One Step Closer(100)

Sitting in the back of the car as Jared drove her home, she cried softly behind her sunglasses. She found herself wishing she had someone to confide in, and pour out her heartbreak to, but then, the only person she’d ever felt safe doing that with was Caleb, and she’d already come to terms with the reason why she couldn’t talk to him. On the other hand, there was no way she’d be able to be near him and hide how broken she was. He’d see right through her, and Jonesy would tell Caleb the minute her back was turned.

Wren’s head pounded and her stomach lurched again.

She could only come up with one alternative that would work for her right in this moment; she had to leave, and she had to leave before he got back from his meetings.

Could anything be worse? Just when she’d found Cale again, and now… she could lose him.





“WREN!” CALEB BURST through the front door to the house and bound up the stairs two at time.


After his meetings at Lux, Caleb was anxious to get home and talk to Wren. Jonathan was going to step in and run the company as he had been for the last few weeks, which would give Caleb time to get his affairs in order in San Francisco.

Hours had passed and he’d texted Wren twice. She hadn’t responded and Caleb was getting worried. She hadn’t said what her plans were so he was curious as to why she hadn’t been answering her phone.

“Wren!” He knocked loudly on her door. He wanted to spend every second with Wren before she had to go back to New York at the end of the week. “Wren! Open up. I have some things to tell you!”

He leaned on the door, the palm of his hand flat on the fine wood. “Wren, come on. Don’t play with me.” He smiled gently as he said it. “I miss you.”

When there was still no answer, he stepped back and took hold of the doorknob and turned it. Caleb was surprised when the door opened. The room was in shadows as the sunset dipped beyond the trees outside the windows, and the lack of light was a sure sign she wasn’t in her room. The bed was made and the room was neat.

“Hmmm,” he murmured before heading out of her room and back into the hall. Maybe she and Jonesy were already going through his father’s things and packing them up for charity.

The house was massive and he walked to the other end of the second level to glance into his father’s suite. “Jonesy? Wren?” Again, the rooms were silent and empty of life. He walked past the room his mother had occupied at the end of her life without checking to see if either woman was inside. It had been untouched so long, he didn’t even consider it a possibility.

The house was quiet and as he walked through the main level he tried to remember if Jared’s limo was outside. Today was the last day he’d hired him. There were plenty of cars in the garage that he, Wren, and Jonesy could use when needed. Maybe he’d already left.

The smell of freshly baked bread permeated the house, and four fresh loaves sat cooling on a rack on the marble counter, but the kitchen was conspicuously quiet. He moved from room to room, looking for life. Jonesy was getting older and so he considered she could be napping. But then remembered he’d told Wren to give her the night off.

He pulled out his phone, but still she hadn’t answered any of his messages.

What the f*ck? He was starting to panic. Wren was a grown woman, and she was capable of taking care of herself. It was obvious from her years in New York, but while she was in Denver and especially after what had happened between them, he was positive she’d keep him in the loop of her plans.

Caleb dialed her number but it went straight to voicemail, so either her phone was off or the battery was dead. His hand lifted to take a swipe through his dark hair.

This is Wren Brashill. Leave your name and a short message and I’ll get right back to you.

After the beep that followed, Caleb spoke as he paced around the kitchen.

“Hey, where are you?” He realized how futile it was to leave a message on a phone that wasn’t on or dead. “I thought you’d be here getting ready to go out. Call me. I’m starting to worry.”

Jonesy’s room was behind the kitchen near the spare one that Macy had stayed in, and he walked quickly down the back hall to check and see if she was home. Her door was shut and he felt guilty waking her if she was sleeping, but damn it, he had to know what was going on.

He tapped lightly with the knuckle of his index finger. “Jonesy?”

“Come in, Caleb,” she answered through the door.

Relief flooded through him as he opened the door and peered in. Jonesy was sitting on an upholstered chaise lounge in one corner opposite her bed, with a book in her hand. There was a lamp on beside her to light the pages.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you, but I can’t find Wren. We had dinner plans.”

“Come in Caleb.” She moved her legs to the side and patted the lower part of the chaise. “Sit down.”

Caleb’s guard went up; preparing himself to hear something he didn’t want to hear. His brow furrowed and he shook his head, refusing to sit down. “Okay, this isn’t good.”

“She said she got a call from New York that they were having early auditions for Giselle. She has a chance to perform with the New York Ballet if she is chosen.”

He threaded the fingers of both hands together on the top of his head as he peered down at Jonesy. Already, his heart was starting to pound and he struggled to swallow. He wasn’t buying it.