The scene before them showed Merrill Prescott with Miss Eulalie's dog, Merrill's grandmother, and the preacher. Behind them stood Miss Eulalie's ancient butler, elderly maid and almost-blind cook. Not one of them a blood relative, but they were the only people to attend Miss Eulalie's funeral-standing in the pouring rain, heads bowed, clothes drenched despite huge umbrellas. Cupid wanted to cry. Miss "E" had been one of his favorite mortals. She'd been tough and strong and filled with spirit. He would miss her.

Poor Jason wasn't going to make the funeral, and Cupid felt a little sad they'd delayed him. Jason had been deeply attached to Miss Eulalie. And if Venus wanted Merrill for him, Jason was going to have to come up with an excuse for missing the funeral before their relationship ever had a chance to get off the ground. According to his Oracle, Jason and Merrill weren't fated to be together. Unless…

Venus frowned briefly. "Will you look at that?" Her voice grew angry. "Miss Eulalie's relatives have been waiting for her to croak for twenty years, and not one of them had the decency to show their faces at her funeral. I'll wager my last dinar they'll be at the reading of the will." She snapped her fingers. "I don't understand why Miss Eulalie left them anything at all. She was just too good for the likes of them."

"But that doesn't solve the problem of Jason and Merrill." He glanced back at the computer screen. He didn't really have anybody for either of them. How had that happened?