Page 35 of Begin Again, Part 2

"So, last night," Cassandra brought up the elephant in the room. They had to address it at some point. "You were supposed to check in, but you went radio silent on us. What exactly happened after your dinner?"

Reluctantly, Eden gave them highlights of her eventful evening and spent a few minutes ranting about Liam's kiss with Laura.

"That bitch!" Lydia bristled, shaking her fist. "She's lucky I wasn't there. I would have gone apeshit on her."

"I'm more interested in how the fight ended?" Sienna went for the kill. "Did it end with a romp in Liam's Egyptian cotton sheets?"

Eden didn't have to say anything for them to figure out how her night ended. The reddish tint staining her cheeks spoke volumes. But it didn't stop her friends from trying to get her to spill all the details. She held firm, remaining evasive with her responses.

"Gosh, you won't tell us, will you?" Sienna complained after trying every trick in the book to get her to share all the juicy stuff.

Eden artfully changed the subject by appealing to Lydia's vanity once more. "Liam's not letting this thing go. He's looked at ten other influencers, but his heart is set on you because you don't have too many skeletons in your closet, and you don't court controversy too much."

Like she knew she would, her friend lit up at the compliment. Lydia prided herself on being famous for all the right reasons.

"Go on," she beamed, tapping her ombre nails on the table. "Tell me more."

Eden made a face, but carried on wooing her. "Lyd, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. I mean, we're talking six figures and a gazillion other perks. Can you imagine having a sponsor as huge as Anderson Logistics? Just meet with our marketing team, listen to their pitch and take it from there."

"Okay," Lydia agreed. "But you have to be there, and I only want to deal with you."

"I'm a junior assistant. What do I know about all this stuff?"

"You starred in ninety percent of the videos, so you know everything," Lydia said. "Those are my conditions, or the meeting's off."

"Fine—" Before Eden could say anything else, her phone buzzed on the table. She frowned when she saw the caller ID. She wasn't ready to face Liam, and since she was still mad at him for blindsiding her, he should wait. But he wouldn't. Not even five minutes.

A ripple of excitement rolled through the room when he entered the coffee shop. Eden tried to block her face with the menu as he scanned the place, but he was onto her. He headed straight to their booth and introduced himself to her friends.

"Liam Anderson," he said smoothly. "I believe we met once at Crush two years ago?"

"Oh, yes, that night!" Cassandra and Sienna were so good at pretending not to remember him, Eden made a mental note to give them gold stars for their Oscar-worthy performances.

While they were still recovering from his suaveness, Liam turned his charm on Lydia. "Ms Edwards, good to see you in person after our video call with the team. We'd love to chat with you about a business opportunity."

"Yes, of course. Edie's filled me in already, and my apologies for taking so long to get back to you. We can go ahead and set up the meeting."

"Great, Ms McBride will send you the details." Liam flashed Lydia a warm smile. But when he addressed Eden, mild irritation blazed in his eyes. "I believe I told you to come back within an hour. You've wasted ten minutes of my time. Let's go!"

"My apologies, Mr Anderson," she said as she picked up her phone and excused herself, promising to catch up with the girls later.

Liam pulled her back before she'd made it across the room, taking her hand in his.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a low voice.

"Holding your hand," he drawled as he led her out of the coffee shop, refusing to let go of her even when she tried to shake him off.

"People are watching. Your subordinates are staring," she said crossly.

"So?" Liam asked. "Let them."

He pushed her inside the elevator and closed the doors before his security detail could jump in, drawing her close to him as soon as the doors slid shut.

"Just so you know, I'm still angry at you for blindsiding me," she mumbled on his chest.

"I know," he said in her hair. "Now be quiet, and let me hold you."

Eden did as he asked and listened to his heartbeat, comforted by the steady rise and fall of his chest.

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