Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Wren watched the guys disappear down the hall, wondering what their meeting was all about. She also wondered at the shocked look on Waylon’s face.
Did I read Elias all wrong?
Waylon was far from hostile, but Wren had learned to smell a confrontation brewing from a mile away and was quick to defuse the situation. She thought she’d been successful, considering they were all joking with each other, including Waylon.
“Don’t worry about them,” Stephanie said, breaking into her thoughts. “Let’s get you signed up.” She grabbed her keyboard off to the side and slid it across her desk until it was in front of her. “Gimme your deets, girl. Full name, address, phone, email.”
“Wren Stapleton.” She gave Stephanie the rest of her info.
“Any health concerns that might interfere with doing a physical activity?”
“Just my shoulder.” Her hand automatically went to her shoulder and rubbed it. “But that’s why I’m taking your class, to see if I can strengthen my shoulder and work out this knot.”
Stephanie looked up. “Noted. We’ll start you out slow in the beginners class. I can suggest a personal trainer as well.”
“Sounds good.”
Stephanie looked back down at her keyboard and typed away. “Allergies?”
“Just an allergy to fancy pants beer.”
Stephanie snorted. “Girl, I like you.” Her fingers kept flying as she asked more questions.
“There. All signed up,” Stephanie announced as she opened a file drawer and pulled out an info packet. She handed it to Wren with a smile. “Class schedules start on page five and go alphabetically, so you’ll just want to jump straight to page thirty-eight for yoga.” She tilted her head toward Gabe’s office. “I’m teaching a class later today but I imagine you’ve got other plans already.”
Do I?
When she’d joked earlier about Penny and Chuck being upset that Elias was leaving them, she’d casually suggested he’d be coming back to his house alone for dinner, giving him an out but hoping he’d correct her.
He didn’t. Instead he’d looked away and asked if she was ready to go.
Of course he’s tired of you .
It was plain as day on every man’s face when they walked in. Shock that Elias was still with the woman he’d gone home with on Friday night. Even more shock that he’d introduced her to Bear.
Waylon did everyone a favor and said the quiet part out loud.
The Lion bagged his prey and now I’m just going to bore him.
I should do Elias a favor and grab a lift to my car at Riversong so he can enjoy the rest of his weekend without me being all clingy.
Wren looked toward the front door, almost envisioning a car coming to pick her up before Elias came back out and things got awkward.
“Something wrong?” Stephanie asked. Her smile looked fixed in place while her eyes gleamed with concern.
“Sorry.” Wren gave her a quick smile, a well-worn reflex. She was ready with another joke to relieve the tension but instead she found herself saying, “I’m not sure what the plan is.”
Stephanie’s smile relaxed into something more genuine. “I can tell you the plan doesn’t involve taking your first yoga class today.”
It was Wren’s turn to smile for real. “You don’t think so?”
“No, sweetie. I don’t think Elias is going to let you out of his sight after they’re done.”
That reassured her a little. But there was still that nagging little voice in her head.
Nothing good ever lasts in your life .
And Elias was the best thing that happened to Wren in a long time.
“You guys are old friends, huh?” she teased Stephanie, changing the subject.
“Actually, no, not old friends. Really only got to know all the little critters this year.”
Wren grinned. “The nicknames.”
“Cute, aren’t they?” Then Stephanie’s face lit up like she’d just thought of something. “Hey, you fit right in with your name.”
“Oh, right. Wren like the bird. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“Lucky you. I keep angling to join the club but for some reason they’re resistant to calling me Cougar.”
Wren’s eyes went wide before she almost bent in half, laughing. She set the info packet on the desk because she was likely to spill the folder’s contents all over the floor if Stephanie kept making her laugh like that.
“Hey!” Gabe shouted from down the hall. Wren looked up and watched him coming out of his office followed by the other men. “Knew you couldn’t stay out of trouble, Steph. What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing, boss!” Stephanie shouted back. She winked at Wren, who gave her another reflexive smile. All her attention was on the fact that Elias and Waylon weren’t among the other men.
Are they just talking? Or is there a problem? The anxiety she’d managed to get under control flared inside. She felt flushed, and hoped it didn’t show.
