“This dirt bike is hardly little.” She started it up and took off in the direction Aspen pointed. “But you’re right. I can hardly tell a difference,” she yelled over her shoulder, keeping her sight forward. She didn’t make mention of the fact she could feel Aspen’s arms wrapped around her, and her body pressing against her back.
“Just keep your eyes in the direction you want to go.”
Wren handled the terrain with ease. She naturally knew when to shift and where to position her body. “You okay back there?”
“Yup.” She wrapped herself a little more snuggly against Wren’s back and waited for any adverse response. Instead, she felt Wren wriggle backward for a tighter fit.
Wren’s clutch hand instinctively grabbed the outside of Aspen’s thigh. She gave a quick squeeze before grabbing back on to the handlebar grip.
Aspen reached up and pointed in another direction. Wren followed the pointed finger as she gave two quick nods and continued on.
Wren noticed the cemetery in the distance. Surrounded by a white picket fence and a tall arbor-like entryway, the overhead sign read “Cemetery” in large print. She slowed down on the approach until she felt Aspen tap her on the shoulder. She stopped the dirt bike.
“This is a perfect place to stop. I try not to tear up the ground too close to the plots.” She swung her leg up and over the seat. “Thanks for the ride.”
“My pleasure.”
They removed their helmets and hung them on the handlebars.
Wren trailed Aspen’s stride in through the gate.
“This is where my baby brother was laid to rest.” She pointed to the cross-shaped stone and then she stepped past it to reach the heart-shaped stone to its side. “This is my mom’s.”
“They are beautiful, Aspen. The cross. The heart. It’s very sweet.”
“Dad and I picked them out together.” She sat down and patted the cold and stiffened dirt beside her.
Wren searched the area around them. “I can see why you love it here so much. I mean…the ranch and everything that comes with it.” She stared down at Aspen’s face, visually tracing her plump cherry lips. She thought her small pout looked cute. She wanted to lean in and make her smile. “I wouldn’t want to leave this place for L.A. either, with so much beauty to explore.” She sat down beside her.
Their hands took hold of one another. Their closeness felt tender. Comfortable. Even with the sharp nip in the air.
Aspen cleared her throat. “I…um….”
“It’s okay. When we get back to California, we’ll see where things take us. We’ll be so busy anyway.” She didn’t believe her own words. Once the filming was over, she knew she would want Aspen to stay in California with her—and she knew that wouldn’t be fair—and even more unfair to make mention of it.
“Okay.” Aspen felt vulnerable and confused. She looked at their touching hands. How perfectly their entwined fingers coupled. She questioned whether the touch felt as deep and meaningful to Wren as it did her. “So, do you have those lines of yours memorized?”
Wren looked down at the tip of her boots tapping. She chuckled.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“I’ve had my lines pretty much memorized before we left L.A.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I’m lucky. It only takes a couple read-throughs for me to memorize my lines. Got ‘em just about verbatim. Even JT’s lines.”
“That is so cool. Maybe you have one of those photogenic memories.”
Wren giggled. “Maybe.” She chose not to correct Aspen’s misuse of the word.
Aspen shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“I guess so. At least my body seems to think it is.” She trembled again.
“Here.” She pushed closer. “Let’s share body heat.” Placing her free hand on top of Aspen’s seemed to have more of a warming effect than she thought it would.
“Wren?”
“Uh huh?”
“What do I do about Kerri?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want her to hate me. I don’t want to lead her on.”
“Maybe tell her that.” Wren didn’t want to admit that she too had the same concerns.
“I just don’t want for things to get…awkward. We all have to work together and sometimes you guys seem to be so…close.”
“Close?”
Unsure how to respond, Aspen looked at her quizzically. “I wasn’t implying that you guys…well, you know.”
“I know that, Silly. Besides, we already came to that understanding the other night on the rock.”
Aspen bit her lip, trying not to smile at the memory.
