Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

19. Rob

19

ROB

" O h, look." Margo's eyes lit up. "That's Gertrude."

Rob followed her line of sight and felt his breath catch in his throat.

The woman approaching their table was strikingly beautiful, with long dark hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders and piercing green eyes. Even among all these perfect immortals, something about her stood out.

It was like an aura.

Was she a goddess?

No, there was only one goddess in the clan, and she was a tiny redhead who looked like an angel.

Rob straightened in his chair, suddenly very aware of his appearance. Had he made sure to wear a clean shirt this morning? He hadn't done laundry since arriving at the village and was recycling the few clothing items he had bought at Walmart on the way.

He really should have gotten better clothes by now. What would this perfect beauty think of a human guy dressed in a Walmart T-shirt and jeans?

"Gertrude!" Margo waved the woman over. "Come join us!"

As the woman reached their table, Rob stood, feeling awkward but determined to make a good impression.

Margo rose to her feet as well and made the introductions. "Rob, this is Gertrude. She's one of the nurses here in the village. Gertrude, this is my brother Rob."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rob said, extending his hand.

"Likewise." Gertrude's grip was firm and warm, and her smile was genuine. "Welcome to the village, Rob. I hope you will be happy here."

"I'm sure I will be." He pulled out a chair for her. "I don't think I've seen you around before. I would have remembered you."

It sounded like a cheesy line even to his own ears, but it was the truth. A face like hers wasn't easy to forget.

Gertrude smiled. "I've been at the keep, taking care of Ell-rom and Morelle. I just got back to the village after the experiment was completed." She turned to Margo. "Did you tell Rob about it?"

Margo nodded. "I did."

"There's no reason for the doctors or me to stay there until we are needed again when it's time to put the trackers in other hosts."

"Do you know what they are going to do with the trafficker after he's no longer needed?" Rob asked.

Gertrude's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure, to be honest. That's not really my area. I'm just there to perform nursing duties."

As she spoke, Rob found himself drawn in by her animated expressions. She was lovely, with a hint of shyness that he found endearing.

She was the opposite of Lynda, he realized with a start.

Where Lynda had all golden hair, sharp angles, and almost boastful confidence, Gertrude had dark hair, soft curves, and an inner strength tinged with a touch of awkwardness.

It was a refreshing change.

"So, Rob, what do you think of the village so far? It must be overwhelming."

Rob chuckled. "It is, but it's also refreshing and wonderful."

He proceeded to tell the lovely nurse about Arwel volunteering to be his inducer and how he'd been training to prepare for the induction fight. "I don't want to embarrass myself or Margo," he admitted with a self-deprecating smile.

Gertrude nodded. "That's great that you're taking it so seriously. I try to visit the gym at least four times a week. When are you usually there?"

"I was planning to go tonight, actually. Around seven."

"Oh!" Gertrude smiled. "I might see you there. I want to do some weightlifting this evening. I could use a spotter."

She didn't look like someone who pumped iron, but Rob had learned that looks were more deceptive in the village than in the human world. The other problem was that the soft-looking nurse was probably stronger than he was, and he wouldn't be able to spot for her.

There was no way he was admitting that, though. He would just have to find a way to get out of spotting for her.

"I usually train with the punching bag," he said. "Would you like to join me there?"

"Sure." She gave him a bright smile. "I've never trained with those before, so you will have to show me how to do it."

Rob felt a flutter in his stomach. Was she flirting with him? It had been so long since he'd been in this situation he wasn't sure he could trust his instincts. But there was something in the way she held his gaze, the slight tilt of her head, that made him think maybe she was interested.

"I'd be delighted."

Gertrude grinned. "Thank you. I've always wanted to try boxing." She pretended to punch the air in quick succession. "I don't work in human facilities, but Merlin does, and he tells me that sometimes they bring in patients who are high on drugs and attack the staff. If I ever decide to work with humans, I should probably work on my fighting skills."

"I've heard stories from the ER," Rob said. "The sister of one of the guys I work with is a PA in an ER, and she told him that it's like a war zone in there."

"Oh, my." Gertrude pretended to be scared, but the slight twitching of her lips betrayed that she wasn't. "Perhaps I should stay away from human hospitals. It's not like my duties here leave me with a lot of free time." She seemed thoughtful. "On a completely different subject, have you ever done Pilates?"