Shane, Ben, and Bear only stopped long enough to tell her and Stephanie goodbye before they were back out the door. Gabe lingered by the desk.
“All is well?” Stephane asked Gabe.
“All is well,” he assured her.
Wren was about to ask Gabe about Elias and Waylon when two women in workout clothes came running up to the desk. They had similar features and Wren figured them for sisters or maybe cousins. The younger woman looked like she was in her very early twenties while the other woman looked somewhere around ten years older.
Gabe held out his arm to pull one of the women into a hug and Wren realized who they were—Gabe’s wife Rochelle and her little sister, Sandra. Ellie had told Wren about them the day before. Sandra especially, since she was an amateur photographer.
Rochelle laughed at Gabe. “You don’t want to hug me right now, I’m covered in sweat.” As she spoke, she signed the words.
Gabe grabbed the woman anyway and pulled her close. “I don’t care, babe.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head.
“Stephanie,” Sandra exclaimed, a joyful smile on her face. “I just finished the book you recommended. I could not put it down.” She looked at Wren. “Are you a reader? Steph’s got the best recommendations.”
“Absolutely,” Wren said.
“Oh, here we go.” Gabe laughed. “Hope you like ’em spicy.”
“Sure do. Lay one on me, Stephanie.”
“By the way, this is my wife Rochelle and her sister, Sandra,” Gabe said, making introductions. “Wren is…she came in with Elias.”
Great. He’s not sure what to call me . Which made her feel ridiculously awkward.
“Nice to meet you.” Wren nodded at Rochelle and Sandra. “So, where’s my book recommendation?” Wren said quickly, turning the attention back on Stephanie, who was pulling a thick paperback out of her desk drawer.
“Well, I don't usually read historical romance, but this one,” Stephanie clutched the book to her chest, “is amazing.”
“Really? What's it called?”
Stephanie turned the book to show Wren the cover. “It's called The Fate of a Pineapple .” She closed her eyes and pretended to swoon.
Gabe started laughing. “The what of the what?”
“ The Fate of a Pineapple ,” Stephanie repeated. “Oh, you’re a man. You have no idea.” She turned to Wren. “Not only is it a historical romance, but it's,” she lowered her voice, “reverse harem.”
Gabe cupped his ear and leaned in. “I didn’t catch that, Steph,” he said, obviously teasing her.
“You weren’t supposed to.”
“Anything that makes my wife blush and raises her temperature like whatever you said just did, I gotta know what it is.”
Rochelle’s eyes widened and she pretended to slap Gabe’s arm. “I did not!” Then she stage-whispered, “But gosh, it’s so hot in here all of a sudden,” as she fanned herself with her hand.
“Wait, here you go.” Stephanie started fanning her with the book, the three hot, brooding guys in frock coats and bare chests on the cover doing absolutely nothing to cool her down. Wren found herself relaxing as she laughed with the rest of them.
It’s a shame. I could get used to this .
Just then she looked toward the hall and caught Elias walking with Waylon, watching her. The look on Elias’ face said everything. His relaxed smile, his shining, lagoon-blue eyes focused solely on her.
Maybe I have it all wrong. He looks like he could get used to this, too .
She waited for her instinct to run to rear its head. For the tiny voice to remind her she was out of her mind for staying. That Elias actually wanted to keep her. For thinking this could work.
Instead, she watched him coming closer with a look in his eyes that said don’t you dare run. You’re mine .
As he walked, Elias folded up a sheet of paper and put it in his pocket. He never once broke his gaze with Wren. He and Waylon got to them just in time to hear Gabe ask, “Three guys at once?”
Both men stopped in their tracks, eyes wide, and looked at their friend.
“Come again?” Waylon asked.
“ And again. And one more time,” Stephanie said, not a trace of embarrassment on her face.
Which sent Wren, Sandra, and Rochelle back into hysterics.
Elias grabbed Wren around the waist, ostensibly to keep her from falling over from laughter. Keeping his arms around her, he maneuvered behind her and pulled her tightly against his chest, as if he held her like this in front of his friends all the time. He rubbed his rough, stubbly cheek against her temple, raising goose bumps. Wren leaned back into him and felt his heartbeat against her back, strong and steady.
