Wren took a deep breath.
“Maybe throw in there that I am totally single and then see if she starts asking any questions about me.”
“Kerri….”
“Oh, come on. I just fixed your face and spent my few minutes of break time comforting you about the whole Malachi ordeal. The least you can do is do this for me.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Wren. I totally owe you.”
Wren turned toward Kerri. “We need to get back on set.”
“I’m right behind you.” She grabbed her bag of make-up and followed Wren out the door.
Chapter 7 – Aspen’s Trailer
“Well, here it is.” Aspen held the door to her trailer open for Wren to enter. “Not as big as yours, but still meets my needs.”
“Not too shabby.” Wren closed the door behind them and looked around. A half-written letter sat upon a small table and Aspen’s favorite helmet rested on the counter, next to the sink. Other than that, there wasn’t much else of Aspen’s personal effects.
Wren looked at the letter. “You prefer snail mail over texting?”
Aspen reached for the letter and tucked it into an empty drawer. “My cell doesn’t have that texting option. I only got it in case of an emergency or to check in with my dad. Besides, Dad prefers hand written letters over electronics any day. He’s concerned that I’ll get too addicted to that ‘instant gratification most the kids have these days’ attitude.”
“Can’t blame him. Most people forget how to write and how to spell now that spellchecker fixes everything for them. L-O-L.” She laughed.
Unsure as to what LOL meant, Aspen nodded. “Can I get you some water? I don’t have many options in beverages.”
“Water would be great.”
Aspen retrieved two bottles from the fridge and handed one to Wren as she made her way to sit down on the loveseat.
“I really like your trailer, Aspen.”
Aspen looked around. “It’s home away from home. I’m actually getting quite used to it in here. Not so much to tend to as there is in our big decaying farmhouse.”
Wren took a long sip of water and rested the bottle on the counter. She approached Aspen and sat down close to her on the loveseat. When their knees touched, neither of them moved away.
“Hey, thanks for sticking up for me today. You know, when Malachi practically assaulted me.”
“I couldn’t help myself. Malachi was being such an ass.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep calm with all the excitement. I run into a lot of guys like that at competitions. I mean, some are brotherly, but once the competition starts, they become complete jerks.”
“I bet.”
“Before Gideon let us all go for the night, Malachi actually apologized to me. He’s not such a bad guy.”
“I’m glad. He needed to.” She gently nudged Aspen’s arm. “Are you sure you’re okay? That was a nasty spill you took.”
“A little stiffness here and there, but I’ll live.” She squeezed her shoulder and rotated it in circles.
“I know a great masseuse if you need one. I can get you a good deal with him. His hands are like magic after a long day on set.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I doubt what ails my shoulder can’t be fixed with a mere pill or two. Besides, I’m way too ticklish.”
“So, I guess you don’t need me to massage your shoulders?” She cracked her fingers.
Aspen cheeks flashed with pink. “I’ll be fine.” This side of Wren seemed so much better than the one she’d been around the past few days.
“Are you sure? I can be gentle if you prefer.”
“I’m sure.”
“Hey, Aspen?”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t mind sharing, tell me about your mom.”
“You want to know about my mom?” She felt touched by Wren’s request.
“Yeah. What was she like?”
Aspen hugged her knees to her chest. She tucked the tip of her foot under Wren’s leg and wiggled her toes without realizing it. “She was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. She was breathtakingly beautiful, loved us with all her heart, and did everything she could for Dad and me. She even had a voice like an angel when she sang.”
“She sounds wonderful.”
“She was. She used to come in my room late and night and kiss me on the forehead before she headed off to bed. I’m sure she did it every night, but I only remember the nights I pretended to be asleep.”
“That’s so sweet. Did she work, too?”
“She worked the farm alongside my dad. She could do anything Dad could do. She was petite, but very strong. She and Dad shared chores. Both of ‘em cook real well. Wish I would have learned more from her in that department. While they prepared dinner, I was usually outside playing with the animals.”
“I can teach you to cook.”
“You can cook?” She drew her chin back. “Don’t you have staff or something to do that for you? Maybe a phone with credit card in hand to place an order?” She proudly smiled at her witty questions.
“Very funny. Of course I can cook, and I certainly don’t need anyone waiting on me. I am a very self-sufficient and capable woman.”
“Good to know.”
“What, being self-sufficient and capable?”
Aspen smiled. “Actually, I like that you would be willing to teach me how to cook. Can I take you up on the offer? I mean, if there’s time?”
“There’s always time to eat—and sure—I’ll help you hone in on some kitchen skills.”
“Seriously?”
“I totally love to cook, and having someone else to do the grunt work I prefer not to do is perfect.”
“Wren....” Aspen tilted her head to the side.
“I am totally kidding.”
“I figured as much.”
“Aspen?”
“Yeah?”
“How did your mom die?”
Aspen didn’t feel saddened by the question. On the contrary, she felt a sense of delight that Wren wanted to know more about her. “She died giving birth to my baby brother Connor. He didn’t make it either.”
