Chapter 14
EDEN
A loud knockat my door jolts apart.
I hop up and spend a couple of seconds looking between Danny and the door, annoyed that our almost-kiss has been interrupted.
“I’d, um, better…get that,” I say.
He mumbles what sounds like “yes.” When I peer through my peephole, I freeze. It’s Cruz. Crap.
“Crap, crap, crap!” I whisper.
“Eden? You there?” Cruz hollers from the other side of the door. I hop back, like the door is on fire.
“One sec!” I holler. I twist around and see the look of shock on Danny’s face.
“He can’t see me here…with you…like this.” He gestures to his chest before crouching on the floor to grab his shirt.
A flash of pain hits me. This shouldn’t hurt. Danny said exactly what I’m thinking in this moment—there’s no way on god’s green earth that I want my big brother to see me standing in my apartment with his shirtless friend.
He doesn’t know we’re working together, and even if we were to explain the situation, it’s still awkward as hell. I mean, I’m taking shirtless photos of my older brother’s best friend. If Cruz saw this, he’d be pissed. He’s been protective of me my whole life and I know he’ll assume the worst if he walks in on this.
“Hide!” I whisper to Danny.
“Where?”
I point to the hallway closet. Danny darts over, and I follow, shutting the door before letting Cruz in.
“Hey! What’s with the surprise visit?” My voice is only slightly pitchy when I speak.
Judging by the way Cruz pulls me into a hug, he doesn’t suspect a thing. I can feel my blood pressure dropping, I’m so relieved.
“Just wanted to check up on you.” I gesture for him to take a seat on the couch. When I catch him peering around the cluttered space, I have to bite back a groan.
“I know this place isn’t as nice as yours.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you were thinking it.”
He rolls his eyes before his gaze lands on the two bottles of water on the coffee table. Crap.
“Oh, sorry, is Kayla here?”
“No, she just left for work,” I say quickly before putting the cap back on Danny’s water bottle. “She always does this. Bad habit.”
Cruz nods and stays quiet for a bit, which makes my nerves go haywire because the quieter it is, the more likely he’ll be able to hear Danny in the closet, even if he makes the slightest move.
“So why are you here?” I blurt.
Cruz frowns slightly, probably because my tone is so suddenly loud, before he reins in his expression. He pulls out an envelope from his jacket pocket and hands it to me.
“What’s this?”
“To help you out.”
When I see the stack of bills in the envelope, I shove it back in his hand. “No.”
“Eden, come on. You’re my little sister and I want to look out for you. I want you to have this. I knew you would reject it if I PayPaled or Venmoed you, and that’s why I’m here, to give this to you in person.”
I shake my head. “Cruz. Look, I appreciate the help. Truly. You’re the best big brother in the world for offering, but I don’t need it.”
“Eden, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m happy to help.”
“I don’t need it. I have plenty of money.”
I bite my tongue, wishing I could take back what I just said.
“But how? I know how tight money is for you. And bartending tips are great, but they’re not the most stable income.”
“I got a new job.”
“You did?”
I nod. “I’m doing some freelance coding work now. The pay’s a lot better than bartending. Promise I’m good.”
My skin pricks in shame. I can’t believe I’m looking at my brother right in the eye as I lie to him. But I have to.
I can’t tell him about Dream Guy because then I’ll have to explain to him why I’ve been employing his best friend as dating bait for thirsty women online for the past few months without telling him, which will surely set Cruz in suspicious big brother mode.
I’d rather keep that part of my life separate from him and the rest of our family.
He beams at me and pats my knee. “Well, damn, little sis. Way to go.”
I grin, hoping that the guilt hammering at me in this moment isn’t obvious on my face. “Thanks.”
I hear a faint shuffling sound down the hall. “Um, I don’t mean to kick you out, but I’ve got a ton of work to do.”
“Say no more.” Cruz hops up. “Good luck with the new job. I’m proud of you.”
He pulls me into a hug and I thank him again. “Hey, did you hear that Danny Darden is back in town? He’s an adjunct at Portland State College,” he says.
“Oh! Really?” I bite my tongue at how high my voice just got. “No. Er, I mean, yeah…” Cruz frowns at me, clearly confused.
“We’ve bumped into each other on campus, is what I mean to say.”
“Oh, nice. His mom ran into Mom the other day, and she mentioned it to me. He and I haven’t met up in a while, not for a couple months. We’ve both been so busy with work.” There’s a flash of guilt in Cruz’s expression as he runs a hand over his buzzed black hair. “God, I sound like such a jerk. He’s one of my best friends. I need to be better about reaching out to him. Especially after his breakup.”
As much as I’d prefer that Cruz and Danny not interact while Danny works with me, I can’t help but feel bad for Cruz. They have been friends since kindergarten, and I can tell just how much he misses him.
“You should text him.” I panic when I realize that Danny’s phone is currently with him, and if my brother hears the text alert, it’ll give us both away. “But don’t text him now,” I say quickly. “He, uh, might be teaching a class.”
“Oh yeah, good call. Later then.”
I tell Cruz bye and shut the door behind him when he leaves. After the sound of his footsteps fades away, I dart over to the closet and let Danny out.
He pulls his shirt, which was rumpled in his fist, over his head.
“Freelance coding, huh?” He smirks.
I groan and cover my face with a hand. “I mean, it’s kind of true…okay, I froze.” I let my hand fall away. “Look, it’s not that I’m embarrassed to work with you or anything. It’s just that…well, you know how Cruz is.”
Danny makes a face that tells me he knows exactly what I mean.
“He’s my big brother. If he knew I was running a dating app with you as the star, he’d get weird about it. It’s easier to keep things separate, you know?”
“Of course. I get it.” A gentle smile pulls at Danny’s lips. I’m instantly at ease.
He moves to grab his jacket from the closet. “I should probably head out. Thanks again for your help with the photos.”
“Of course.”
His gaze lands on the couch when he walks past it, and I can tell by the look on his face he’s thinking about what almost happened there just minutes ago. My heart thuds in my chest in anticipation of what he’ll say. But then he blinks, and that look is gone.
“I’ll let you know how the date with Laura goes,” he says as he reaches for the doorknob.
“Perfect. Can’t wait.”
He flashes an easy smile. And with that, Danny’s gone.