See? she told the mean little voice in her head. This is okay. This is better than okay. This is good. Now, I’m going to play with him .
“So, how does reverse harem even happen in historical romance?” Wren asked, both curious and just to yank Elias’ chain. “They weren't exactly into polyamory back then.”
It worked, judging by the way he jumped.
“Oh, believe me, it happens,” Stephanie answered. “People can be ingenious when they want something.”
“So what’s the story about?”
“Or does it even have one?” Gabe teased.
Stephanie fixed him with a frown. “Of course it does! It starts out with this family that is trying desperately to get into the inner circle of the ton .”
“What's the ton ?” Elias asked.
“British high society in the Georgian era. Like that Bridgerton show on Netflix.”
“Right, the ton .” Elias let go of Wren to slap his forehead, but Wren was almost positive he still had no idea. He confirmed it with a goofy look as he wrapped her back up again.
“Exactly,” Stephanie said, ignoring his antics. “ Anyway , this family is stretched to the absolute max of their budget, and they want to impress the ton , so they decide to throw a big party with a pineapple theme. Back then, pineapples were a mark of wealth and aristocracy because they were so hard to get. People actually rented pineapples for centerpieces.”
“No way!” Wren asked, incredulous.
Stephanie nodded. “Mmm-hmm, they did. So, in this story, the heroine, who is the oldest daughter in the family, can’t afford to outright buy an actual pineapple, so she decides to secretly rent one for this party as sort of a gamble to win over everyone. She's hoping, of course, to find her match and to make matches for her younger sisters.”
“Isn’t that the mother’s job?” Rochelle asked.
“Her mother is a complete idiot. She lets her oldest daughter run things, and for the most part, she’s done really well. So the heroine disguises herself and goes to rent a pineapple.”
“Wait a minute, so there was a store where you can rent pineapples?” Elias asked, looking confused.
“Dozens. You have no clue,” Stephanie said with mock exasperation. “So, she goes and rents a pineapple. She’s promised it will be delivered on the night of her party. But the villain in the story, a woman from one of the snootier families she’s trying to impress, has followed her. Then, when they’re at the party, our heroine is carrying around this pineapple, showing it off, and everyone is very impressed.”
Elias snorted.
“It would be like, I don't know, showing off your new Lotus or your Ferrari,” Stephanie said.
“I don't want a Lotus or Ferrari. I don't need one. I have my trucks,” Elias said, sounding proud.
“You have a second truck?” Wren asked.
“Yeah. I had it before my dad gave me his.”
“It’s a wonderful truck,” Wren said, and earned a squeeze. “Sorry, please continue.”
“So the party is going incredibly well. The sisters are all talking to eligible bachelors. There’s dancing. The food is great. Everything’s wonderful. Right up until the end. And that’s when the villain goes up to the heroine, looks at the pineapple, and says, ‘Now is the perfect time to carve that open, so we can eat it.’”
“Oh no!” Wren exclaimed.
“Oh yes,” Stephanie continued. “So the heroine is standing there, dumbstruck. She has no idea what to do. This thing is rented. If she carves it up, she’s out the money. But if she doesn’t carve it up, she has to admit that she rented it, and she will be made a fool. She’s looking at her sisters who are doing so well, talking to these bachelors. It’s all gonna be ruined. So the choice is clear.”
“She cuts up the pineapple, doesn’t she?” Wren asked, feeling sick to her stomach.
“She sure does. She walks over to the table, plops down the pineapple. She has no idea what she’s doing, right? And of course, the villain is goading her on. ‘ You know how to carve a pineapple? Surely your staff does it for you.’ Then she looks around and says, ‘but I don’t see any staff here at the moment.’ That’s because they can’t afford full-time staff and the villain has paid them off to leave early.”
“Oh, she’s a real bitch,” Sandra muttered.
“A complete and utter bitch.” Stephanie nodded in agreement. “So the heroine is standing there with a knife, looking at this pineapple, having no idea what to do with it. She’s sick to her stomach, trying not to throw up because everything’s gone so wrong. Everybody is staring at her. Some people are snickering, other people are looking on, horrified. She realizes... they know . They know she rented this thing. But in for a penny, in for a pound. She lays the pineapple on its side on a platter, takes the knife in both hands, imagines the pineapple is the villain’s head, and she thoomp! chops off the top. It’s like she’s foreseen the French Revolution and the guillotine right there, and the villain is Marie Antoinette.”
