I’d be careful about using the eraser tool to lighten an area. Technically you aren’t lightening it, but making it more transparent, and depending on the paper you’re printing on, it can have an unwanted effect on the color you’re looking for.
Otherwise, the dodge tool is the way to go there, or if you want a more linear look, you can create an adjustment layer, mask off the area in question with the gradient tool or a feathered selection (or by simply painting with a brush) and play with the brightness/contrast, hue/saturation, color overlay, etc.