“Look, Kerri talks a lot. She knows a lot about what’s happening in our small world we know of as the set. I listen. She asks for advice, I give it. Our conversations are usually one-sided and although we are together a lot, it’s mostly due to the production.”
“But, didn’t you set her and I up on that date?”
“Well, yeah, but only after she pleaded and pleaded. She asks for favors from me and usually, I submit. It’s much easier than telling her no. Believe me.”
“If it weren’t for the Hollywood life, do you think you guys would remain friends?”
“Probably not so much.” Her words sounded biting. “Don’t get me wrong, Aspen. I do enjoy her company. She really is quite funny…and she keeps up with all the gossip. I don’t even have to read the paper.” She laughed. “It’s just, we don’t have much in common outside of the studio. She knows Wren Emerson, the actress. She doesn’t know me.”
Aspen hadn’t even thought about Wren as an actress since her introduction at the Parade of Lights, by Mayor Mary Murphy.
Wren shrugged. “She is great at reading lines with me and an absolute expert at poking fun of JT, but I can tell you one thing, she has absolutely no idea I love to cook—which I kind of kept a secret anyway—and she doesn’t even know I have a brother.”
“She doesn’t? Kerri seems to know everything about everyone on set. Since you guys spend so much time together, I guess I thought she would know more about you than anyone else.”
“Only what I care to share.” She gently nudged Aspen’s arm with her elbow. “She is pretty good at finding things out about others, though. She tried to get as much information about you as she could, beginning the second she laid eyes on you.”
“Really?”
Wren nodded. “The day you came into hair and make-up for the first time, she almost burned me with the hair iron the second you walked in through that door. I can’t blame her. You are quite breathtaking.”
Aspen took a deep breath. She felt weak, wanting to press her lips into Wren’s. She looked down, tucking her chin toward her chest. “Wow, I guess I’m kind of shocked.” Aspen looked at her boots and jiggled them. She had an uncontrollable urge to fidget when she didn’t know what more to say.
Wren frowned. “I don’t really want to talk about L.A. right now, Aspen, but I do have one more question for you, since we’re on the Kerri subject.”
“Shoot.” She held her breath.
“Are you feeling guilty about you and I…and Kerri?”
“What? No. I mean, of course not.” She wiped away a smudge of dirt on her boot. “Do you?”
Wren shrugged. “Maybe a little.”
Aspen forced a smile, yet her chest tightened. That response wasn’t what she had expected. Or wanted.
Wren could sense how uncomfortable Aspen had become with the subject.
“Yeah, I think we better table this conversation. Just for now. Agreed?”
“I agree.”
They sat silently; holding each other, aware of each breath the other took, aware of their close proximity, and aware that their time alone had almost come to an end. Painfully aware that neither of them knew where the other really stood when it came to each other, and too afraid to pose the question, they decided not to ask.
“Wren?”
�
��Yeah.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for what?”
“Thank you for being here with me.”
“Thank you for allowing me to come and be a part of your family. It feels nice.” Their hands continued to warm each other’s.
“I also want to thank you for believing in me.”
Wren looked into Aspen’s eyes. “Of course I believe in you.” She wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but knew Aspen had something more to say.
“I’m a pretty determined girl. When I set out to do something, I do it as best I can. You have never once made me feel like I couldn’t accomplish anything I set my mind to. You have been so supportive.”
“You’re the reason for all your own successes, Aspen. I saw how much the people here admire you.” She nudged her slightly with her elbow. “I am honored to be such good friends with a celebrity.”
Aspen laughed. “It’s funny. I don’t really think of myself as a celebrity. I’m just me. You on the other hand—”
“Me, on the other hand…I feel like you. I am just me and I absolutely love the fact that you treat me like I am a normal, twenty-two year old girl.”
Aspen’s eyebrows furrowed. “Define normal.”
Wren gave her a harder nudge. “Most people just want things from me. You on the other hand…you give and then give more.”
