Page 28 of Scoring Eden

The entire apartment could fit into the main living area of my own place twice over, but it’s twice as cozy. White mesh drapes let the natural light spill through, casting it across the pink upholstery of the dining chairs, the lush cream rug beneath the coffee table in the living room, and the multiple decorative knick-knacks lining every shelf—most of which look handmade. It’s what a home should be, if not for the fact that Eden doesn’t have a proper bed and the building itself seems one gust of wind away from crumbling.

Sick of waiting for someone to explain my presence, she stomps her foot and points at her sister. “You. Spill it.”

Aspen steps into my side and slaps me on the shoulder. “Your boyfriend here is taking us shopping. Well, he’s not taking us, because that implies he’s coming with us. But he is paying for it.”

Eden balks. “What?”

“I told him you need some new clothes if you’re gonna make this”—she flicks her finger between us—“believable. And also, I really want a Valentino Garavani purse, and I was hoping Alex would let me get one as compensation for giving you a glow up.”

Okay, so I wasn’t aware of the purse situation.

Eden pinches the bridge of her nose and groans. “A few things. Number one…if Alex wasn’t okay with the way I dress or look, then maybe he should have asked someone else.”

Hold up.

I’ve never had a problem with the way she looks. I think she’s hot as hell. “Wait, no, that’s not—”

“Secondly, Aspen, when exactly did this conversation take place?”

Aspen’s gaze flicks to her shoes. “I may have taken his number out of your phone after you fell asleep last night.”

Hallelujah. The truth is coming out now.

Eden looks to the sky. “Jesus. So, you, what…texted him and asked him for his credit card? Aspen, you can’t go around asking men for money like that.”

Aspen frowns. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Can’t argue with that.

“I haven’t even said I’ll do it yet!”

Aspen rolls her eyes, tapping her bare feet on the lightwood floor. “We both know you’re going to.”

That’s news to me. I am optimistic by nature, yet self-aware enough to acknowledge when a situation isn’t going my way. And given Eden’s less-than-hospitable reception to my presence, I was certain I’d be leaving here with a rejection. The conviction in Aspen’s tone, however, has my antennas piqued.

Eden sighs. “I can’t deal with you.”

“E,” Aspen coaxes, tugging at Eden’s hand. “This was never about changing you. I just figured you could do with a few new shirts that don’t have holes in, or that aren’t covered in stains. I thought that you might feel more confident about doing this thing if you felt good in what you were wearing. I dunno… I just wanted to help you find yourself again, I guess.”

Eden’s eyes soften, her fingers relaxing in her sister’s hand. “Did you need to pillage Alex out of his credit card to do that, though?”

“That wasn’t my intention. It just kind of happened.” Aspen shrugs. “But can you blame me? Every time I’ve asked if we can go shopping, you always used money as an excuse.”

“It wasn’t an exc—”

“It was,” Aspen cuts her off. “But a legitimate one. I just took the necessary steps to make sure you couldn’t use it this time.”

For all her edges and pandemonium, it’s clear that Aspen operates out of love for her sister. She might go about things in a way that no sane human would, but it comes from a good place. That is, unless she has her eye on a very expensive designer purse, then all bets are off.

But it does make it difficult to begrudge her. A problem that Eden, if the small curve to her lips is anything to go by, has herself too. Aspen might be a rascal, but she’s an endearing one.

“So”—she nudges Eden’s shoulder—“you wanna come shopping with me?”

Eden glances over toward me, chewing a plump lip between her teeth. “Are you seriously okay with this?”

“Sure. Though, we really need to discuss a spending cap.” I say it for Aspen’s benefit more than Eden’s.

“We’ll be sensible,” Eden says with a soft smile. “Nothing crazy.”