"No, but maybe Margo has. Why?"

"We are getting a Pilates Reformer tomorrow, and I'm supposed to learn how to train people on it. I can watch instructional videos, but I need someone to practice on who will not break the device. As long as you are still human…"

The implication was obvious. Rob was weak, and she wasn't afraid of him breaking her new toy. But if it meant having her hands on him, he didn't mind.

"I'll gladly let you train on me."

She grinned. "Awesome. Thank you for helping me."

He returned her grin. "Any time."

As they chatted for a few more minutes, Rob was becoming increasingly aware of how easy it was to talk to Gertrude. She was knowledgeable and passionate about her work, and he found himself genuinely interested in her stories about the medical herb garden she cultivated in her backyard, and her work with the other village physician who used her herbs to create elixirs and potions for various ailments, and most importantly helping immortals conceive, which was a major problem given their low fertility rate.

Margo found the subject exceedingly fascinating and asked a lot of questions, making Rob suspect that she wanted a child with Negal sooner rather than later.

"The potions taste really bad." Gertrude's lips twisted in distaste. "We haven’t had much success yet, and I'm wondering if it's because the couples are not using them consistently because of that. I tried to convince Merlin to mix in some agave nectar to improve compliance, but he thinks it will be detrimental to the potions' potency."

Margo continued asking questions about who got pregnant using the potions and who was still working on it, but Gertrude wasn't forthcoming with information.

Rob waited for a lull in the conversation to ask, "Can I get you a cappuccino?"

"Oh, no. I have to go." Gertrude rose to her feet. "I was just passing by on my way to the clinic."

"Will I see you at the gym later?" he asked.

She gave him a bright smile. "Definitely. I'm looking forward to it."

As she walked away, Rob turned back to Margo, only to find his sister watching him with a knowing grin. "What?" he asked.

Margo laughed. "Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the show."

Rob felt his cheeks warm. "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled, but he couldn't quite keep the smile off his face.

Margo's expression softened. "You know, there's something I should probably tell you about Gertrude."

Rob's stomach dropped. "Is she seeing someone?"

"Not that I know of." Margo took a deep breath. "She and Negal used to have a thing."

Rob blinked. "When?"

"During the cruise before he saved me. It wasn't serious, from what I understand, but it ended when Gertrude realized that Negal was losing interest in her, and it was because of me."

"Wow. That must be awkward."

"It is, but it gets worse," Margo admitted, looking a bit sheepish. "I was kind of jealous of Gertrude when I first arrived on the ship and heard Negal promise to see her later. I wanted him for myself. I still feel bad about it. Gertrude is a really great woman, and she didn't deserve to be treated like that by Negal. But you know, when the Fates decide to match you with someone, they don't care whose toes they need to step on to get their way."

"Yeah, tell me about it. It would seem that the Fates thought Lynda would be better off with her ex."

"You've got it all wrong." Margo smiled and leaned closer to him. "The Fates thought that you would be better off with someone else and used Lynda's ex to get you to see that."

"I like your version better." He looked into his sister's eyes. "Would it bother you or Negal if I asked Gertrude out?"

Margo's face broke into a wide grin. "Are you kidding? I think it would be fantastic. Gertrude is wonderful, and you deserve someone who can make you smile like that. In fact, I think you two would be great together. And it would make me feel a lot better about the whole situation with Negal."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We've only just met."

"True," Margo conceded. "But I saw the way you were looking at each other. There's definitely a spark."

Rob felt a flutter of excitement in his chest.

He'd enjoyed spending time with Lusha, but this was the first time since his life had imploded that he saw a potential connection.

"So," Margo said, a mischievous glint in her eye, "what are you going to wear to the gym tonight?"

Rob groaned. "Come on, Margo. It's just a workout, and everything I have with me is from Walmart. Nothing I have will impress even a down-to-earth girl like Gertrude."

Well, calling her a girl was probably wrong. "How old is she? Do you know?"

"No clue. Does it matter?"

He shrugged. "Not really. If Toven, a seven-thousand-year-old god, can be happy with Mia, a twenty-seven-year-old woman, then age is truly irrelevant."