Aspen nodded. She understood what Wren was trying to say. Most people did seem to be fake. Or trying to be friendly to gain something.
Wren traced Aspen’s palm with her fingertips. “If you asked me for anything, anything at all, I would gladly give it to you, Aspen.”
Aspen took a deep breath. The heat deep in her body didn’t match the cold in the air. She shivered again.
“How about we head back to the house? Maybe we can sip some hot chocolate and warm my frozen butt cheeks by the fire?”
“Yeah…and I better spend some time with Dad before we head out in the morning.” She let go of Wren’s hand to stand up. She brushed off the soil residue from her pants before offering her hand to Wren.
Wren yanked herself up to her feet. “Thanks.”
“Like, don’t even mention it, even. You’re like, totally super light.” She spoke with a mock L.A. accent.
“I mean…thanks for sharing all of this time with me, for confiding in me, and for sharing all those family memories with me.”
“Thanks for being such a willing listener. And I hope you know I would do anything for you as well.”
There was a brief moment of uncontested silence as they searched each other’s eyes. They hugged, grateful the other still offered this moment of consolation.
“You get to drive us home,” Wren declared in Aspen’s ear, giving her even more goose bumps. She stepped back. “The sooner we make it back, the sooner my frozen butt cheeks will thank you.”
“Well then…let’s not keep those cheeks of yours waiting.”
~~@
“Daddy, we’re home.”
“Welcome back, Kiddos,” Cole yelled from living room. He looked up from a newspaper he had sprawled across his lap as they entered. “How was the ride?”
“Nice, but cold.” Wren approached the fireplace and backed up to it.
“Dad, the tree looks great.”
“It should. You guys helped.”
She gave him a quick hug. “Yeah, but nothing is better than when you hang the tinsel. It’s stunning.”
He inspected his work. “Well, Honey. It’s all about putting just enough on and not too much.”
“Well, it’s perfect.” She put her arm on his shoulder. “I’m going to put on some water for hot chocolate. You want some?”
“Sure, Sweetie. Got some mini marshmallows in the pantry. I’ll take extra.” He neatly folded the newspaper and set it down on the coffee table next to him.
“Be right back.”
Cole made sure Aspen was out of earshot. “You take good care of her when you guys get back to L.A. tomorrow, okay Wren?”
“You bet.”
“I know she thinks she’s all tough and all, but she’s got a big heart and can get hurt easily.”
“I can see that about her. I won’t let anyone hurt her, Cole. You can trust I have her back.”
“Well, she is one lucky young lady to have such a good friend as you. I’ve liked ya since day one. You’re genuine. Real. Not like most of the L.A. types.”
“That’s sweet of you to say, Cole. Thank you.”
“Aspen listens to you and cares about what you think. Don’t let anyone convince her to stay up there in L.A.” He looked at her with a hint of uneasiness.
“Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about that. Not at all.” She gazed at a picture of Aspen, its frame leaning against the fireplace mantel. It was a close-up picture of her with her blonde curly locks mussed up from her dirt bike helmet. The sand dunes filled the background and Aspen wore the biggest, most beautiful smile Wren had ever seen. “She knows very well this is her home, and this is where she belongs.”
“I sure do hope so.” He walked over to her. “And Wren?”
“What is it, Cole?”
“Well, if you don’t mind me asking….” He fought for the words to come out.
She shifted uneasily.
“Well, I was hoping that maybe you could put in a good word for Trigg? I’m sure you heard he and Aspen quarreled last night. That boy is hurtin’ somethin’ bad.”
The mention of Trigg’s name turned Wren’s stomach. “Did he stop by while we were out?”
“Nah, saw him in town while I was out runnin’ errands a little while ago. Saw him in the hardware store. That kid looked as though he hadn’t gotten any sleep. He made it obvious he didn’t want to talk about Aspen. He wouldn’t even say her name. Heck, he didn’t even ask about her.” Cole made a quick smacking sound with his lips. “Young love can be a real hard thing.”
