Page 11 of Winning Back Persephone (Jinx Paranormal Dating Agency #9)

PERSEPHONE

The dining table was set nicely, unlike the one back at my flat, and I could tell that it was only partly because Hades had put effort into how it was all laid out. The rest of it was because it wasn't being used as a makeshift office. Hades had strict rules about where was used for work and where was used for living. It had helped me actually have a life that wasn't work, and was something I should try and insist on for myself, but rarely seemed to manage.

Cebby trotted over to his bed and flopped down more dramatically than he had any right to. I knew he was living his best life, he didn't have to worry about anything.

"Do you want me to do anything?" I called through to the kitchen.

"No, just sit down," Hades responded.

I pulled out my chair and sat down, only realising after I did that I was sitting in my chair, the one I always sat on when we had dinner together. Coming here was a mistake in that it reminded me of how good our life used to be, and all it made me do was think about how easy it would be to slip back into it as if nothing had happened.

Hades appeared in the doorway wearing an apron and sporting a glass dish in oven-gloved hands. It was an adorable vision, one that went along with a domesticity that could only come from living together for a long time.

"It smells delicious," I said.

"Thank you." He set the dish in the middle of the table, and my mouth watered at the sight of the stuffed peppers inside.

But it wasn't just my mouth that responded. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Not just because he'd made me dinner, but because he'd made me my favourite. There was no denying that was why he'd chosen this dish. I didn't even have to ask to know that there was no ulterior motive. He'd made this because he knew I loved it.

I blinked the tears away and smiled at him. He looked genuinely pleased with himself, which only added to the complications of the feelings within me. How was I supposed to resist him when he was being so sweet?

He served us both our food and sat down, passing me a bowl of salad.

"Don't forget the olives to go on top," he said, gesturing to a small pot by my plate.

I frowned, knowing that he didn't eat them. "You got olives?"

"I know you like them."

"I do. But you shouldn't have made things difficult for yourself."

He shrugged. "I don't mind."

Feeling overwhelmingly affectionate towards him, I reached out and put my hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze. The world felt like it fell away within moments of our skin touching, and my heart raced faster than I thought possible.

"Are you okay, Sephie?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse.

"Nobody has done anything like this for me in a while," I admitted. "Nyx brings me food sometimes, but that's different."

He nodded. "Maybe if this goes well, we could do this again."

I raised an eyebrow. "What defines going well for having dinner with your ex-wife?" I asked.

"You're still my wife, Sephie."

"Right."

"I'd consider you eating a proper meal as a success."

"I do know how to cook," I protested even as I loaded up my plate with the salad he made.

"I know you do, but I also know that you sometimes struggle to. It's no different from me leaving my accounts to the last minute if you don't do them for me."

I sighed. "I don't even know why I find it so hard."

"Some things are harder for some than others. If you really want to know why, then I suspect it's because Demeter never let you have any independence as a child."

I snorted. "Going straight for a shot at my mother, I see."

He grinned. "She'd already have insulted me ten times if you were having dinner with her."

"Maybe five. It's not been that long."

Hades laughed. "She's getting lax in her old age."

"Don't let you hear her call you old, she hates that."

"Believe it or not, I don't go out of my way to talk to your mother when I don't have to. I'm well aware that Demeter hates me."

I grimaced. "I'm sorry about that." I cut into my pepper, releasing a wave of steam along with the spiced rice, chickpeas, and mince within.

"I never minded," he promised me. "Your mother is your mother, there's nothing you can do to change that. I didn't have much to do with her before we got together."

"I know. But it might have helped if you didn't have the ire of a reasonably powerful goddess to contend with."

He chuckled. "It doesn't seem to have done me much harm. As far as I'm concerned, the best thing to ever come from Demeter is sitting next to me."

I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to ignore how much his words affected me. "Until I ended things," I muttered.

"Even now," he said softly. "My feelings for you haven't changed, Sephie. I think it would take me a very long time to stop loving you."

Same . I couldn't bring myself to say the word out loud, even if I wanted to. I certainly wished he knew how much I still loved him, and how much I missed having him in my life.

I looked down at the pepper on my plate and focused on eating so I didn't have to deal with the complicated emotions bubbling up within me.

"This is delicious," I said instead of going down a more emotional route.

"Thank you," he responded. "It's a new recipe. I saw it a couple of months ago and saved it in case..." he trailed off.

"In case you needed to make me dinner," I finished for him.

"I wouldn't say that I needed to make you dinner. In case I ended up in a situation where I could make you dinner again. I like cooking for you, Sephie."

"I like it too," I admitted. "I've missed your cooking. And insisting that we sit down and watch something on TV instead of letting myself work until I'm at the point of exhaustion."

"It must be bad if you're actually admitting it," he said. "You have to look after yourself. There's only one of you in the world, don't deprive us of you."

"Shouldn't you want to get rid of me so you never have to see me again?"

"Definitely not," he said quickly. "Even if we're not together, I want you to be able to live your best life, Persephone."

"Why does this feel like goodbye?" I whispered, setting down my fork.

"It doesn't have to be. We've known each other a long time, we've grown in that time, and things have changed between us. This is just one of those times where we're doing that."

"Do you truly believe that?" I asked.

"What else can I believe?" Hades responded. "I've known more of life with you than without you, I can't imagine you not being in it at all."

"Even if it's just as friends?"

"I'm not saying it would be easy, Sephie, but I'd like to think we can do that if we want to?"

I nodded and looked down at my plate. I wasn't entirely sure friends was what I wanted. But admitting I wanted to return to the way things were meant admitting I was wrong, and I wasn't sure whether I was capable of that.

"Maybe," I said instead of agreeing to something I didn't really want.

"One meal at a time, right?" Hades suggested.

"One meal at a time," I echoed. Because what else was I supposed to say?