Tim and Andy stepped outside, coffees and a bag of breakfast burritos in hand.
“…the way your…”
Elias had about fifteen seconds before they rolled out.
“…the way your smile lit up the entire rec center. And how good it felt to hold you while you laughed. Pure joy, baby. Not sure what happened after that, if it was something I said or did wrong, but I want to fix it, Wren. I want to see you again. I want to talk. Like, really talk. Get to know you.” He chuckled. “Beyond your fondness for stealing my clothes. Call me.”
He disconnected and took his coffee from the cardboard holder Tim held out. “Thanks, man. Any luck with April?”
“Naw, didn’t even try.” But to Elias’ surprise, Tim actually looked cheerful. “I’m letting it go. I met someone else last weekend. Might be some potential there.”
“Dude, that’s great news.”
Tim looked fondly at the coffee shop. “Yeah. I hope someone brings April some joy someday. She’s a sweet gal under the snark.”
As they climbed into the ambulance, Elias felt a sense of calm settle over him. His heart told him he’d see Wren again, no matter what. He’d talk to her, find out what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.
And this time, he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.
THIRTEEN
The rest of Wren’s weekend didn’t go so great, either. She cleaned up the property photos and drone footage for Chase and uploaded it without a problem, and he replied with a glowing email, telling her to clear her calendar because he was definitely going to have more work for her. That should have been cause for celebration, and to be sure, she was proud of her work. But her victory rang a little hollow without sharing it with Elias, or even Ellie, April, and especially with Stephanie. She liked all the women she’d met over the weekend. She thought she’d started something special with Elias, but her life’s refrain went through her head—nothing good ever lasts.
Speaking of the women I met over the weekend. Wren finished composing an email to Sandra, detailing Tuesday’s photo shoot—one close to Wren’s heart. After talking to Sandra on the phone for an hour, Wren came away confident that she would take the shoot seriously and treat it with the respect that it deserved. Sandra had pointed Wren to some of her travel photos on her social media account. She’d snapped some gorgeous landscapes, but the photos that convinced Wren that Sandra was the woman for the job were much more intimate portraits of the people she’d met on her travels. She’d also told Sandra thatthe shoot might happen later in the week instead, or might not happen at all, but Sandra assured her she’d show up anytime, anyplace.
Wren hit ‘send’ and closed her laptop. She stood and stretched, then rubbed her gimpy shoulder.It’ll be nice having an assistant again, and this time, I can call the shots. When she’d worked for a fashion magazine, she’d had an assistant whose job it was to fetch and carry during shoots. She wanted to be a photographer and Wren was more than happy to give her pointers, but management was not so happy, and told Wren to stop wasting the company’s time and money because it wasn’t her job to train someone they’d never promote. Now, Wren was free to teach Sandra anything she wanted to know, in return for carrying her equipment.
The only drawback to using Sandra was of course, Elias. Wren fell asleep that night thinking of ways to dodge the topic. And pretending it didn’t hurt.
Tuesday morning,Wren checked her messages and saw the shoot was still on.
“Good,” she said to herself. She called Sandra to let her know.
“I was just about to call you,” Sandra said by way of hello. She sounded distraught, her voice a little muffled. “I know I said I’d be available no matter what, and I still am today, just not all day.”
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just an idiot. I was eating popcorn late last night and chewing on a kernel that didn’t quite pop, and managed to crack one of my fillings. Maybe the whole tooth.”
Wren flinched and covered her heart. “Oh, that sounds painful.”
“A couple of ibuprofens are keeping the pain at bay. But if I don’t do something about it right away I’m afraid it’s going to get infected. The earliest appointment I could get is this afternoon, and the next available one is three days from now.”
“I totally understand. The shoot’s still on today, and I’m planning on setting up at eleven. If you’re still up for it, you could come for the morning and then go to your appointment, but if you can’t make it at all, I’ll grab you for the next one.”
“The appointment’s at one, so I’ll be there at eleven, help you set up, and just duck out early. Thank yousomuch for understanding.”
“Of course! I’ll show you everything I can before you go.”
“Thanks again.” Sandra’s relief was palpable.
“Sure. I’ll meet you in the parking lot. Call me if anything changes.”
“Will do.”
Wren disconnected, still feeling residual anxiety over Sandra’s situation as if it were happening to her. Again, she was glad she’d made the decision to step away from the magazine and strike out on her own, where she could have more control over her life. Even if it wasn’t as glamorous as shooting supermodels and superstars, it felt both calmer and richer.
She met Sandra promptly at eleven. Sandra was already waiting in her car in the parking lot of the YMCA in Denver. As soon as Wren parked beside her, she jumped out of her car and made a beeline for Wren’s trunk.
