Eden leaned against the counter, watching me work with a small smile on his face. “What do your parents do for a living if you don’t mind me asking?”
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for just a moment. The last time someone asked about my parents had been a while.
“My dad’s working in a bakery,” I told him, but refrained from giving any more details. “My mom’s a coach.”
Please don’t ask what kind of coach.
I couldn’t have possibly told Eden what my mom actually did for a living. I mean, I could have and I knew he wouldn’t have laughed at me for it, but if he knew, he probably would’ve started to understand my situation a little better. I already felt like he could read me like a book when it came to my confidence, and I didn’t need to give him more information about me.
Eden hummed softly, but it didn’t sound like he was impressed at all. And why would he have been? My family was nothing compared to his and the way he grew up.
“Like a hockey coach?”
I laughed. “Yes. She’s coaching a hockey team.”
His eyes narrowed at me, a playful smirk still pulling at his lips. “I don’t know about you, Ally-Bear, but I suspect you’re lying to me right now.”
“Withholding the truth.”
“Same thing.”
“I beg to differ.” Actually, I agreed. Withholding the truth might as well be lying. In fact, in some cases, it was even worse.
“I get why business isn’t your strongest suit,” he said, grabbing the now filled cupcake tray.
Somehow, it sounded insulting, but if it was, I was sure Eden hadn’t even drawn that conclusion yet. There was no way he was intentionally trying to insult me or my family. That would’ve been so unlike the Eden I’d gotten to know.
“Do youneedto know a lot about business?” he asked.
I nodded again, then shook my head right after. “Probably. I want to be a photographer, so I should knowsomethings.”
“True,” he agreed as he handed me the tray to put the last batch in the oven. “But honestly, you’ll learn as you grow. It’s like sex, you know?”
I froze mid-action, my cheeks flushing bright red. “What do you mean?”
Not once in my life had I heard someone compare business to sex. I didn’t think there was a single way they could’ve been comparable.
“I mean, you can read all the books and articles about it, watch tutorials even, but when it comes down to it, the real learning happens through experience. Trial and error, right? Business is the same thing.” He chuckled. “You can study it all you want, but until you get out there and start working, you won’t really understand how it works. The basics, sure, but the real thing? Never.”
I could’ve replied to the business part of his ramble or changed the subject entirely… yet what came out of me was, “I’ve never actually had sex before.”
“I figured.” He cocked his head at me, smiling softly as I leaned against the kitchen island, dusting myself off of flour. “Do you not want to?”
A sigh drew from my lungs. “I mean, sure… it’s just… look at me. No guy would want that. I’m not skinny enough for anyone to want a relationship with, and I don’t think I’m the type forsomething casual. Or perhaps I am, but… it’s difficult, okay? While my friends all get flirted with, I stand to the side and sip on a pity drink, Eden. I’m never the first choice, and I don’t want to be someone’s ‘I settled for that thing.’”
God, I’d never said this aloud. Never thought I would either.
Something about Eden just made me want to open up, which annoyed me more than I could’ve ever described.
“That’s so not true,” he said, his voice laced with disbelief as he crossed his arms over his chest, causing the fabric of his shirt to stretch tightly over the defined muscles. My eyes couldn’t help but follow the movement, tracing the lines of his strong biceps and forearms. “You’re hot, Alana.”
His words caught me off guard, the color on my cheeks deepening as I looked up to meet his gaze. The way he looked at me made my heart skip a beat, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
But he was lying. He must’ve been.
“Yeah, well… not to the majority of guys out there.”
“But that’s a good thing.”
