Page 78 of Paging Dr. Summers

“Hey, there,” she said over the low hum of the mixer. “My parents took Sophie out, so I thought I’d use the time to work on a new bagel recipe for my fall videos. What do you think about an apple cider bagel?”

“That sounds yummy.” I tried to sound enthusiastic.

“Well, we’ll see.” She grinned before she turned more somber and asked, “How are you doing? Mom and I wanted to come over and check on you, but we figured you wanted some time alone with your sister.”

I stepped closer and eased onto one of the island stools, setting Logan’s gift bag on the counter, keeping it out of the flour dust. “That’s sweet of you. Lola and I probably consumed the yearly recommended amount of sugar yesterday.”

“Oh, I’ve been there,” Eden commiserated with me.

“I know you have.” Her ex really was an idiot.

Eden eyed the masculine-looking bag, her brows drawing together slightly. “You know, Logan’s not here. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

“Me either,” I admitted, making sure to keep my emotions together. “But that’s okay. It’s not like we were serious and needed to keep tabs on each other.” The words felt like sandpaper against my throat, rough and dry.

Eden sighed, giving me one of those motherly looks that was both understanding and still able to call me out for lying. “You sure about that?” she asked, the question hanging in the air.

“Yes,” I stuttered and stood. “I’m leaving Aspen Lake.”

Eden dropped the spatula she’d been using, and it clattered against the wood floor. “What do you mean? The summer’s not over yet.”

“I know, but ... I realized I don’t belong here,” I cried, the words gushing out faster than I could catch them. “I have a feeling I’m a CW girl.”

Eden flew around the counter and embraced me, resting her chin on my head.

I immediately sank into her.

She patted my back. “What’s a CW girl?”

“You know, the kind of girl whose family is full of secrets and lies, and neither her father nor her neighbor wants her,” I wailed.

“Oh, honey.” Her hold on me tightened. “I can’t speak for your imbecile of a father. He doesn’t even deserve to be called that. But I can tell you that my brother cares about you.”

“I know he does, but I’ll never be Erica. She’s a star-studded-production girl.”

Eden snorted. “Yeah, well, I don’t like to talk badly about the dead, and I loved Erica, but she was also a pain in the butt sometimes. Everything had to be her way because she always knew best.”

I leaned away, surprised to hear Eden talk about Erica that way. “But did she know best? Logan certainly thinks she did.”

Eden tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear, her expression softening. “Listen, Erica was amazing. She really was. She was intelligent and always dressed to the nines. The woman could throw a party like no one’s business, and she was so good with Sophie. But, like everyone, she had flaws. Her biggest one being that she wanted everyone to believe she was perfect. That gets to be a little grating.” Eden shuddered for effect, eliciting a faint smile from me.

I could see that, but I knew Logan never would. “I really appreciate you trying to make me feel better. But he left,” I pointed out, my voice teetering on the edge of losing it. “Being with Logan means being in Erica’s shadow.”

Eden’s face fell slack, processing. “I’m afraid you might be right, and as much as I love my brother, I would never want that for you. Believe me, I know how hard relationships can get when there’s another woman involved.” She pulled me to her again and hugged the life out of me. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you,” I choked out.

Eden pulled back slightly, holding my arms. “We still have our podcast to do.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage of you. And it might be weird since I never plan on talking to your brother again.” Was that juvenile? Probably.

Eden didn’t miss a beat. “My brother might not be smart enough to see what’s right in front of his face, but I’m not letting you go.”

She had no idea what that meant to me. What she meant to me. Ifound I was at a loss for words. I hoped the tears streaming down my face conveyed what I couldn’t say.

Eden hugged me one more time.

I held on as tight as I could. “I’m leaving Sophie my bike. She always commented about how cute it was, and my car’s not well suited for a bike rack.” Besides, it was so loaded down with my stuff, I feared putting any more weight on my VW Beetle would break it in two.

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