Everyone laughed.
“She’s never had a pineapple, of course. So she’s not peeling it first. She’s just sort of chopping it up, making a complete hash of it. And the villain is watching her and making comments like, ‘That’s certainly an interesting way to dress a pineapple. I’ve never seen it done that way before. You must have been to parties that I’ve never attended.’ On and on. Finally, she’s got this butchered pineapple lying there. She’s putting the pieces onto another platter that someone has mercifully brought to her. Everyone gathers around for a piece.”
Wren was really getting into the story. “Please tell me with her head held high, she offers the first piece to the villain, right?”
“Right,” Stephanie said.
“Classy move. Power move.”
“And the villain turns up her nose and says, ‘Honestly, pineapple does not agree with my constitution. Judging by the look on your face, I don’t think it agrees with yours either.’”
The women groaned. They booed. They hissed.
“Oh, she is the worst !” Rochelle exclaimed.
Stephanie nodded slowly. “The story only gets better from there. This is all basically the first couple chapters. From here on, the heroine declares revenge on the villain. But at this point, she’s also destitute.”
“Don’t tell me,” Sandra said. “A man steps in to help her. He offers her money in return for her love. Or maybe just her body?” she asked, amused.
“Oh, very good, very good. Yeah, not just any man, but the villain’s brother.”
“Ohhh,” they all said.
“This sounds like so much fun,” Rochelle added.
“It is. I’m just getting to the part where she’s meeting the second man who’s going to be in her harem.” Stephanie grinned evilly. “But…no more spoilers.”
“All right, I’m running out right now and buying a copy,” Sandra said.
“Me too,” Wren added, just to tease Elias. But she had to admit—she was hooked.
“We could all get a copy and do a book club,” Sandra said excitedly as she looked from one woman to the next. Then she looked back and forth between Gabe and Elias. “You guys want in, too?”
“No way,” they both protested.
Stephanie put her hands on her hips. “I’ll have you know, Dr. Boyfriend reads romances with me. He thinks of them as instruction manuals.”
“Oooh…” the women chorused.
“Hey, I’ll join,” Waylon said, his voice only laced with a little sarcasm. “Looks like I’ll have plenty of free time coming up.”
Stephanie gave him a funny look but didn’t say anything as she studied him. Then she glanced at Elias.
Rochelle tapped her sister on the shoulder. “Are you going to have time for a book club? Don’t your classes start soon?”
“Wow, it’s like I have a Regency big sister breathing down my neck,” Sandra joked. “I’ll tear through that book in a weekend. I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Wren said. “I was talking to Ellie yesterday and she says you’re going to school for photography.”
“Yup! I’ve got an art history class that I’m looking forward to, and a few general classes that I’m not. Then I have to apply for a spot to get a BFA with a focus on photography. The program’s limited to only a few students at a time.”
“Would an internship with a photographer increase your chances?”
“Absolutely, but like I’m gonna find one before I start my classes. Maybe I can apply for a spot sometime late next year.”
“Or, you could intern with me right now and get a head start on the competition,” Wren said.
Sandra’s eyebrows rose. “You’re a photographer?”
“She is,” Elias said before Wren could reply. “Real estate now, but she did professional portraiture before that. Celebrities, actually.” He spoke in a confident, almost pompous tone, all the while looking at Waylon, who smirked back, shaking his head slightly.
What’s that about?
“Yeah, I did,” Wren said, taking on her own professional tone as she stepped out of Elias’ arms. “I still do, but I wanted to back away for a while, do something different. Real estate’s paying the bills right now, but I have another project going.” Something that has more meaning than photographing celebrities she wanted to add. “I’d love to schlep you along this week, if you’re free.”
Sandra looked excited. “Oh, I will make the time. Wow, thank you.”
“Here’s my card.” Wren dug into her tote, found her wallet, and took out a business card. “Kind of old-fashioned, I know. Text me at that number so I have you in my contacts and I’ll let you know when it’s happening.”
