Page 56 of Fractured Dreams

Again.

Chapter 32

Eden smiled, watching the happy parents cuddling their little boy after a successful therapy session. For the first time he’d pointed at the selection of instruments she’d set out and, with a few stops and starts, asked to play the hand drums.

“We’re so grateful, Eden. This is the most vocal he’s been,” Jamie's mom said.

“He’s doing great, Joan.” She reached out and squeezed the little boy’s hand. “You did great, Jamie. I can’t wait for our next session.”

Jamie smiled shyly at her then waved goodbye over his dad’s shoulder as they walked away. Eden waved back, her own smile fading after they’d turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

Letting out her breath, she turned and walked back into the therapy room, locking the external door behind her, since the Smiths were the last clients of the day.

She started tidying up the instruments that had been left out, just as the internal door opened, and Evelyn, her supervisor, came in. “Eden,” she said, a broad smile on her face, “I saw the Smith’s leaving, they looked very happy.”

Eden smiled back at her. Jamie's doing wonderfully. He’s made some great progress in the last few weeks.”

“Well, you can thank yourself for that, Eden. You’ve done a great job in the six weeks you’ve been here, we’re very impressed with how you’re doing.”

“Thank you so much, Evelyn. I’m loving working with all the kids.”

“Well, you’re well on your way to completing your internship, and I don’t think you’ll have any problem with your certification exam.” She paused for a second. “I know when we spoke a while ago you were considering returning to LA after you finish your six months, but you really fit in here. I hope you’ll consider staying.”

Eden felt the familiar sting of tears, but she was well practiced now at holding them back. “Actually, I think there’s a good chance of that.”

“Really? Well, that’s wonderful!” She smiled warmly at Eden. “You’ve got some leave to go back for a wedding soon though, is that right?”

“Yes, in two weeks’ time.” Eden tried to keep her voice as cheerful as possible.

“That sounds like fun.”

“Should be!” She practiced some more fake enthusiasm.

“I love weddings. So romantic!”

Eden nodded woodenly. She wanted to be there to see Lexie and Connor get married, but the last thing she wanted was to see Tex.

Liar,said a little voice in her head.

She hated that she couldn’t lie to herself. How could you hate someone yet be so desperate for just one more glimpse of them at the same time?

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Keep up the excellent work and make sure to reach out if you have any questions.” Evelyn smiled as she gave Eden’s shoulder a pat before turning and leaving.

Eden finished tidying up, grabbed her bag, turned out the lights and locked the door behind her. She played some upbeat music in the car to distract herself during the drive back to her house, then once she was home, she made dinner before stripping out of her clothes in her bedroom and climbing into the shower. Which was when she finally let the tears she’d been holding in fall; it was the only time she let herself cry anymore.

Portland was a beautiful place to live. She loved her job and got along well with her coworkers. But she missed Noah, she missed Tabby and her other friends from college, and even her parents. And God help her, she missed Tex. Missed his hands on her, the heat in his eyes when he’d looked at her, the sinful smile he’d give her when no one was looking. But most of all, she missed the sense of belonging she’d had when she was in his arms.

Except, it had all been a lie—a self-delusion. Because instead of them sharing something special, it had all been one-sided. He hadn’t been feeling the same things she had, he’d merely been trying her out before deciding she wasn’t worth the trouble.

When Eden’s tears finally subsided, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. She was halfway through drying her hair when her cell phone rang. Leaving the bathroom, she picked it up from her bedside table, seeing Noah’s name flashing on the screen.

Eden debated letting it go through to voicemail, something she’d been doing far too often lately, but overcome with guilt, quickly answered it.

“Hey, Noah!” She infused as much enthusiasm as she could into her voice.

“Hey, stranger. I wasn’t sure you were going to answer. Work must be keeping you busy.”

“Mm-hmm,” she agreed vaguely, feeling bad that she’d been avoiding talking to him. As much as she missed him, talking to Noah was too much of a reminder of everything that had happened in LA. Plus, she was worried he’d figure out something was wrong and somehow wrangle it out of her. The last thing she wanted was for Noah to find out what had happened between her and Tex. She didn’t want to be responsible for the fallout Tex had been so concerned about avoiding once he’d figured out she wasn’t worth his time.

---