Chapter 5
Eva
After my first meeting with Sam, I realized I needed to be myself and not use the scripts Dad had provided. I knew I should be courteous and cover the essential questions for compatibility, but rigidly following a script felt inauthentic. It wasn’t who I was, and it wasn’t how I wanted to run the business. If people didn’t like how I was, well, maybe the service wasn’t for them.
Today was my favorite day of the service: the makeover.
I always enjoyed taking someone from drab to fab. I asked Sam to meet me at the salon so he could get a haircut before heading over to try on clothes. If he only had clothes like what he wore to the mixer, dark jeans and polo shirts, he needed an update.
As I stood outside the front door, I looked at the concrete ground, seeing the distinct cracks and how they intersected one another.
“Hi,” a voice said, breaking my boredom.
I looked up, and there was Sam. He looked different, but I didn’t know if anything had changed about his appearance. There was something I couldn’t place my finger on.
“Hey,” I said. “Are you ready for this?”
He smiled, then shrugged. “Yeah, I’m not sure. I’m not a big makeover guy.”
“I don’t think most are. It’s less about your new look and more about the confidence a makeover gives you. I guarantee you by the end of this, you’re going to feel more powerful,” I said.
He laughed. “If you say so,” he said and rolled his eyes.
I guessed he wasn’t believing what I was preaching. “Well, this part is straightforward. It’s just a haircut.” I held open the glass door and followed him into a small salon with a bohemian vibe.
“Hey, Leila,” I said.
“Eva, darling.” The young, spunky woman walked over, gave me a peck on both cheeks, and did the same to Sam. He just stood like a statue.
“Is this our client for the day?” she asked, checking him out from head to toe. “I see the potential.”
Lelia guided Sam to the chair for his haircut. I sat on the suede emerald-green couch and checked my phone. There were text messages from several different guys about getting together for another fun night out.
That was the problem with being the granddaughter of Aphrodite. The power of Aphrodite ran in my blood, and men flocked to me. It was great sometimes; other times, I wanted to be left alone. And I was currently experiencing one of those independent phases of my life.
Sam’s shaggy black hair was gone, and he was left with a clean crew cut. This leveled up his appearance. If I was being honest, he looked hot.
Now it was my turn to help him find the perfect outfit. I left the hair to the experts because there was no way they would let someone with blonde hair and pink highlights touch their hair.
My hairstyle was sooooo 2008. But hey, pink was my color. I was the daughter of love, after all.
In a vintage shop, I scanned the racks. Sam was a professor, and I wanted to lean into that aesthetic. Once I was finished with him, all the girls would want to enroll in his class.
“So I haven’t asked. What do you teach?” I pulled out a plaid flannel. Too lumberjack. I stuffed the shirt back into the tight space on the clothing rack and strolled down the aisle.
Sam was a few rows to the left of me. “Economics. I know, super sexy, right?”
I smiled. Was it sexy? No, but a man who knew how the money flowed in and out? Now that was useful.
“Well, I guarantee by next semester, you’ll have a wait list in your classes.”
“Just because of how I look?”
“You betcha. All the ladies will fawn over you. Trust me on this. I mean, I am…” I paused. Turning away, I closed my eyes.
I had almost let it slip that I was none other than Cupid’s daughter. Now, there was no rule preventing me from telling someone, but there was an unspoken rule. The gods and demigods tried to blend in, which meant not broadcasting to the whole town we were different.
“How about this one?” I asked, holding up a worn khaki blazer with patterned buttons.
“I like that. It’ll also help bring out the color in my eyes.” Sam fluttered his eyes.
I laughed and shook my head. This guy was such a goof, but adorable.
With a few clothing items to add to Sam’s wardrobe, we made our way back to the Percolator, my favorite coffee shop. It was time to recap the styling tips I’d provided and discuss the qualities of his dream girl.
Sam opened the door and I stepped into the cozy coffee shop. I noticed Bianca was working, which meant discounted coffee. “How about I order and you find a comfy spot to chat?” I said, moving toward the counter.
Sam nodded and made his way toward the gray coffee-stained loveseat. Leaning over the counter, Bianca nodded her head in Sam’s direction. “Damn, who’s that hunk of meat?”
“Hey now. Be civil,” I said with a side smile.
“Oh, my bad. Who is the lovely specimen who walked into the building with you?”
“No, that’s not any better.” I shook my head. “He’s a new client. The one I met at the mixer. We just finished the makeover portion, so I figured we’d get some coffee.”
“Are you shitting me? He’s hot! I didn’t even recognize him.” Bianca grabbed two mugs from a shelf on the back wall and started on my usual coffee order. Having started with chocolate milk as the base, she topped off the half-filled porcelain mug with the house-blend coffee. It was a poor man’s mocha, which I liked so much better.
With the two mugs in hand, I headed to where Sam was sitting. “Here you go. I hope you like it,” I said and took a sip of my warm coffee.
“Thanks.” He took a sip. “Huh, that’s pretty good.”
“Right?” I asked with a small, shy smile.
“So, anyway, today I wanted to talk about your ideal woman. Like if you could craft her from scratch, what would be her personality? Appearance? The entire package? What would you like?”
“Wow, that is a loaded question,” Sam said, “but if I had to answer, I would say I don’t care about appearance so much as personality and values.”
I nodded as he spoke, jotting down values and personality in my notepad, crossing out appearance.
“So, for the values, what would they be?” I asked.
“Well, for starters, she would need to be family-oriented. I’m pretty close to mine, so I’d want the same. Then, motivated, has the drive, and doesn’t have to rely on me for the day-to-days, but she desires to be with me, if that makes sense.”
“I think I get what you’re saying. As for personality?” I looked up from my notepad and saw Bianca making kissy faces from behind the counter. What was I going to do with that girl?
“Funny, sweet, easy to talk to, but also pushes me to be my better self—not to settle for less.”
This guy was deep. Most people in their early thirties cared about having someone to start a family with, but knowing Sam wanted someone who was driven and would push him to be better, now that was something I admired.
“Great, this is all good information, and it has me thinking of some potential matches. But we have a few more sessions before we’re there, so I guess that’s it for now.”
“Thanks, Eva. This was fun. I was a little worried about the whole makeover thing, but you made it a breeze.”
I smiled and walked him to the door. With one last look, he left me with a tingling feeling deep down in my core… and lower.