Page 29 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“I’m counting on it,” he muttered, steering her toward the elevator and hitting the button.

When the elevator opened, she stepped inside, spinning around on her heels.

“That confident, are you?” Wren asked, grinning.

Something in the tone of her voice had him thinking that she wasn’t only talking about the music.

Ah, what the hell, he decided. He could give as good as he got.

“That, I am,” he answered, giving her a wink as the elevator doors began closing.

He could still hear her laughter as he continued through the hallway toward the lobby, exiting the Inn.

Chapter Fourteen

After Eve called, Wren texted Jake, letting him know that she was heading to the studio and would probably stop off for something to eat before returning. Despite the tracker he’d secured to her vehicle, she’d agreed to let him know in advance when she was going to leave the Inn.

Once he’d texted back a thumbs up, Wren made her way downstairs on the elevator, heading through the lobby to the parking lot.

It’s funny, but ever since arriving in Crystal Rock, she’d felt safe. Now that she was far away from her regular life in California, Wren suddenly recognized that she hadn’t been experiencing that uneasy feeling that she’d had for a while now.

Although she couldn’t understand why, it had always felt like she’d been being watched.

Another fifteen minutes later, Wren arrived at the studio’s gated entrance, turning onto the long road leading into the parking lot. Glancing over at the Angel’s Way vineyard, she noticed the small café that was located near another gate fartheralong the road. The place was highly rated in the brochure that Wren had read through last night. She’d have to have lunch there one day.

Strangely, she was nervous as she walked into the studio lobby, where Eve appeared to be waiting with bated breath.

“I’m so excited with what Jeff has come up with, Wren,” Eve said, grinning. “I wanted you to listen without distractions and with all the bells and whistles, otherwise I wouldn’t have had you come here.”

Eve stood from behind the desk, leading Wren through the hallway, into the same studio where she’d recorded earlier that day.

“You sit inside, while I regulate the playback. Jeff mixed you two versions. The first is a recording using most of the same techniques and instruments that you’ve always had success with in the past.”

“Okay,” Wren said, heading inside the studio and taking a seat. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Eve smiled again, taking a seat behind the glass with the instrument panels.

When the first rendition of Wren’s vocals echoed through the studio, Wren was definitely impressed. It did sound a lot like her past recordings, most of which had become hits. She liked the different quality of her voice, she decided. A few new sounds had been added to the mix, and Wren had to agree – Jeff appeared to be a talented audio engineer.

Wren smiled. “That sounds great. Even better than what I expected.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that,” Eve answered. “What you’re going to listen to next though is the new and improved version of Wren Matthews, transforming you from a pop star into a rock sensation.”

Wren smiled widely. “Hmm. Very interesting. Obviously, you liked what you heard.”

“It’s more than that, Wren,” Eve answered, becoming serious. “With the music and the dancing, you haven’t been taken as seriously as you should have been. I absolutely love that Jeff saw something in you that no one else was able to.”

Wren blinked.

And when the haunting gritty voice echoed through the speakers, eventually being backed by what appeared to be a lone violin with an orchestra eventually joining in, Wren barely recognized herself.

The meaning of the lyrics in the song she’d written was apparent.Searchingwas about the grief of living life with a mother who’d abandoned her when she’d been young, leaving her to care for a father who’d been severely disabled after nearly being killed – on his bike. Those were the lean years, right before she’d turned sixteen, when Wren was no longer offered modeling spots or even the few and far between recording jobs, mainly because of her controlling mother, who’d never seemed to realize that she’d been the one who’d succeeded in drying up Wren’s opportunities for work because of her demands for more money.

And then Wren had been forced to deal with a lot of bullying after returning to high school.

Which was why Wren never wanted kids or even to marry.

Eventually, Wren found a manager on her own who’d taken her talent as a vocalist seriously and had reached out once her mother was out of the picture.

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