Page 44 of Begin Again, Part 1

Eden didn't have the heart to tell her she wasn't a fan of the angled lob, especially when her friend had spent so much money to cheer her up.

"I love it!" she lied, already planning her cry-fest on her bathroom floor when she got home.

"It's beautiful," she added for no reason other than to convince herself that short hair wasn't a bad thing. There were tons of hairstyles she could still pull off with her freshly cropped locks.

"I'm glad you love it!" Franco beamed and dashed off to sprinkle more of his magic on unsuspecting victims.

They spent a few minutes outside the hair salon, making plans for the weekend, parting ways soon after Cassandra's assistant called with some bad news. Something about a burst pipe.

"I'm not cut out for this business crap!" Cassandra grumbled as she threw on her helmet and jumped on her bike.

"Thanks again for doing this!" Eden called after her as she sped off.

She turned to her car, wishing her new look was all a dream, and Franco hadn't gone crazy with the scissors.

"At least it's soft," she consoled herself as she touched her hair and unlocked her door. It smelled amazing too.

She was about to slip inside when her phone rang. It was a private number. She answered anyway despite common sense telling her not to because whoever was calling wanted to sell her insurance she couldn't afford.

"Hi Eden, it's Gibby. Do you have time for a quick chat?"

Yeah, she had plenty of time now that she was unemployed again. But she'd rather avoid any quick chats with Gibby. She'd tossed and turned for a large part of the night, her mind racing over her encounter with Liam, and when she eventually managed to close her eyes sometime after 3:00 AM, he'd haunted her dreams. Chatting with anyone close to him, especially so soon after their Battle Royale, was bound to give her major anxiety.

"Are you still there?" Gibby sounded unsure and a little desperate. Very different from the woman who'd worn a permanent scowl throughout Eden's interview.

"If you're calling about the contract, don't worry. I've torn it up," Eden said, playing with her handbag strap on her shoulder.

"I was hoping you didn't. Mr Anderson needs you at work ASAP."

Eden hit her forehead with her palm, gobsmacked by the announcement. There was no way she'd return to Anderson Logistics. Not after Liam had put her through the wringer and bashed her heart to pieces.

Gibby misunderstood her silence for weakness and saw the perfect opportunity to attack. "He needs you—"

"No, thanks. I can do without the humiliation," Eden cut her off, seething at Liam's arrogance. He may be hot as fuck, and his dick may have done things to her she didn't think any other could. But she was not a masochist. She didn't get off on pain.

"He regrets it, you know." Gibby pushed on, chipping away at her walls. "He wants to work things out."

"There's nothing to work out. I'll pass on the job. Thank you, though." Eden hung up and jumped in her car. Fuming over the call, she pushed her seat belt in place with unnecessary force. She was tempted to head home and take a nap with Aiden, but she still had tons to do.

Her first stop was the grocery store. Her cupboards were bone dry. She spent a long time in the organic food aisle, gazing longingly at all the healthy food.

"One day," she said at a carton of organic milk. The last time she had some or anything organic was when she still lived under her parents' roof. She moved along, stuffing her trolley with the few groceries her weekly budget could afford.

The checkout queues were quite long. Eden would have tried the self-checkout tills if she wasn't so nervous about messing up. She wasn't the only one afraid of them, it seemed. They all stood idle, waiting for some brave soul to give them a try.

When she finally made it to the front, an argument broke out over the price of diapers. The tag on the shelf said they were on sale, but the cashier explained that the promotion ended last night. Eden kicked up a fuss, insisting it wasn't her fault they hadn't updated their shelves. Eventually, Karen had to call her manager to take care of the problem.

Eden was still furious when she left the store with three grocery bags and free diapers.

Her mood improved at the Bathroom Place. She spent ten minutes floating in imaginary bubbles inside her clawfoot tub. She would have stayed longer if the sales rep hadn't decided to spoil her fun when he politely informed her that unless she planned to buy the tub, she couldn't test drive it. Not convinced by his argument, Eden jumped out of her imaginary bubble bath. She grabbed a nautical shower curtain and matching guest towels on her way out.

Her last stop was the hardware store, where she struggled to choose paint for her interior walls. Five minutes in, she felt overwhelmed. There were so many types of paint, she suddenly had a newfound appreciation for Lydia's Hot Connexions plan. She wouldn't be going through all this anxiety if she had a handyman. She left the place without buying anything and grabbed a bunch of business cards for various home improvement services. She would try Lydia's plan first, and go the professional route if it failed.

Eden's phone rang again as she drove home. This time Gibby wouldn't take no for an answer. If Eden couldn't come to her, she'd make the trip to her place.

That was a terrible idea for many reasons. Now that Gibby knew about her past with Liam, she'd look at Aiden and quickly add things up. Eden couldn't have that. After their showdown and knowing how Liam felt about her, there was no way she'd tell him about Aiden now. Her son would remain her little secret forever.

"I'll be there in an hour!" she said, despising Liam a little.

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