Wren rested her hand against Aspen’s forearm, urging her on. Comforting her.
“I’m not sure that I know all the details,” Aspen confessed. “I think they kept it from me so as not to scare me. I was seven when it happened. I remember Mom and Dad talking about the doctor’s concerns, but I don’t really think I thought anything would actually happen to my mom. She was too good a person to have something bad happen.”
“How did your dad take it when she died?”
“It was rough. Dad was there in our little community hospital when it happened. I was there too, but alone in the waiting room. He came in the room with little Connor wrapped in a blue blanket and a cute little blue cap knitted out of the softest material. He had already passed before my mom gave birth to him. He was as blue as the blanket, but the cutest, most perfect baby in the world.”
“He was stillborn?”
Aspen nodded. “A couple days before my mom’s check-up, it was determined that the umbilical cord had become too tight around his little neck. When Dad came into the waiting room and handed Connor’s still little body to me to hold in my lap, I was happy for those few precious moments I got to meet him.”
Wren nodded, still listening intently.
“Dad and I promised little Connor that we would give him a good resting spot with the rest of our family. We have our own family cemetery, on our land. It was only a short moment later when a nurse came running in saying that Mom went into cardiac arrest. Her heart stopped beating,” she wanted to make sure Wren knew what she meant. “Dad took little Connor and told me to stay in the waiting area. I was so scared.”
“That must have been very traumatic for you. You didn’t have any other family members to stay with you?”
“No one. All my relatives live far away or have died.”
Wren nodded like she understood.
“Dad and I left the hospital, alone, feeling totally numb that night. I think Dad ended up passing out on the couch. I don’t think he could stand sleeping alone in their bed for a few days.”
“That is so heartbreaking.”
“It was. The next day we prepped the graves on our land, right near my grandparents and aunts and uncles. We worked on digging both the holes together. I don’t think I was much in the way of help, but I sure tried. Dad and I have been holding down the fort since. Just the two of us.”
“It must be a lot of work for the two of you. How do you feel about being here doing all this stunt stuff while he’s there alone?” She hoped her questions weren’t becoming too forward.
“I miss him terribly. It is hard, but necessary. If I don’t bring enough money home, we will lose our land. I can’t let that happen. It’s been in the family for generations and I plan to keep that tradition going, no matter what.”
Wren’s eyes widened. “You may lose the farm?”
“It’s been a rough season. Heck, it’s been a rough year or two with people cutting back due to the economy. I won some nice prestigious awards in motocross, but the money goes fast when maintaining the equipment and getting us to and from competitions. This stunt job will help us get back on our feet. I’ll be able to pay up the mortgage and then some.”
When Aspen looked up into Wren’s eyes she noticed small tears sliding down her cheeks. “Gosh, Wren. Are you okay?”
“Aspen, I don’t think I have ever met anyone as kind as you.” She wrapped herself around Aspen, who sat, still hugging her knees. Aspen allowed her head to drop onto Wren’s shoulder. It felt comfortable. Safe. Exhilarating.
“Thanks for being here for me and listening to me.”
“Thanks for sharing and confiding in me. It means a lot to me.”
They sat for several minutes in silence until their eyelids became too heavy to stay open. Once Wren’s body started to go limp, Aspen’s did too. They slumped down into the cushions comfortably and napped with entwined bodies on the loveseat.
~~@
“Where were you last night?”
Wren didn’t want to have this conversation with Kerri right now, or ever. “I passed out at a friend’s.”
“Right…and who is this friend? Some guy I know?”
“No.”
“Oh, I know. That tall, dark and handsome Extra in the bar scene after you win that esteemed trophy.”
Wren rolled her eyes. “What, do I look like a female JT to you?”
“Well, not really, but there’s a first for everything.”
“No, I have never spent the night, nor will I ever spend the night, with an Extra.”
“Well then…tell me. I always tell you about what’s going on with my nightcaps. It’s time you reciprocate. Dish out the dirt, Sweetheart. Inquiring minds want to know.”
“You telling me your most inner secrets does not warrant me having to tell you whose place I passed out at last night. Seriously, there is nothing to tell. The night was uneventful. I simply just passed out due to pure exhaustion. You know how I get when I don’t get enough of my beauty sleep.”
Kerri nodded frantically. “I sure do. You become a bitter, pain-in-the-ass, primadonna. Then you pass out.”
“Precisely.” Wren picked up a newspaper.
“So that’s it? That’s all you’re going to share?”
She turned a page. “Yup.”
“Okay, I’ll accept that…for now. I am bound to find out sooner or later anyway.”
Under muffled breath, Wren answered, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“What?”
“I said give it up. Don’t waste your time. You already have to worry about making me pretty from day to day.”
“That, my friend, is what makes my job so easy. You’re such a natural beaut.”
“Thanks.”
“So, did you meet-up and talk to Aspen for me? Put in a good word?”
