Page 57 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“As you heard when we were talking with Jake, I grew up in the small town of Lawton, Illinois. My mom got pregnant with me, so her parents forced her, more or less, to marry my dad, so they were always at each other’s throats.” Wren sighed. “From the first time she heard me sing, my mom had big plans for me. And then it became an obsession. Which was fine with my dad, once my mom proved that I could earn them money. First, it was modeling so I’d be out in public and hopefully get noticed. That’s where I met your sister Kelly. We were pretty tight as kids, as a matter of fact.”

“When did you begin singing?” Jeff asked.

“When I was very young I was told I had potential, but no one would listen to me until I was around thirteen. Before that, my mom had developed a drinking problem through the years and got in trouble numerous times for leaving me alone while we were on the road. She got me gigs wherever she could find them, including in some seedy bars,” Wren said dryly.

“That’s when my dad got it in his head that he should take over my career. And because I was basically supporting all of us, he sued my mom for divorce and he won custody, because of all the times my mom had supposedly abandoned me.” She suddenly had tears in her eyes. “But the last thing I expected was that I’d never see her again. She never called or even wrote. It’s like she completely disappeared from my life.”

She cleared her throat. “But Dad did manage to find me an agent who could book me some professional gigs. That’s when I started making decent money doing commercials. I guess that’s where you noticed me?”

“Yes. And you were on a TV show where you played the love interest of the star of the show. I’d seen you in the commercials, but I never really knew you were until then,” Jeff admitted grinning.

She blinked. “I can’t believe that you noticed me way back then. That was years ago.”

Reaching out, Jeff covered her hand with his. “What can I say. I was a goner, right from the beginning.”

“You know it’s funny, that guy Greg, who was a teen idol was actually in his twenties when he was the star of that silly show. But come to think of it, that was probably my big break as a performer, since I got to sing on the show.”

The waitress appeared at the table to pour them more coffee.

Once she left, Wren continued, “The thing is, Dad wasn’t much better than Mom when it came to drinking. He did love me, but he didn’t have a problem letting my manager handle everything. I grew up fast,” she murmured. “And Dad didn’t even notice.”

Jeff’s eyes went wide as his hand tightened over hers, still resting on the table. “You don’t mean…?”

Wren shrugged. “It was consensual. I mean, I was young and impressionable. I thought I was in love. Eventually, he got in trouble for having sex with another minor, so he was in jail for a while. I’m not sure where he is now. Although I did tell Jake about him, he has no reason to be stalking me. But that’s probably why I don’t remember the good things as much as I should, like even doing that television show along with a few others – I was dealing with a lot of things that a normal teenager shouldn’t have had to deal with.”

“Geez, Wren. I’m so sorry. Everyone who worshipped you got the impression that you grew up having a glamourous life.”

“That’s what the publicist wanted everyone to hear,” she said. “You know, it’s weird how accepting of the past I’ve become. But after I lost my first manager because of the scandal even though my name never came out, I ended up having to go back to Lawton. Shortly after, my dad was riding his bike and crashed into a semi when he was drunk. He never walked again. I tookcare of him for a while, but it was Garrett Mason, our family lawyer, who intervened. He found me Mike, my current agent. And I had a tutor, since my education had been sorely neglected. Even though I tried to go back to school, I was bullied, and not just because I couldn’t keep up my grades. Mom, of course, had been bragging about me since I was a kid so when I returned to school, well…let’s just say, no one was impressed by me. But the rest is history. Of course, I was driving by then. At first, I went back and forth to Illinois from wherever I was working, but then I had Dad put in one of the best care facilities in California because I was making good money by then, and I never stopped visiting until he finally passed away. He had pneumonia and his immune system was compromised because of his spinal injury, so there were complications.”

Jeff was studying her closely, looking worried. “That’s why you complained about my bike.”

“I’ve always had a thing about them, even though what happened was entirely Dad’s fault,” she said.

Standing, Jeff strolled around the table, tugging her from her seat and wrapping her into his arms.

“Wren Matthews,” he said softly. “I’m starting to get to know you. And you’re a lot more upset after telling me all of this than you appear.”

Resting her head against his chest, she sighed. Jeff always made her feel like she was home. How was she going to go on without him?

A few moments later they sat back down, waiting for their waitress to return with the check.

Suddenly, as they were finishing their final cup of coffee, Wren noticed what appeared to be a familiar face in the distance.

“What’s up?” Jeff asked quizzically.

“I thought I recognized a guy who got up from the bench down below on the dock, but I’m not exactly sure why. He isn’t anyone I work with. He just looked familiar I guess.”

“Is he still there?” Jeff asked, looking concerned. “I can take a picture with the camera on my phone.”

“I don’t see him anywhere now. Maybe he’ll be down there when we leave. He was wearing a dark gray suit, which seems unusual when you compare it to the way everyone here tonight is dressed.”

“We’d better get back. I’m not exactly sure why, but the fact that you thought you saw someone you know bothers me. Although I guess it could be one of the musicians who performed backup for you in the orchestra a few weeks ago.”

The thought definitely cheered her up. “That’s got to be it.”

“We’ll keep an eye out anyway. We should really be switching up our habits for a while and not spend too much time outside of the house around town unless we have a destination in mind.”

She heaved a sigh, because she knew Jeff was right.

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