Page 15 of Barron's Second Chance
-Unpack!! (even though you don't want to)
She smiled at her own foretelling
-Get groceries
She frowned. She hated plane-excited Eden.
-Call Mom
-Text Sof
She had already texted her bestie at the airport, and they caught up on the Uber ride back to her apartment, so she crossed that off her list.
When the kettle’s whistle turned loud and shrill, Eden turned the knob off and filled her mug with the boiling liquid. She bounced the tea bag a couple of times in the water before leaving it to steep for a few minutes.
Returning to her journal, she wrote:try to make 6 pm yoga class.
"Try to" being the operative phrase. Eden always knocked off her to-do list unless she had good reason. Like being bone tired from a long flight. But she had time to kill, and as much as she wanted to nap, she knew it would mess up her body clock.
She searched in her bag for her favorite oversized hoodie before tugging it over her head. After carefully grabbing her hot mug, she padded towards her small balcony and climbed out. The warm sun hit her face, causing Eden to sigh in pleasure.
It was October, and the weather was starting to cool down, prepping for winter. Luckily her apartment was east-facing, so it got hit with a nice blast of the sun during the day. She spent a lot of her time sitting out here with a cup of tea and a good book, enjoying the varied sounds of her neighborhood.
Eden moved out to New York immediately after graduating from high school. After her denim campaign with Linger Denim took off, she was in hot demand. Her agent wanted to strike while the iron was hot because who knew how long this momentum would last? A few weeks later, she was booked forNYC Fashion Week, but more than that, she was chosen to be the "New Face." The New Face was picked to walk most shows and was usually an open door to more exclusive campaigns.
Eden had screamed her mother's ear off when she called to tell her. In hindsight, she would've waited until she saw her Mom in person if she knew she was at Kelly’s place for coffee. Barron had been present and heard the whole exchange.
Gah! She shivered, despite the warmth of the day. Why was she taking a trip down memory lane?
Maybe it was because she needed to call her Mom. She took another cautious sip of her Peppermint tea before setting it down on the small, round outdoor table. Pulling her phone from the front pocket of her hoodie, she searched her favorites and hit her Mom's number.
"Sweetheart!" Her Mom's warm tone filled her ear. "How was London? I streamed all your shows. What was that red number you wore on the second day? You looked so stunning in it, darling. I took a screenshot and posted it on my Instagram. I got a hundred and twenty likes."
Eden laughed, pure joy at listening to her Mom’s ramblings. "That was aKarl Lagerfieldcreation."
Her Mom gasped at the mention of the well-known designer. "Did Aunt Sally comment on it?" She asked, reaching down for her tea.
Her Mom huffed. "Yes. She said you were too skinny even though I told her that you eat more than she does. She's just jealous because her daughter dropped out of school and moved in with her loser druggie boyfriend."
"Mom!" Eden gasped, sputtering her tea.
"What? I tell no lies."
"So, what's new with you?" She quickly changed the subject before her Mom could really get into it. "Any local goss to share? I spoke with Sof this morning, and she said Ryan's got a new man. I'm gonna message him tonight for the juicy deets."
"Hmm," her Mom hummed. "Nothing I can think of. Lucy's got a new owner; they've painted the storefront vomit yellow."
"Scandalous," she joked.
"Tell me what's next for you? Any new shows coming up?"
"I have a couple of shows later in November; I'm shooting a new Marc Jacobs perfume in January and then theMet Galain May. Other than that, nothing else major. Thinking of coming home for a few weeks next summer."
"What?" Her Mom gasped. "You always go away for Summer."
"Well, New Haven is hardly a coveted vacation spot," she joked. "And I visit you a lot during the year."
It was true; she and her friends usually took off to vacation somewhere exotic and sunny over the summer in between jobs. Sometimes she flew her Mom and friends to where she was or took them on trips. But her Mom was always busy with her job as a nurse at their local practitioner's office that she rarely took vacation days. Sofia was also going to supervise some summer school classes next year, so she thought, "why not come to them?"
