Page 147 of Begin Again, Part 1

"Did I ace it?"

"With flying colours," she assured him as their eyes collided, even though hers were still safely hidden behind her shades.

"Good, because you passed the playdate interview." Isaac laughed, a deep-chested, hearty sound that made the world a much happier place.

"What do you mean a playdate?" Eden was suddenly curious when she realised she wasn't the only one with ulterior motives.

"My parents insist Zoe needs to be socialised. You have a son, and I'm good at plumbing." Isaac flashed his thousand-watt smile, dazzling her with his dimples. "So it's a win-win."

Eden was all for win-wins. She eased back in her seat, enjoying the company and the warm sun on her face, feeling like a winner for the first time in a while.

Chapter

Forty-Seven

RARE MOMENT OF HONESTY

Liam was already in Linda's office, pacing the room, when Eden stumbled in, huffing and puffing from taking the stairs because the public elevators were out, and she didn't think she was allowed to use the service elevator on her own.

"You're late," he snapped as soon as he saw her, grunting under his breath as he crashed on the couch. Eden checked her watch, frowning when she saw it was 12:02 PM. His level of irritation wasn't warranted, considering she was only two minutes late. But late was late. She had to accept her mistake with grace and humility.

She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry the elevators are out, and I had to take the stairs."

"If you'd left your date earlier, you would have been on time." The frown on Liam's forehead deepened the longer he glared at the flowers in her hands.

"I'll do better next time, Mr Anderson," Eden said, lingering just inside the door. There wasn't any other free seat other than the couch, and she didn't think Liam would want her near him. Not when he was pissed off with her for whatever reason.

Watching the exchange silently the whole time from the comfort of her armchair, Linda cleared her throat. "Are you joining us?"

"Yes, of course." Eden reluctantly closed the door and crossed the room. She took the far end of the couch, leaving enough room between her and Liam.

"Can you take off your sunglasses?" Linda said as she opened her notebook and flipped to a clean page.

Eden didn't want to, but the look on the therapist's face told her it wasn't a request. So she dutifully slipped them off, ignoring her audible gasp.

"You should see the other guy," she joked to ease the sudden tension in the room. But it was funny the first time with Isaac. Not so much now. Linda chuckled anyway. Soon, tense silence engulfed them again. Eden played with her hands on her lap, Liam stared straight ahead, and Linda watched them closely. Her keen eyes took in every little thing—the long sighs, the exasperated frowns and the unspoken words.

The last time Eden was here, she broke first and asked them to put her out of her misery because the suspense was too much for her. Not today. She was determined to outsit them both with her impassive boredom. The silence stretched on, the clock on the wall ticking louder with each passing second.

"Do you want to talk about the other guy?" Linda asked, startling Eden out of her head; she was beginning to nod off to sleep.

"What other guy?"

Linda pointed at the mark on her face. "The one who did that to you."

Eden shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. Didn't even want to think about it, so she wrung her hands on her lap and smiled. "There's nothing to talk about."

Linda wrote in her notebook and nodded. "How do you feel?"

"About?"

"This moment. How do you feel right now?"

Eden bit her lower lip, wondering why Linda was asking her all these questions. It wasn't her therapy.

"I think the focus should be on Mr Anderson. It's his session."

She felt Liam's sidelong glance, but she refused to look at him, choosing instead to focus all her attention on her pale fingers, where she was cutting off circulation from wringing her hands so hard.

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