Unamused Muse (Mt. Olympus Employment Agency: Muse Book 2) by R.L. Naquin Page A

around me like a graceful jellyfish when I stopped.
    Phyllis gasped. “Oh, Wynter. Shame on you.”
    I frowned. “What?”
    “Not only can I see your underwear when you spin, you’re not even wearing decent undergarments. What’s he going to think?”
    “He’s not going to think anything. I’m not going to flash him my undies. It’s not even a real date.”
    “It’s a real date.”
    “It’s not.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Besides. I need to do laundry. This is all I’ve got that’s clean.”
    “You’ll never find a man with that attitude, missy.”
    I was about to object, but the knock on the door cut me off. I smoothed my skirt, double-checking it wasn’t flipped up or tucked in anywhere, then opened the door.
    Max stood in the hall flashing his dazzling grin and holding a bouquet of big, yellow sunflowers. “Am I too early?” His words tumbled over each other as if they were racing each other to get out. “Are you ready? You look ready. In fact you look fantastic. Hey! We’re wearing the same color. Your dress matches my shirt.” He stopped, took a breath, and thrust the flowers forward. “These are for you.”
    “Hi, Max.” I smiled and took the flowers. “Thank you. They’re beautiful. Let’s get them in some water.”
    I shut the door and walked with him down the hall to the community kitchen. After a short search, I found a vase and filled it with water.
    “I hope you like sunflowers.” The poor man was sweating. The easy-going charmer I’d met twice on the road was gone, replaced by a nervous wreck. “I wanted to find something a little different. You know, less cliché than your typical roses or carnations.”
    I looked up from my flower arranging and searched his face. He didn’t look like he was hiding anything, and as nervous as he was, I doubted he could hide his darkest secrets let alone something simple like leaving me an anonymous rose on my passenger seat.
    But if it wasn’t Max, who was it?
    “They’re beautiful.” I placed the last flower in with the rest and picked up the vase. “I’ll just drop these in my room and we can go. Be right back.”
    “Be right here!” He dropped into a chair and mopped his brow with the back of his hand.
    Poor guy.
    I slipped into my room and stood with my back against the door.
    “It’s a date,” I said, horrified.
    “Told you.” Phyllis flipped a smug leaf at me. “Now, try to keep an open mind, alright? Maybe he’s The One.”
    I gave a tiny shake of my head. “He’s not The One.”
    “What makes you so sure?”
    “Because there’s no such thing as The One. All there are out there are bad choices or better choices.”
    Phyllis sighed. “Oh, honey. Just go have a good time. Don’t overthink it.”
    “I wasn’t until everybody started acting crazy.” I flipped off the overhead light and clicked on Phyllis’ UV lamp. “I’ll do my best. And I promise not to spin too hard.”
    ~*~
    I’d always thought Hell was attending other people’s weddings. I was wrong. Hell was attending other people’s weddings with a stranger as my date.
    No. Not Hell. The Underworld . That was the politically correct term.
    At least I’d survived to tell the tale.
    When I stepped into the office Monday morning, Parker and Kris were both waiting for me with expectant looks on their faces.
    “Well?” Parker pushed his desk chair around so I could sit, since his wife was using mine. “How did the date go?”
    “And don’t tell us it wasn’t a date,” Kris said. “It’s always a date.”
    I took a deep breath and dropped my purse on the edge of my desk before collapsing into the chair. “It was…messy.”
    Parker frowned. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
    Kris flapped her hand at him. “Don’t interrupt.” She turned and flapped the same hand at me. “Start at the beginning. Did he pick you up at your room or did you meet him outside?”
    I did not want to tell this story. But the two of them had been so kind