She hid the shudder that crept up inside her. The scene she witnessed between the two—in the front seat of Trigg’s tow truck from the night before—sure didn’t seem like they were arguing. The flashback of the embrace made her feel instantly ill. “Maybe he’s just bummed she’s leaving town again?”
“Maybe. I know she said she wasn’t ready to commit. I just don’t want him ruled out. He’s a good kid. Really.”
“Yeah, he seems like a real nice guy.” To no fault of his own, Wren couldn’t stand him.
“That boy was raised right. He’ll make for a good provider. He’s hard workin’ and good lookin’. Funny how most all the girls in town think so, but for some reason, not Aspen.”
Wren tucked her fingertips in her back pockets. The cold swell of flesh through the thin denim cooled the back of her hands. She could detect the smell of hot chocolate coming from the other room.
“I’m not trying to put pressure on you, Wren. Really. I just thought maybe you could help her to see. It would make more sense coming from a girl her age than her old pop. You know?”
Wren forced out the most sincere smile she could. “I will see what I can do, Cole. I know you want what’s best for her.”
“You guys talking about me?” Aspen entered the room with a tray of three steaming mugs of hot chocolate.
“Of course we’re talking about you, Sweetheart.” Cole gave Wren a quick wink. “Can’t believe you go back to L.A. tomorrow.”
“I know, Dad. It was a quick trip, but give it a little more time.” She sat Cole’s mug on a coaster made from corkboard. “We should have things wrapped up in a few more weeks. Right, Wren?” She caught Wren staring at a picture of her on the wall. It was a black-and-white clipping from a local newspaper that had written a story about her taking first place in a competition.
“What’s that? Sorry, Aspen…was totally zoning out.” She shook her head back-and-forth a couple times.
“No big deal.” Aspen walked over and took a seat on the floor in front of the fireplace, near Wren’s feet. The tray with the remaining two mugs of hot chocola
te never faltered as she lowered herself down with just her legs. She set the tray on the floor in front of her and patted the spot next to her for Wren to have a seat. “Here, sit by me.”
Wren sat down, watching the steam from the cup hover over its marshmallow surface.
Aspen handed the mug to Wren carefully with the handle pointed toward her, making it easy for her to grasp. “Hope you like marshmallows as much as we do.”
“I absolutely love ‘em.” She held the mug up under her chin and inhaled its scent. The smell gave her fond memories of her childhood growing up with her aunt and brother. “Thanks, Aspen.”
Aspen’s smile came with twinkling eyes, reflecting off the flickering fire. “My pleasure.”
They took a sip in unison and then giggled when the mugs were pulled away, revealing a mustache of puffy-white marshmallow. They didn’t bother clearing it away as they delved in for more.
~~@
Wren awoke to a rooster alarming everyone that the day was fast approaching. She cleared the crusty chunks from the corners of her eyes. She sniffed the pillow, trying to embed its scent into her system. Its smell reminded her of Aspen. A smell she wished she could bottle up and preserve, wherever she may go.
She rolled over on her side and hugged the pillow to her chest. She feared this day of having to return to L.A. would come much too fast, and it did. How would things be once they were back? How would things be now that everything felt so incomplete? She wished Aspen was laying there beside her. She snuggled the pillow tighter.
Aspen didn’t want to crawl out of bed. After years of training her body to get up early, she just wanted to hide from the world and hide from the uncertainty of her life. How could she block her true feelings for Wren? How could she settle for something other than what her heart truly desired? She pulled the covers over her head and turned to stuff her face in the pillow.
~~@
As the sun slowly began to shine through the window, Aspen and Wren fixed breakfast in silence. They each went about their tasks like they had attended a preplanning meeting prior to its preparation. Aspen set the steaming mugs of coffee next to their plates and then placed a bowl of freshly cut fruits in the center of the table. Wren manned the sizzling bacon while flipping the perfectly round palm-sized pancakes into a stack on a nearby plate.
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