Begin Again novel Chapter 69

Eden had just gotten home and kicked off her shoes when her bell rang.

She leaned on the door and groaned, annoyed with whoever was on the other side. She wasn't in the mood for company; the last thing she wanted was uninvited guests.

What she did need though was a long bubble bath in her clawfoot tub, some peace and a good bottle of wine to drown her sorrows.

Exactly what the doctor would order for the end of another week of terrible decisions and heartache.

She wasn't destined to get either.

The bell rang again, shattering any illusions of a peaceful evening she may have had.

"Gosh!" She groaned as she straightened her back and turned to confront the intrusion.

Ice cold fury seeped through her veins when she flung the flimsy door wide open and found her parents on her front porch with worried frowns on their faces and numerous gift bags in their hands.

Of course, Eden thought as she leaned on the doorjamb and appraised them cooly. She should have known her mom would pull such a balls-up move after she stopped taking her calls. Erica never knew when to give up, and defeat didn't exist in her world.

"Hi honey," Steve threw a wan smile in her direction, but Eden hurled it back at him with a frosty stare.

He looked so much older than he did at Grammy's funeral. His stomach had grown larger too; the buttons of his pale striped shirt, he'd paired with a dark pair of dress pants, were almost popping out. Fine droplets of sweat dotted the balding patch on the top of his head, and an angry flush crept up his neck to his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

He looked nothing like the man from Eden's childhood memories, the studious, smart professor with a head full of hair and smiling brown eyes behind rimless glasses.

The past several months hadn't been kind to him, and Eden almost felt sorry for him. But then she remembered his ultimatum two years ago, and a dark slab of ice settled in her chest, freezing any shreds of sentimental pity her weakling heart was starting to feel.

"Dad, Mom, what can I do for you?" Eden asked, her voice as flat as the deadpan look in her eyes.

"Can we come in?" Erica ignored her question as she craned her long, graceful neck and gawked past her shoulder, her hawk-like gaze scanning beyond the entryway.

"He's not here," Eden quickly put her out of her misery, dashing all her hopes. "Brenda's taken him for a walk around the block. They won't be back for a while."

"We'll wait," Erica said, waving the gift bags in front of her like a peace flag.

She didn't look any better.

She, too, had aged drastically since Eden saw her last.

She was thinner and greyer somehow, and all her scowling and frowning and generally being miserable had finally caught up with her. No amount of concealer could hide the numerous hard lines on her forehead and the tiny crow's feet sprouting from the corners of her eyes. Not even the best of the best that Erica used.

She really should have smiled more when she had a chance. It would have been a much better reason for the harsh lines around her mouth.

"I thought I made myself very clear—" Eden stretched herself to her full height, and gritted her teeth, hoping she looked somewhat imposing with her fists bunched up at her sides.

She didn't.

Her father, shuffled closer, disarming her with his sheepish smile. "Honey, we know we should have called, but we were in the neighbourhood!"

Eden boiled with anger at the blatant lie; her parents would never set foot in the Arts District if they had a choice.

They never visited her at the old apartment she’d shared with her friends. Not even once. She'd invited them plenty of times, but they always found some excuse to bail on her. Work commitments. Last-minute lectures. Dinner with the university chancellor.

Too many reasons and none of them true.

Eventually, Eden stopped asking, and she pretended to be okay with making the weekly trips to the penthouse. She had no choice but to be okay with it; she was financially dependent on them after all.

Not anymore.

She no longer had any reason to entertain them.

And there was absolutely no reason why they were still crowded on her front porch like a bunch of missionaries.

"Let's have dinner together, honey? It's been a while!" Steve said in a voice sweeter than honey, his eyes soft and earnest.

Eden couldn't help but laugh; she'd never seen him try so hard. She wished he'd put in the same amount of effort before their relationship went to shit.

"I've had a long day," she replied. "I'm not hungry."

"Please, we won't be long. Your mom and I have something to tell you."

"What?" Eden asked, her suspicious gaze shifting between her parents.

"Can we discuss it somewhere else? Inside, perhaps?" Erica stepped forward, and without waiting for an invitation bulldozed her way inside, her father right behind her.

Eden glared after them, her face stiff with annoyance as she slammed the door behind her with unnecessary force, fuming. Like vultures, they swooped in on her the moment they sensed weakness. She should have tried harder to keep them out.

"Please, make yourselves at home!" She waved at the solitary couch facing the TV in her sparsely furnished living room. "I'll go change into something more comfortable and get dinner started."

"No need. We've booked a table at that Italian place you love so much!" Steve said as he took a seat.

"Loved!" Eden said irritably, turning to her bedroom.

"What?" Steve called after her.

"Loved. The Italian place. I don't anymore. Haven't since I was sixteen." Eden yelled over her shoulder. You'd know this if you were in my life, she thought as she stripped off her work clothes and changed into a long floral summer dress.

She returned to the living room just as Brenda and Aiden came back from their walk.