Chapter 24 #2
“That was always the plan, right?” I finally ask. Memories of lying in the field, dreaming about the house we’d build on the property line near the river, merging Drummond Farms and Riggsby Cattle, while I took over operations from my dad.
“Plans can change.”
“Or they can work themselves out.”
I lean back against the couch, hoping Wren will slide back with me and we can get a little more comfortable.
But she stands and our hands slip free. My stomach sinks with fear that this could be it for the night.
I’m not ready to go. I’m enjoying the chance to actually talk in person and not through texts and not with wandering ears.
Wren flicks on the lamp by the couch, and that’s when I realize I’ve been too wrapped up in her company to notice the sun has nearly set and the room has gotten much darker.
This time, when she comes back, she doesn’t leave any space between us.
Our thighs brush, and I instinctively wrap my arms around her shoulders, needing to be closer to her.
“Can I ask you something?”
She hums. “Depends.”
“The reality show, how did… Was it…”
“You can ask me all the questions, J.”
“How did you get on the show? Was it always what you wanted?”
Wren lets out a long breath and leans her head against my shoulder, staring at the TV playing a commercial.
Her hand moves absentmindedly to her neck as her fingers toy with the silver chain.
It’s the same chain attached to the necklace I gave her years ago.
I’ve noticed how she always wears it and each time I see it, my heart skips a beat.
“Was it what I always wanted? No. I never imagined I’d end up on a reality show.
It’s not like it was my dream or anything; it kind of landed in my lap.
In college, I had an internship at Hearst Properties of Columbus.
I worked my way from assistant to an actual position once I graduated.
Over the years, my co-workers learned more about me… and my past.”
With me. She doesn’t actually say the words, but it’s easy to put two and two together.
“They asked if I planned on moving back to Silo Bay or staying in Columbus, and when I mentioned I was open to anything, my boss brought up an opening in California. I figured what the hell, and took it.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Yes,” she answers without pause. “More than I could ever express.”
She wiggles deeper into my side.
“I thought it’d be fun. Who wouldn’t want to be on TV? A fresh start in California where the stars are. The perfect chance to make a name for myself and excel in my real estate career.” She huffs a humorless laugh. “It opened doors alright. Only they were filled with monsters.”
My brow pinches, concern filling my veins. Someone hurt her. “It was that bad?”
She nods slowly. “The cameras were fine, I got used to them after a while, but I hated always having to be on. If I was makeup-less, my skincare needed to be on point. My outfits needed to be the best. I had to make sure my resting face wasn’t weird.
The producers were slimy, but my camera crew wasn’t terrible… well, until they were.”
Until they were?
“It was the people I worked with who were the worst.” She shifts on the couch so she’s facing me, her thigh resting against mine from where her leg is folded in front of her.
“They were so fake, especially when the cameras weren’t rolling.
They’d play nice on camera, with their disingenuous smiles and passive aggressive jokes, but the moment the cameras weren’t rolling, they’d talk so much shit about each other it was disgusting. ”
I shake my head, not able to imagine her in that setting. “Doesn’t sound like your scene at all.”
“It wasn’t. The network treated me like I was some naive country girl who had never seen a city before. And I’ll give them that, LA was not Columbus, but I wasn’t stupid.”
“Of course you’re not stupid.”
Her pretty lips twist slightly, like she’s remembering something she doesn’t like.
“They used to call me Snow White.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “Explain.”
“Because I didn’t sleep around, didn’t want to party every night, didn’t drink a ton, and didn’t start or partake in their drama.
They said I was too pure for reality TV.
” Her eyes drift away as she continues. “I’d been in California for a few weeks, settling in at the firm, and trying to make my condo feel like mine.
That’s all I’ve wanted, a place to feel like mine.
A place that feels like home.” She waves her hand around, forcing herself to get back to the point of her story.
“The girls in the firm invited me out one night after work to a fancy LA rooftop bar. I met them there and felt out of place as soon as I stepped through the door. Honestly, I don’t think the bouncer would’ve let me if I weren’t on the list under Hearst Properties.
They were all wearing mini cocktail dresses and heels that cost more than a house payment in Silo Bay.
Everything about them screamed opulence and fame. ”
She glances at her lap where she toys with the hem of her shirt.
“I wore a sundress…and boots.”
I smile at the image. “Sounds like the Wren I knew.”
“They laughed when they saw me.” Her voice cracks.
“Raquel, the office ringleader and mean girl, played it off like it was a joke, but I knew they were making fun of me. I hadn’t had a chance to go shopping.
All I had was what I packed, and I didn’t understand what was so wrong with my outfit.
It was who I was.” A heavy breath leaves her.
“After we were seated in the VIP section, an expensive bottle of champagne was brought over, and Raquel made a toast celebrating Snow White joining the firm.”
I hate where this is going. I feel my hands clench into fists before I can stop them.
“That’s what they named me. Snow White. The too pure, innocent, naive, small-town girl.
It felt like a punch to the gut. These women who were kind and welcoming on my first day turned into catty mean girls, and I wish I could say it was because of the cameras, but the nickname stuck.
It hurt to be viewed that way, as if I was nothing because of where I came from.
I busted my ass in college. I’d been through hell and back.
The truth was, I wasn’t too pure, I just didn’t want to be them. ”
“No, Whiskey, you’re definitely not too pure.” My words are laced with innuendo, of all the things we’d done together over our teenage years, as I try to make her smile.
She laughs softly, a shy smile spreading across her face, but it fades all too fast.
“I hated who I was becoming out there. Everything seemed so fake, from personalities to appearances. The cameras felt overwhelming when there were days I just wanted to be alone. Being in the spotlight isn’t worth the pain and torture.”
I reach for her, needing to feel she’s here with me.
She goes willingly as I tug her into my side, squeezing her tighter.
I press a kiss to the top of her head, but linger longer than necessary.
I can’t find the right words, and I’m afraid to say the wrong thing.
It shocked me when I learned Wren joined a reality show, only because she hated the curious glances and whispers when we were growing up.
To put her entire life in front of millions, it didn’t feel like her.
But what did I know about the Wren she’d become.
I shift my arm, and notice she’s looking at my watch. My body stiffens when I realize it’s nearly ten. Four o’clock comes quick, but I don’t want to break this moment. Don’t want to leave her.
“Stay,” Wren blurts like she’s reading my mind, gripping onto my thigh to keep me from standing. “I-I mean, please stay tonight.”
I’m rendered speechless once again tonight. And I hate how Wren’s face drops when she mistakes my silence for rejection.
“That’s okay, you don’t—”
“No, I want to.” It’s my turn to interrupt her. “I’d love to stay with you, Wren. God, I’ve wanted to fall asleep next to you for a long time. Are you sure?”
Wren nibbles on her plump bottom lip as she nods quickly.
And my heart can barely contain its excitement.