Page 101 of Flowers Near Me

Persephone wondered, did Charon focus on anything other than her work? Charon’s eyes remained on the screen in her grip, while Vanth now stared longingly at her face. “I don’t know, but it would be sweet to watch Charon fall in love. See if you can find out more about Vanth. I want to know if he’s good enough for her.”

Hermes said, “I’ll try.”

CHAPTER FORTY

LOVE IN BLOOM AND STONE

HADES

He’d postponed their trip until he knew Persephone had fully recovered. After seeing her thrive inFlower Near Me’s final promotions, he felt confident she was hale and whole.

The gala was only a few days away, but there were still a few things left to do before he and Sephy would leave for their getaway. Inside the gala’s event space, Hades marveled at the vines cascaded over the balcony, nearly touching the floor of the three-story domed conservatory. Dozens of staff navigated carts around marble pillars, like ants building a marvel for their queen, all in preparation for the massive gala.

Tomorrow, Sephy would join Hades for their first genuine date—a weekend getaway to one of his favorite secluded properties. The thought consumed him, but his little goddess was shooting daggers his way from across the bustling room. He hadn’t gotten a moment with her since they’d arrived at the gala’s location to finish preparations for the event. Even when they moved from the conservatory to the greenhouse to finalize seating arrangements, Sephy had stuck close to Hermes.

After a painful hour, Poseidon relented to Zeus and Hades’ plans and stormed off, citing another meeting that Hades was certain didn’t exist. If the timing wasn’t suspicious enough, his brooding assistant’s surprised reaction confirmed his theory. He’d met Vanth—the man Hecate said would be a good match for Charon—earlier that morning. The poor psychopomp had a long road ahead of him, given that Sephy and his assistant barely looked Vanth’s direction.

With a few parting words to Zeus, Hades made his way towards Sephy. Hermes gave him one look, then flitted off.

“Good time catching up?” he asked Sephy.

“Very enlightening. Sounds like you had him pay my mom a visit to correct bad behavior.” She held his gaze, and his heart dropped.

In the chaos of her magic-induced illness and the subsequent months, he’d forgotten to tell Sephy about her mom’s involvement with the app’s virus. “He told you about the ‘snake bite.’”

She slowly crossed her arms. “Strange hearing it from him and not you, though.”

He looked away, unable to hold her stare. “I should’ve told you when I found out, but at the time I needed to know you didn’t have a hand in it as well.”

She sighed. “I would’ve preferred to hear about it from you and not Hermes.”

“That’s fair.” Guilt gnawed at him but dissipated when the lines between her brows faded.

Smirking, Sephy asked, “Are your brothers happy now that they get to sit with all their friends?”

Purring a light laugh, Hades stood next to his little goddess and placed his hand on her back. The warm silk of her shirt brought images of the sleep sets he’d requested Charon pack for Sephy for their trip.Better if she wears nothing at all.

“Yes, every child’s got their assigned seat. Though we might need Charon to write Poseidon’s name in giant, glittering letters—just to keep him from causing a tidal wave. Maybe his new assistant can help.”

Sephy’s head swiveled to him faster than Cerberus to spilled ambrosia. “What do you know about Vanth? He seemed very curious about Charon.”

He met her gaze, a grin blooming on his face. “You noticed his interest too. Hecate speaks well of him. Maybe I should ask Charon to look into him?”

“Sounds like I need to reach out to my private investigator.” Sephy pulled her phone from her skirt. He imagined sliding his fingers into her pocket and pulling her against him.

“Who’s your PI, Sephy?”

“Laura. No one can find skeletons in the closet faster than a motivated sibling.”

He laughed, knowing he couldnevertrust Poseidon to help him research anyone. Zeus… maybe? “I’ll take your word for it. Let me know what she finds. I’m not too bad of a detective when I need to be.”

Sephy typed a message, then pocketed her phone. Smiling at Hades, she asked, “So, our trip starts tomorrow. Will you tell me where we’re going?”

“Want to bargain for the information?” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his side.

“Hm. Depends. What do you want?”

He leaned down an inch from her ear and whispered, “Don’t tempt me, love. I’ve got a trove of fantasies to choose from.” Goosebumps covered her soft neck.

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