One Step Closer(35)

“Oh, Caleb. That sounds sort of pitiful.” Now Macy’s voice sounded sad, but Caleb just shrugged and leaned forward to lean his elbows on his knees.

Pitiful. The word made his blood boil. What the hell did she know about it? He needed a drink, but he didn’t’ want to start drinking with Macy. He could use alcohol to relax, and then follow with a leisurely f*ck with a willing woman, except he found he had zero desire to be close to Macy tonight.

Caleb shrugged, hoping she’d drop it and leave him alone. “It is what it is. Go to bed. I need some time alone.”

***

UPSTAIRS, IT WAS DARK when Wren awoke; well past 10 PM. She bolted up in bed, frantic that she’d missed dinner, and quickly leaned over to snatch her phone off the bedside table so she could check the time. The last thing she wanted was to be disrespectful to Jonesy after she’d cooked the meal, or Caleb, by seeming like she was unfeeling or insensitive to his pain over Edison’s death.

“Oh my God! Really?” she said to herself, dropping her phone and then scrambling from the bed to throw on a pair of jeans and the one long sleeved T-shirt she had packed. She rushed into the ensuite bathroom to look at her appearance. She was rumpled, her face was red on one cheek where she’d slept on it, and her blonde hair was a snarled mess.

She wasn’t sure if she’d find anyone still around, or if she’d even be able to apologize for missing dinner. It was hours beyond when Jonesy said the food would be ready. The skin of her cheek felt hot as she touched it, and then dropped a tube of moisturizer on the vanity in her haste; it knocking a powder compact, three eye shadows, and an assortment of other make-up to the tile floor in a loud clatter.

“Ugh!” she moaned.

The blush compact fell open and shattered on the tile, sending chunks of the now broken pink powder all over the floor, and puffs of it into the air. Wren began to cough at the same time as frustrated tears welled in her eyes and batted at the offending particles that were trying to make their way into her lungs. When she bent to clean up the mess, the wad of toilet paper she’d grabbed to do the job only smeared it around more.

She felt like bursting into tears. The last thing she wanted was to let Caleb down. Considering the time change, Jonesy would understand her missing the meal, but there was no excuse for not being awake to offer her support to Caleb. Whether he’d want it or not, she wasn’t sure, but even if he rebuffed her, she had to at least try.

Wren threw the paper into the toilet, and stood to stare at her reflection in the mirror again as the cloud of dust cleared. She sniffed, grabbed a toothbrush and quickly brushed her teeth, then ran a quick brush through her hair. Makeup would have to wait; she’d already wasted enough time.

Slipping out of her room, she quickly rushed down the hall. On her way down the stairs, she could hear voices coming from Edison’s study. One she didn’t recognize and one she dreamed about on many lonely nights. One she loved more than anything.

“Caleb.”

A woman’s voice made Wren’s foot pause; her downward descent on the stairs halted.

Surely this was the woman Jonesy had referenced that afternoon; Macy. She sounded very sophisticated with a level of polish Wren never dreamed of attaining. Without even laying eyes on her, it was obvious Macy was expensive with a haughty air. It came through in her tone.

Wren had traveled the world and met some amazing people, but she knew she didn’t possess that type of sophistication. She was a prima ballerina with one of the premier ballet companies in the world, yet in her own heart she was still just a girl who danced.

“I said; I need to be alone. Why can’t you respect that?”

Wren’s breath left her body at the subtle hint of anguish in Caleb’s tone. He hid it well, and anyone who knew him less wouldn’t catch it.

She hadn’t heard his voice in person for a couple of years, and now it was a combination of resignation and defeat. Her heart squeezed painfully inside her chest. It was almost like he was physically touching her, pouring his pain into her. Wren found herself sinking down to sit on the stairs, mid-flight. Her hands came up to slowly wind around the spindles of the ornate railing, unable to stop from listening. However, nothing followed but an uncomfortable, dead silence.

Powerless to do anything else, Wren stood up and continued toward the study entrance, moving slowly; her bare feet making no sound on the polished marble floor. Peeking in through the open door, she could see Caleb sitting on one of the sofas; his back to her. Wren felt as if a lightning bolt jolted through her at the sight of him. She’d missed him more than she could deny.

He was leaning forward as he sat; unmoving. A sleek brunette was perched next to him, rubbing back and forth on his back.

His demeanor was stiff, unwilling to accept any comfort from the woman Wren barely noticed. Her eyes were trained on Caleb’s back and bent head, the material of his white dress shirt stretched tight across his arms, shoulders and back.

Macy scooted closer to him as Wren appeared in the doorway to the room hesitating to interrupt, but unable to move or rip her eyes away. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel the pulse throbbing in her neck and wrists, her chest was ready to burst, and her breath caught in her throat.

“I want to comfort you, babe,” Macy said suggestively. “Make you forget about everything for a while. Come to bed with me.”

Macy’s arm slid around Caleb’s shoulders and Wren almost turned to return to her rooms. This was a private scene, and one that hurt to watch.