Page 2 of Waiting For Psamathe

"All right," Aphrodite responded.

I did a double-take. "You're not going to argue with me on that one?"

"Of course not. For one, I don't actually work for Jinx, I'm an independent contractor. And one of the stipulations I have is that I only organise events that also raise money for charity. If you have one in mind, then that makes my job easier."

"Oh." I looked over to where the seals were lounging in the early morning sun. Zale was no longer anywhere to be seen, butthat was to be expected with how much I knew they needed to do with their day. "I'm sure I can think of something."

She nodded. "That would be great. If it's something that benefits the island, that's even better."

"When did you have in mind for the event?"

"Next Tuesday."

I took a deep breath. "That's not giving me much time to prepare."

"You don't have to," Aphrodite assured me. "Put me in contact with someone at the charity you want, and I'll do the rest. We can bring outside caterers in if we need to."

"That shouldn't be necessary, I have enough staff to handle it." I'd need to green-light some extra shifts, but that wouldn't be a problem.

"Then it sounds like we're in agreement." She held out her hand for me to shake.

Tentatively, I reached out and took it.

"I look forward to working with you, Psamathe."

"Most people call me Sama these days."

"Sama it is," she responded, dropping my hand and looking out over the sea. "It's very romantic here."

"Presumably why you want to have a dating event at my hotel," I said.

"One of the reasons. We want events all around the world so everyone gets a chance at love."

I raised an eyebrow. "And a Greek island is your next destination?"

"Greece has brought many people love."

I snorted. "Of course it has." I wasn't sure stories of love featuring the goddess beside me counted as tales of romance.

"You could use it as a chance to find someone yourself," Aphrodite suggested, not seeming to share my disbelief.

I rolled my eyes. "Is that all you love goddesses can think about?"

"You can't say anything, you're a beach goddess who runs a resort," she responded, waving her hand towards the pristine beach in front of us.

"Mmm."

"But you could. There'll be plenty of people coming, it's a good chance to see if you hit it off with someone."

"What's the point when I already met the love of my life?" I asked.

"Proteus? That was thousands of years ago, Sama."

I shrugged and looked out to the sea.

"Why didn't you make him immortal if you didn't want to lose him?"

"I wasn't a goddess yet," I responded, looking out at the sea and remembering the man from Egypt I'd loved with all my heart. It might have been thousands of years, but I wasn't sure how I could possibly replace him. Even at the suggestion of a love goddess.

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