Wren took a deep breath. “Sorry, Kerri, but working on the production with Aspen last night ended up not working out. I haven’t had a chance.”
“Because you ended up crashing at a ‘friends.’ I understand.”
“Kerri….”
“I’m just messin’ with ya. Lighten up. Can’t blame a girl for trying to get her lovin’ on. I mean, we are talking Aspen, here.”
Wren tried not to look annoyed.
“Well, I hope you will follow up with her…maybe this evening. You know, if you don’t find another place to crash at.”
Wren had all she could do to not to tell Kerri to back off. “If it will get you off my back, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Wren. You are like, totally my BFF.” She gave Wren a half-hearted, one armed hug. “Call on me whenever you need to. I will totally be there for you.”
“Thanks, Kerri.”
~~@
“This is so not like me to do this.” The expression of concern on Wren’s face only fueled Aspen’s unease.
“Do what, Wren?”
“Have the conversation with you that I am about to have.”
Aspen’s eyebrows drew together. Was Wren upset about them falling asleep together?
“Sit down.”
Aspen sat down, crossing her Fox riding boot over her leg. She didn’t lean back, but sat erect, waiting for the details.
“What if I told you that you have an admirer?”
“I have an admirer? Yeah right.”
Wren took offense. “What do you mean, ‘yeah right’? Aspen, you can’t tell me that you don’t see your beauty.” She felt a wave of heat shoot up her body and land in her cheeks.
“Um, yes I can.”
“Well, that’s just silly. You are gorgeous both inside and out. I mean, look at your wavy golden locks.” She swept her hand through Aspen’s bouncy locks. “Girls have to pay big money to get what you have naturally. You honestly don’t see that you turn heads?”
“Of course I turn heads. You don’t see too many girls dressing up in motocross…flying through the air on a dirt bike.” She laughed. “I mean, look at me…I look like a storm trooper.” She pointed down to her outfit and boots before studying Wren’s outfit, realizing both outfits matched. “Well…unless you are in a movie, acting as though you are a girl who does motocross.”
“Very funny, Aspen. You have so got to look in the mirror some time and see what I see. You are truly beautiful.”
There was a moment of silence as Aspen searched Wren’s eyes. She wanted to tell Wren that she was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, but just thinking the words made her blush. “Okay, so according to you, I have an admirer.”
Wren nodded.
“Are you pulling my leg?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then who is it?”
“Well, there lies the difficult part. I’m not sure how you are going to take this.”
Aspen blew her bangs in the air only for them to fall back into place, tickling her forehead. “Why’s that?”
“Well, this person may not be the type of person you are interested in.”
“How will I know unless you tell me who? Do I know them?”
“Yeah, you know them pretty well actually.”
“Well, it certainly can’t be JT. He admires any girl who will fall into bed with him.” The words slipped out before she could catch herself. She placed her hand over her mouth.
Wren tilted her head. “What’s wrong, Aspen?”
She looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry, Wren. That was unfair of me to say.”
Wren shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing to be sorry about. And no, it’s not JT.”
“Okay, then who is it?”
Wren pulled up a chair and plopped into it. Leaning forward, she practically rested her chest against Aspen’s legs. “It’s…it’s…God this is hard.” She sat back in her seat.
“Why is it so hard?”
“Well, because I don’t know your beliefs. I don’t know what is okay and not okay with you.”
“Well, I’m not too sure that I know either, but I like to think that I can handle things pretty well. You can talk to me, Wren.”
Wren leaned forward again. “What if I told you that your admirer is female?” She made a face like she had just bitten into a lemon.
Aspen sat dumbstruck. Her nerves got the best of her and she burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Is this one of those jokes where someone is going to pop out and say I am being spoofed or something?”
“No, Aspen. You are not being punked. I am being totally serious with you.”
Aspen’s face straightened. “You are being serious.”
Wren nodded.
“I think that having a person admire you—no matter their girl or boy preference—is still a compliment.”
Wren nodded. “Okay, so that doesn’t freak you out?”
Aspen shook her head. She could feel her heart pounding through her ribcage, thumping wildly against her motocross breastplate. Had her gear shrunk in the past two seconds?
“Okay.”
“Wren, seriously. You can tell me anything. I would never judge…this person.” She leaned in to take Wren’s hand in her own. “This must be a good friend of yours for you to be doing this on their behalf.”
Wren shrugged her shoulders. “I guess.”
“All right then. Who is she?”
“Kerri.”
Aspen’s grip on Wren’s hand softened. “Oh, Kerri.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s from that old song.” She hummed three notes of the tune.
“I think you mean ‘Oh, Sherri’.” She laughed.
“Whatever.”
“So, what do you think? About Kerri?”
“I think I am a bit surprised. I didn’t think she thought of me in that way.”
“Well, she does. She just hasn’t been able to tell you.”
“I can see that,” she joked. “And she still hasn’t officially told me. Are you sure you understood her correctly?”
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