20 Manicures

After Eden's failed attempt at finding Troy on social media, she ended up going to the library to check out that book he recommended. It was only three hundred and twenty-something pages so she should be able to finish it before meeting up with Aubrey once she finished work.

They were going to get their nails done because she needed cheering up after getting yelled at by her boss earlier. She had texted Eden the SOS while hiding in the bathroom to compose herself after it happened.

Manicures were one of Aubrey's favorite things in the world but she knew they were expensive so she only got them when things were bad. With the promise of a better paycheck coming in soon, Eden could justify it if she got the cheapest option available.

Supporting her best friend was a must. It was how the two of them had always worked.

Aubrey had been there for Eden through her parents' divorce and her dad's subsequent running away to Texas with a woman half his age. And she had been there for Aubrey when the grandma she had been super close with died.

Every victory. Every minor upset. They had been with each other through it all since they decided to be friends at the age of nine when Aubrey tried defending Eden from a bully on the playground and they both ended up getting detention together.

Aubrey was every bit as much her family as Ezra was. There was nothing Eden wouldn't do for her and vice versa.

They were close to each other's families too. Diana Combs was much more supportive than her own mother had ever been. It was no wonder she spent so much time at their house growing up, especially once Ezra went off to college.

He was five years older than her and they were as close as two siblings could be with such a big age gap. He went to Stanford when she was only thirteen and her mother was much harsher on her once he was gone so she frequently fled to the refuge of the Combs house.

Eden was closest to Aubrey but she was on pretty good terms with Jennifer and their brother Isaac as well. Isaac turned twenty last month and went to college down in L.A. so he could live at home for free. Jennifer was a senior in high school and intended to follow in her sister's footsteps by going to San Jose State in the fall.

She was a de facto member of the Combs family and had reached a point in middle school where she was allowed to enter the house whenever she wanted without knocking. Aubrey had more after-school activities than she did so she frequently came home to Eden on the couch eating snacks and watching TV with Isaac.

Ezra might have been a teenager when his little sister got herself a best friend but he still knew Aubrey well. She was around most of the time when he came home to visit from college so they were friendly with each other too. He even had an invitation to her wedding.

The closer it got, the more unreal it felt. Aubrey was really getting married and would be starting a family of her own. She said she didn't want kids for a few more years but once she did, she would be way too busy to hang out with her (probably still single) best friend much.

Eden was determined to be the best aunt ever though. Being close to Aubrey's kids would allow her to spend time with her best friend even if they had to do different things together than when they were both unattached.

She shook all of those thoughts out of her head so she could focus on the book as soon as she got home from the library. She made herself a salad for lunch and settled down on the couch with her bowl to read.

As promised, the book sucked her in almost immediately. She was so caught up in it that she hardly noticed when Kayla came home and headed to her room to change out of her work clothes before going back out to her boyfriend's place.

Her heart pounded as the narrator became entangled with the killer without even realizing it. Everything resolved itself well in the end but that had been one intense book! She could see why Troy had stayed up late to finish it.

Eden would have to tell him her impressions of it tomorrow. Right now, she needed to get ready to meet her best friend.

She had been wearing a sweater and leggings since going out to the library this morning and that was fine but she should probably fix her hair a little. It had gotten messy from lying on the couch to read.

She quickly brushed it out and grabbed her purse on the way out the door. It was manicure time. She needed to forget about the plot of the novel that was fresh in her head and give her stressed friend her full attention.

Aubrey was still in her business casual work clothes when they met up in front of the nail salon but she looked haggard somehow despite her immaculate hair and makeup. This had bothered her more than she had let on earlier.

Eden rushed forward to hug her. "Aw, honey, what happened?"

"Long story," she said as she exhaled heavily. "I'll tell you once we're inside."

She savored the hug for a full minute before letting go so they could go in and get started. Aubrey liked wearing fake nails because her natural ones always broke before they got long enough. Normally, she applied them herself at home because they were cheaper but she preferred getting them done professionally because she claimed they felt better.

She chose fake nails with rounded tips and dark green gel polish with one nude accent nail that had a vine-like pattern on it in the same shade of green. Eden was much more simplistic and chose dusty pink polish for her natural nails.