’mon he’s got that whole hot, broody thing going on and you’re gorgeous even if you’re a little bit skittish which is like catnip for men like him,” Effie continued, her earlier irritation over the Gorgons gone completely now that she had something new to focus her energy on.
“Effie—” I tried again but was cut off before I could continue.
“All I’m saying is that if you wanted to climb Cash like a tree, I wouldn’t blame you,” Effie said, eyes dancing with mirth.
Suddenly, a very irritated, gravelly voice filled the waiting room. “Effie, if you’ve got time to bother Daphne, you’ve got time to make the ink I need for Stheno.”
I whirled around in my chair to find Cash poking his head through the beaded curtains, clearly having heard at least a little bit of our conversation.
“How much of that did you hear?” the nymph asked, at least having the decency to look chastised by the gargoyle’s stern expression as she hopped up from her seat.
“Somewhere around hot and broody,” Cash answered, his voice deadpan.
Effie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop on conversations, Cashiel Windheart,” she scolded as she led the way back through the curtain. “Now what color ink does that bratty Gorgon want that I haven’t already enchanted?”
Cash glanced over at me one last time, his silver eyes measuring the blush on my face and what I was sure was a mortified expression. Then he turned and followed Effie into the hallway, the beads of the curtain clicking together loudly.
“The green is apparently the wrong shade.” I heard Cash say, his voice fading as they walked out of my human earshot.
I sat for a moment, pressing the backs of my hands to my face, trying in vain to cool the blazing skin there.
It was embarrassing enough trying to dodge Effie’s nosey questions, but for Cash to overhear?
I wished a hole would open in the ground and swallow me up.
Cash was doing me ahugefavor by letting me stay in his home and I didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable about it. I didn’t want Effie trying to make it into something it wasn’t.
That would invite too many questions that I didn’t have the answer to.
Besides, everything Effie said was true,a little voice in my head whispered, breaking through the whirl of embarrassment.You do think he’s hot and broody,it finished gleefully.
I pushed the voice down firmly.
