Chapter Twelve
There’d been something so touching about seeing the way Jeff behaved with the little boy who’d approached him on the beach, Wren’s eyes had momentarily filled with tears, thinking about how different her life had been as a kid compared to how Jeff’s must have been.
It would be rude to stay in the water without introductions to his friends, she decided. Besides, she didn’t want to push Jeff into swimming if he was uncomfortable with her seeing his prosthetic. Something about the way he’d been behaving made her certain that it mattered.
Although she had no aversion whatsoever to seeing him with or without it. Wren had dealt with far worse when she’d taken care of her father after a life-threatening accident.
Suddenly, she was staring at the woman standing on the beach with widened eyes. “Kelly?”
Kelly’s jaw dropped open momentarily until she finally squeaked, “Wren ? Is that really you?”
“ What’s it been – like twelve years?”
“Longer than that, I’m thinking,” Kelly admitted, grinning. “How in the world did you end up here with my brother?”
Wren blinked. “Wait a minute. By any chance, is Jeff your twin? The one who you were always trying to talk into modeling?”
Jeff snorted, looking dazed. Obviously, he didn’t have a clue that Wren and Kelly had once been friends. Kind of strange considering Jeff had once told Wren that he was a fan.
“At that age, I didn’t care how much money I could have made,” Jeff growled. “There’s no way I would have been caught dead modeling clothes. I would have never been able to live it down.”
Wren’s eyes met Kelly’s before they burst into laughter.
“Who’s this?” Wren asked softly, reaching out to the sleepy little girl Kelly was carrying in her arms, rubbing a finger gently over the side of her face. “She’s beautiful.”
“This is my daughter, Adriana,” Kelly answered. “We walked over here a few minutes ago so that my son Danny could get a little exercise. Luke’s been cooped up working in our home office a lot this week. Luke and I both manage the Crystal Rock Airport, so we can do a lot of our work remotely, when he isn’t off piloting for Jake Loughlin.” Her eyes lingered on Wren’s face. “It’s so good to see you again. I almost didn’t recognize you. God I love that hair.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” she said, using her fingers to sweep it back from her face. “I had it cut at the Inn’s salon. You ought to see how cute it looks when it’s dry.”
They laughed.
From the corner of her eye, she watched as Jeff dropped his jeans, exposing his trunks, before tugging his shirt off over his head.
Powerfully built, with strong broad shoulders and muscular arms, even the leg that remained looked strong and conditioned.
Although she could see numerous scars, some seemingly recent, Jeff’s skin was darkly tanned. The metal prosthetic that he wore was most obviously highly functional.
Geez, he was more perfect than she’d ever imagined.
“Whoa,” Kelly said softly. “You’re positively drooling, Wren. I know he’s a big boy, but please don’t do anything to hurt him.”
Well, that was a slap in the face, Wren thought briefly, attempting to mask the hurt she was feeling. Of course that’s what Kelly would think of her. Wren had even tried to take away a guy that Kelly had been interested in as a teenager. It was amazing that they’d managed to stay friends.
Kelly must have suddenly realized that what she’d said had hurt, because she reached over with her hand to squeeze Wren’s. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right, Wren. I realize that the tabloids aren’t anything that I should base your reputation on. When I was in the spotlight, I had the same trouble.” Kelly heaved a sigh. “It’s just that I’m pretty sure that Jeff hasn’t seen anyone since he lost his leg.”
“What?” Wren was shocked. The guy was so hot, it was hard to believe. Wren grimaced. “To tell you the truth, learning something like that kind of makes me scared of him.”
Kelly burst out laughing before resuming their conversation.
“He broke up with his girlfriend three years ago, and they’d been an item since high school. It had nothing to do with his injuries, even though my older sister Kate seems to think it did. For whatever weird reason, she feels like she’s at fault for what happened to Jeff because she signed his permission papers for officer’s school because Jeff didn’t want to upset my mom by asking Dad, and hooked up with Jake Loughlin to have him pull some strings behind Mom’s back.” Kelly sighed. “I’m not saying that I’m going to be upset if the two of you end up…well, together. It’s not right that he can’t seem to move forward when it comes to women. Just make sure he knows the score. I’m not sure if you feel the same way that you did, but I remember you insisting you were never going to get married, and Jeff’s definitely the marrying kind, even though he doesn’t like to admit it.”
Wren nodded her understanding, relieved that Kelly wasn’t really being insulting. And then she realized something else – she wasn’t as immune to insults as she thought she was.
Was Wren really as adverse to marriage as she’d once been?
Reminded of the close-knit family she’d kind of gotten to know as a teenager after observing how happy Kelly obviously was, Wren was filled with a sense of longing. Kelly’s mom had been more like a mother to her in those modeling days than her own mother had been.
“Are you going back in the water?” Kelly asked.
“I think I’ll sit here and dry off while Jeff’s in there swimming with your son.”
After they sat on the beach and talked for a while, Wren sighed. “Kelly? There might be trouble, so no one is supposed to know I’m here. As far as anyone is concerned, I’m in New York.”
“What’s wrong, Wren? Is it something you can talk about?” Kelly asked, staring at Wren with obvious concern.
Wren grimaced. “I have a stalker. I’ve had one for a while now. But we think that he’s finally acting out. I don’t know if you’ve heard about that studio fire in Hollywood that’s killed three people and left another couple critically injured?”
“I have, as a matter of fact. It’s just awful,” she replied.
“They’re sure the wiring was tampered with and that I was more than likely the intended victim. I really shouldn’t be hanging out with you, but Jake seems to think I’ll be hard to locate, at least for now, since my head of security faked a trail to New York.”
“ Oh, Wren . I’m scared for you,” Kelly growled. “Will you be safe at the Inn?” she asked, looking uncertain.
“For now,” Wren answered.
“What does Jeff have to…” Kelly sighed and grimaced. “I can guess. Anyone who can parachute from planes wearing a prosthetic is more than capable of taking care of himself…and you, if that’s his assignment. He’s an adult with serious skills. I need to keep reminding myself of that.”
“He jumps out of planes – even with his injuries?” Wren clenched her teeth, shocked at how much it bothered her. “Just thinking about him doing that gives me the chills.”
“I hear you,” Kelly agreed.
For a moment, Wren was arrested, watching Jeff walk out from the water and onto the sand. He looked like some kind of sun-kissed Adonis with all those muscles bulging out from his arms and leg.
“Damn, he’s so sexy,” Wren murmured. “The scars and prosthetic make it even more of a statement.”
Kelly snorted. “Don’t let him hear you say that. It’d go to his head for sure. I don’t know if I should even tell you this. He’s had the biggest crush on you, ever since he was a teenager. That’s why I never told him that I knew you. I might not have ever heard the end of it.”
Wren’s mouth gaped open, staring at Kelly.
And then they both burst into laughter.