Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning #5)(23)

Venus blinked in surprise. "But I already told you."

"It's impossible that you're Venus."

"If you really believe that then why did you so earnestly invoke my aid?"

Pea fidgeted with a cookie. She looked up into the woman's unusual violet eyes and saw only kindness there. "I was tired of being invisible."

Venus didn't have to be bound to Pea by an oath to recognize the pain and honesty in her words. She took her hand. "Tell me."

"I'm worse than plain and ordinary. Where men are concerned" - she paused, thinking about the nerdy guys who did ask her out and grimaced - "or at least men I might find attractive, it's like I don't exist."

Venus squeezed her hand. "Go on."

"As you've already noticed, I have no style. My hair and clothes are never right." Pea moved her shoulders restlessly. "It started when I was about fourteen. I made this great dance squad at school - one that was tough to get on. I never really thought about how I looked or dressed or whatever before then." She smiled sheepishly. "I guess I was dorky, but too busy getting good grades and taking zillions of dance classes to know it. Anyway I thought I fit in with the rest of the girls." Pea hesitated and pain flashed through her eyes. "I was wrong. I was a good dancer. I made good grades. I tried to be nice to everyone, but I wasn't good enough."

"Oh, darling, of course you're good enough!" Venus felt very close to tears again. Pea smiled bravely. "Well, I am smart. So I taught myself how to keep a nice home, how to cook like a gourmet, how to excel at my job. And today I decided that maybe, with, uh, your help and a how-to book, I could learn to be a better woman."

"Oh, child. I can already tell that you are a wonderful woman. You don't need to learn to be a better one. All you need to learn to do is to show the world the truth of what you already are and to leave the past in the past."

"I wish that were possible."

"Of course it is possible!"

Pea smiled. "With the aid of Venus, Goddess of Love."

"So you do believe I'm Venus."

Pea blushed again. "Well, no. But I think you're beautiful enough to be the Goddess of Love."

"Actually, I'm Goddess of Sensual Love, Beauty and the Erotic Arts," Venus corrected her, and then sighed. "What shall I do to convince you? Do you have something you would like me to gild in gold? Have you a tree you would like coaxed into bearing fruit?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Winter is still upon us, not that that matters, although I'm sure Persephone would say making a tree fruitful in winter is imprudent behavior."

In spite of the crazy circumstances, Pea had to smile. "Why not make Chloe a cat? She's been around Max since she was a puppy, and she's grown up believing she's a Scottie cat, rather than a Scottie dog."

Venus glanced down at Chloe, who sat by Pea's feet. "So you think you're a cat?" Chloe thumped her tail happily against the floor, and the Goddess grinned at the precocious black dog.

"Well, then I suppose you should be a cat." With a small, simple gesture Venus flicked her fingers at Chloe. The air surrounding the dog suddenly began to shimmer with diamond-colored glitter, and with a popping sound, the Scottie disappeared and in her place sat a big black cat with over-large ears and odd-looking tufts of fur around her face that made her look like she had a beard.

Every bit of color drained from Pea's face. "Chloe?" She choked out the word. The cat's tail beat happily against the kitchen floor.

With a trembling hand, Pea reached down and touched what used to be her dog. Chloe purred riotously and her tail thumped harder. Pea's wide-eyed gaze shot to Venus.

"You are Venus, Goddess of Love." She put her hand to her head. "I think I may be sick."

Concerned by her sudden pallor, Venus fanned her with a linen napkin. "Should I get you something? I could conjure a lovely goblet of ambrosia. It's really very refreshing."

"No! I just need to breathe." Pea gulped air. Max sauntered into the room, took one look at Chloe, hissed and backed out of the room so fast that his claws slid and paws skittered like he was on ice instead of tile. Chloe just tilted her head to the side and meowed questioningly.

"Could you please change her back?" Pea asked faintly.

The goddess shrugged. "Of course." With a flick of her wrist and more glitter, Chloe was once again a Scottie dog. As if she'd just come in out of the rain, Chloe shook herself and then sneezed violently before padding out of the room to find Max. "There! She's good as new,"

Venus said. Pea was still staring at her. "What?"

"Well, uh, ma'am. I mean Your Highness - no that's a queen, not a goddess," Pea murmured nervously before blurting, "I don't know what to call you!"

The goddess smiled. "Darling, Venus will do."

Chapter Seven

"T ell me about your love life," Venus said.

"It's nonexistent," Pea said.

"You're a virgin?"

"Oh, god no!" Pea's hand flew to her mouth. "I mean goddess no. I think."

"You think you should say, 'goddess,' or you think you're not a virgin?"

"Venus, talking to an actual goddess is nerve-wracking enough without adding expletive confusion into the mix."