Page 32 of Scoring Eden

“No,” I lie. “I’m fine. Totally fine. I have no job. No way to afford rent. A son I need to feed. And an asshole ex-husband trying to take him away from me. Why would I be panicking?”

“With respect, you’re about to have more money than you’ve ever had in your life.”

“Am I?” My stomach roils. “Alex hasn’t mentioned the money since our first conversation. What if he only said that to make me agree? Knowing that a woman in my position couldn’t possibly say no.” Fuck, I think I’m hyperventilating. “Aspen, you need to take me back to the dental office right now. Maybe I can—”

“Eden?”

“Mm?”

“Take a breath and shut up.”

She swings the car into a parking spot on the side of the road without signaling, throwing her middle finger up at the pissed-off truck driver behind us, who slams on his horn. Then she takes out her phone, types something into it, and waits for it to ding without speaking.

“There,” she says once it’s done, pulling back out into oncoming traffic. Remind me to never get in a car with my sister again. “It’ll be in your account by noon.”

“Sorry?”

“The cash. Alex has wired it over. Might take a couple hours, but you’ll have it by tonight at the latest.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Jesus Christ, Aspen, you have got to stop asking that man for money.”

“Technically, I’ve never asked him for money. He’s already promised it to you, and he offered the first time.” She rolls her eyes. “And say what you like about me, but at least I get shit done.”

“I never doubted that about you. It’s your methods I take issue with.”

“Dude, you’ve got to stop worrying so much.” She takes a hand off the wheel to punch me on the arm. “You’ve done the scary thing, and sure, you might not know what comes next, but you’ve just gotta roll with it. That’s the beauty of living in July.”

“Fear?”

“No, idiot.” She slaps the steering wheel. “Freedom.”

“I thought freedom would feel more…freeing.”

She groans. “God, you’re such hard work. Look, try this, put your head back and close your eyes.”

I shoot her a quick side-eye but do as she says.

“Good, now take a deep breath, and think about the fact that you don’t have to rush from Macon’s school to work tomorrow. You can go for a walk, get a coffee at that little place you like on the corner, or come visit me at work in the bakery. You can do whatever you want, and you never have to see Dr. Asshat or his naked butt ever again.”

I can’t deny that she’s making some good points.

“Do you feel it yet? The weight lifting?”

Beneath the panic and the persistent tug of regret trying to make me go back and undo what I’ve just done, I can admit there’s a flicker of something. A tiny spark of light. A sense of relief.

One million dollars.

With that kind of money, I could find a nice place for Macon and me to live in a safe neighborhood with two bedrooms. Maybe even a third for when Aspen stays over. She’d like her own space instead of having to curl up with me on the futon.

I could think about what I want to do with my life beyond raising my son. I could go back to school, study interior design. I could buy more furniture to upcycle and start a little business on Etsy while I build a name for myself.

I could learn to live again.

Sensing where my thoughts have gone, Aspen giggles. “Welcome to July, big sis.”

TEXT THREAD BETWEEN ALEX AND EDEN

Alex: Hey, can you come over this afternoon?