Sandra took the card and pulled her phone out of the gym bag slung over her shoulder. “ When it’s happening?”
“It’s…” She didn’t want to give too much away, not with whatever weirdness was going on between Elias and Waylon right now. Plus, she didn’t want to put Sandra on the spot. She’d talk to her later in private, gauge if this project was going to be a good fit. Wren had offered the internship without giving it a single thought, caught up in the moment.
“The timing might change, depending. It’s all up to the subjects’ availability.”
Waylon nudged Sandra. “That means flighty celebrities, I’m guessing.”
“Actually, no.” Wren gave him a tight smile. “At least, not this time.” She turned her attention to Sandra. “Hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, anything and everything’s great. I’ve done a lot of travel photography, but real estate, portraits, doesn’t matter. I can learn something from all of it.”
“Awesome. I’ll text you.”
Anxiety spun up in her head. Wren glanced at Elias, hoping he’d get the clue she wanted to leave. Right now, before there was any more weirdness between him and Waylon. What if they started arguing right here in front of everyone?
“Ready to go, babe?” Elias mercifully asked. He had a wide smile, but there was plenty of uncertainty in his eyes. Her stomach knotted and her shoulders tightened until she felt the rock pulling.
Why the uncertainty? Is he trying to think of ways to ditch me today?
He and Waylon must have been talking about her. That’s why they’d hung back when the other guys walked out.
Waylon doesn’t like me and talked him out of… whatever this is we’re doing here. And now Elias is going to ditch me. I’ve read everything wrong.
Again .
“Yeah, I’m ready.” She gave everyone a goodbye smile and nod. “Nice to meet you all.”
“Hey, don’t forget your info packet.” Stephanie nudged it toward her. “I’ll be expecting you in my beginner’s class, young lady.”
Even if the look Stephanie was giving her was supposed to be joking—and judging by everyone’s laughter, it was—Wren could still see a spark of seriousness in her eyes. The woman really wanted her there.
“Of course.” Wren took the brochure and put it in her tote.
When they got to Elias’ truck, he opened her door for her and then jogged around to the driver’s side and got in. He started to open his mouth to say something, but Wren cut him off.
“I’ve got work to do today on the drone footage for Chase and I’m already behind, so do you mind taking me to my car?”
For once, she couldn’t think of anything funny to say, so she smiled and braced for a fight.
Instead, Elias turned the key in the ignition. “Yeah, sure, if that’s what you want.”
It’s not what I want. Not at all .
But judging by Elias suddenly going cold now that they were away from his friends, saying those words would undoubtedly start a discussion she didn’t want to have.
And that discussion will lead to a disagreement, and down the road we’ll go, straight into an ugly fight. And that’s not how I want to remember this weekend .
She’d learned long ago that nice things could disappear at a moment’s notice, usually surrounded by fighting. Nice things didn’t last. Not for her.
So instead, Wren rode the mercifully short distance to Riversong with her heart behaving like her name—a bird trapped and fluttering against the bars of its cage.
Elias stayed quiet through the drive. He parked next to her car and still didn’t say a word as he moved her equipment from his truck to the trunk of her car. Not until he opened her car door for her and she started to get in.
“Wait. Can we talk?”
The bird in her chest that had replaced her heart went into full panic mode. Can we talk never led to good things, ever. Even if those lagoon-blue eyes looked hurt instead of angry. Because that’s where hurt always went—straight to anger. Then to lashing out at whatever caused the hurt. Or whoever.
“It was a great weekend, Elias.” She stroked his cheek. “Thank you. For everything.”
She got into her car without looking back.
Classes with Stephanie would have been a riot but she’d no doubt run into Elias at the rec center—probably because of Stephanie, judging by that look she gave Wren. So, that was out. Now all she had to do was figure out how she could avoid him while still working with Sandra. Oh, and that drone and photography job for Ellie and Bear.
Well, at least he has his scrubs top back. I won’t have to return…
That’s when she realized she was still wearing his shirt and jeans. She actually laughed.
Well, shit.
I guess that’s just me. A bird in lion’s clothing .
Sure, now she thought of something clever to say.