Accidentally Aphrodite - Dakota Cassidy Page 0,45

Grampa Archibald, Carl. If anything happened to you while you were out carousing as though zombies are not something the great people of New York City would burn at the stake, I’d never forgive myself. You must stop making me fret like that.”

Carl lifted his lips in his adorably lopsided grin and reached upward, patting Archibald’s chin in an obvious apology.

Archibald grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Don’t you try to soften me up either. Next time you behave poorly, there will be no Goodnight Moon for you before bedtime. Understood?”

Carl bobbed his head and nabbed a piece of broccoli, driving it into his mouth and chomping, green stems falling to his shirt where Nina had tucked a napkin into his collar.

Ingrid set a steaming cup of tea in front of Quinn and sat next to her at the table. She leaned forward and nudged her with a shoulder. “You okay?”

“Zombie.”

Ingrid giggled. “Yep.”

“He’s so—so—precious,” she whispered in pure wonder.

“That he is. And he’s amazing with the kids.”

“This week has had more fangs and fur than a mash-up episode of The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

Quinn gave her a skeptical sidelong glance, leaning her head on her hand. “Are you shrinking me right now, Ingrid Lawson?”

“I’m just checking on your emotional barometer. It’s in the pamphlet, if you want to read it. I brought one with me from the office. According to the bosses, you should be having some serious swings in your emotional state. You know, the five stages thing Nina talked about. I just want to keep on top of it. So how do you feel?”

How did she feel? Earlier she’d been euphoric. Sharing that moment with Khristos and two people who had no idea anyone else in the world existed in that moment in time was amazing—fulfilling.

But now? Now she was projecting into the future, when she’d have to explain to her parents and her coworkers she was responsible for helping to repopulate the world.

How did you sit someone down and tell them you couldn’t come to work today because you had to make sure the world kept evolving—forever?

Hey, Mom, what did you do today? Wait. No, don’t tell me. Bet it doesn’t beat what I did today. Know what I did today? I ordered Cupid to shoot glow-in-the-dark arrows at people who are soul mates. You know, those things you staunchly disregard as real?

Worse, she worried about when she’d have to do this on her own without someone to share it with. What fun was helping true love along if you didn’t have someone to share it with?

“Quinn?”

She patted Ingrid’s hand. “I’m hanging in there. Everything’s going to be okay.” Okay, okay, okay. She’d only told herself that a hundred times since the day began.

“I heard you were a real superstar today.”

She shook her head as she sipped her tea and tried not to think about the kiss. “It wasn’t me, really. It was mostly Khristos.”

“But I heard it was a total save. Like, you saved someone’s life, Quinn! That’s incredible, and awesome, and you should be proud. Give yourself some credit. So, this must also mean you’re less butthurt about Igor? Maybe some of those old feelings about everlasting love are coming back?”

After the eye-opening conversation she’d had with Khristos, where she’d had her poor choices laid out in front of her and really examined—um, mostly no. “You know what I’ve decided after tonight? I’ve decided that eternal love is for some people, and it’s beautiful. God, it was so beautiful, Ingrid. But I learned something about myself this fine evening as well. Something valuable.” And while she hated to admit it, Khristos’s words had clicked.

Ingrid grabbed a cookie from the plate Archibald silently set on the table and took a healthy bite. “Tell me,” she ordered as she munched.

“I discovered that it isn’t that the men I pick suck ass, per se. I suck ass at the picking. I’ve invested a lot of time in putting on my blinders. On overlooking some of the things I knew were clear signs that Igor and I weren’t a good match, but ignored anyway because I was sure, in the big scheme of things, he was my Mr. Darcy. That I could turn him into my Mr. Darcy.”

“Signs like…?”

Quinn sighed and leaned deeper into her hand. “Like when Igor told me he loved me. Sure, he said it, but I never felt secure in it. Not even a little. Despite what I