Page 61 of Begin Again, Part 1

He dumped the empty cup on his desk and stared at it with longing. Eden made damn good coffee. Better than Gibby. He'd give her that much.

"Well, isn't that what your therapist wants you to figure out?" Julian leaned on the window, the sole of his shoe touching the glass. "But now you've gone and fucked it up. Nice going, genius!"

"Don't remind me." Liam made a face at him and looked through his schedule. Three meetings and a lunch date with his parents. He wished he didn't have to sit through any of it.

Julian moved away from the window and headed for the door. "It's a good thing you reassigned her to Matthew's area; otherwise, there's no telling how far you would have pushed her."

Liam couldn't help but sigh wistfully as he glanced at the desk he'd strategically placed in front of his office so he could keep an eye on Eden. But now, she was on the other side of the floor, out of sight and out of his reach. So much for keeping her close to him.

Chapter

Twenty-One

NOT A FUNERAL HOME

As they walked down the hall to Matthew's area, Eden could feel the other assistants' pitiful stares. They'd obviously heard Liam's loud meltdown. She wouldn't be surprised if she was already the subject of group chats and chain emails. Or the inspiration behind a meme or two floating around.

She'd seen such situations play out at Van Holt Industries when senior executives would go apeshit on junior staff members over the smallest, sometimes ridiculous mishaps, and the whole company would rehash the incident for days.

Her blunder was far from a ridiculous mishap, though. The idea that she almost killed Liam chilled her to the bone every time her mind wandered back to that terrifying moment in his office. Maybe working so closely with him wasn't such a good idea. It was becoming clear that the longer she stayed, they'd kill each other. Maybe not physically. But by the time one of them gave in, there'd be nothing left of their hearts. Maybe she should leave before all he ever felt for her was hate.

"This is your office, and I'm right across you." Matthew pushed her inside a tiny room that reminded her of a cleaning supplies closet. He closed the door behind him, slicing through her jumbled thoughts with his smile and kindness.

She still hadn't fully processed that he and Julian were Aiden's first cousins once removed. They were both good men, exactly the influence her son needed in his life.

"Thank you," Eden said as she placed her box on the desk and took her laptop from him.

Matthew was frank with her as he sat in one of the visitors' chairs on the opposite end of the desk. "I don't need an assistant. Lucy is quite efficient."

Eden nodded, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach, convinced he was firing her. She hoped not. She'd called the Bathroom Place as soon as she signed the new contract to reserve her clawfoot tub. How was she supposed to afford it now if she didn't have a job?

No, Eden mentally shook herself, hope flickering to life in the abyss of her bruised heart. Matthew wouldn't give her an office if he planned to fire her.

With common sense back in place, she tried to focus on everything he said, an impossible feat when she'd missed half of his well-meaning speech.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked, and Eden smiled and assured him she was happy with the plan, even though she had no idea what she'd agreed to. She was too afraid to get clarity in case he, too, believed she was hard of hearing.

Her cheeks flared up again at the memory of Liam's hurtful words. How could she have created a life with a man so heartless and impatient? Since her son seemed to take after him in every aspect, would he turn out to be just as ruthless? Was that also in the genes? In his DNA?

"Great, I'll let Gibby and Clara know you'll be joining them shortly then." Matthew gave her a thumbs-up and retreated from the room. It was clear to anyone with eyes that he was uncomfortable with this arrangement and wanted to get away from her as soon as possible. She didn't blame him. She'd be just as uncomfortable if she was suddenly saddled with an inexperienced assistant who had no business playing in the major league.

"Eden?" Matthew said from the door.

She whipped up her head and stared at him, blinking back the tears threatening to spill over. "Yeah?"

"Liam—Give him time. He's not a terrible guy. He has a temper, but he's not all that bad. Today, he was terrified, that's all."

Eden swallowed the lump in her throat. "Of course."

"Will you be alright?" Matthew asked, searching her face for signs of an impending breakdown.

"Absolutely," she lied. She wasn't going to be alright. Not today, at least. She was so tired and ached everywhere, even in the depths of her soul. But she dug out one more smile for him, one more nod, one more yes when all she wanted to do was scream her guts out.

Where was her Oscar? Eden wondered because her performance blew Matthew away, his smile growing bigger the longer he nodded, clearly satisfied with his quick assessment of her mental wellbeing.

Since she wasn't presenting any signs of a looming meltdown and an urgent need for a white padded room, they could all carry on with their lives.

"Great stuff." He threw her another thumbs up and eased out of the room.

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