by Kahlen Aymes
“Sounds good. I’ll see you at the visitation later.” Caleb used a hand to rub the back of his neck. The thought of seeing his father in a casket was disconcerting and uncomfortable. Seeing his father inside it was something he’d prefer to skip. “Is it an open casket?”
“Mrs. Jones made the arrangements, but I assume so.”
Chills ran down his back and arms. Ugh, he thought. It would be so much less personal if it were closed. It would just be a box and less personal. He inhaled hard, his chin raising as he looked at the ceiling and then closed his eyes.
The thought of seeing his father in a casket only brought back memories of his mother’s funeral. His father had been like a stone cold statue; oblivious to his twelve-year-old son crying his eyes out while Jonesy and Jonathan tried to comfort him. He’d never felt so alone as he had that day. “God. I wish it weren’t.”
“Your father had a lot of friends and business associates. Funerals are more closure for the living, son. Do you want to come to my office to discuss the reading this afternoon? The only people required to be in attendance tomorrow are you, Wren and Jonesy. Your father left her a bit of money for her retirement.”
The resentment he was feeling because of the memory faded slightly; maybe there was some good left in his dad after all. He sighed heavily, wishing for a replay of the past few hours with Wren when he wasn’t thinking about this morbid shit.
“Is it restricted beyond that?” Caleb had a feeling in his gut that the step monster would show up uninvited. “Is the will unbreakable? I fully expect that bitch, Veronica, to try something.”
“It’s not specified, but do you want it to be? What about Macy? Do you want her there?”
“I’m not sure, to be honest. Veronica will never leave Wren alone if—” He stopped; glancing at Macy, suddenly aware she was listening intently to his side of the conversation. “Uh, yes, I’ll come over there and we can discuss it.”
“I have a conference call for the next hour, but then I’ll be free for the rest of the day,” Jonathan replied.
“Okay, I’ll call you back in an hour.”
When he ended the call and turned around, he found Macy studying him, her expression softer; the snarkiness of a few minutes before completely gone from her face. She walked to him and laid a hand on his chest.
“I’m sorry, baby. Can’t the driver you hired take Wren out? We can let your sister shop and we’ll sneak off, alone,” she suggested silkily. “It’s my turn to spend time with you.”
Caleb’s teeth clenched. How many times did he have to tell her that Wren wasn’t his fucking sister? He covered her hand with his when it started to wander up toward his neck. After his morning with Wren and the shit he learned Macy had said to her the night before, he had no desire for any type of intimacy with her.
“No, I promised her I’d take her. You aren’t obligated to come if you’d rather skip it. Wren said she isn’t in the mood to spend all day in the shops, and I have to meet with Jonathan before the wake.”
“But, this is my first trip to Denver. I want to explore and maybe go to that old mining town after the malls. I Googled ‘things to do’ earlier. I was bored stiff while you were off on your little jaunt.” The whine Macy’s voice had acquired since she’d hit the Colorado line was back and it grated on Caleb’s nerves.
He moved away from her with a huff. “I’m sorry if my father dying is interrupting your sight-seeing plans. That’s not why we’re here.”
Macy reeled on him with narrowed eyes. “Not here for sight-seeing?” she asked, sarcasm lacing every word. “Isn’t that what you were doing this morning?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you. You were gone for hours.”
Irritation vibrated through him. “It’s irrelevant, in any case. If you don’t like how things are playing out, you’re free to leave. You don’t have to stay for the funeral; I’m sure you have more pressing things you need to do at home.”
Macy was taken aback and for a split second felt like he’d just slapped her, but getting upset wouldn’t move her agenda forward and she recovered quickly.
“Of course, I want to be here. I thought you’d need me, Caleb.” Her face fell and she swallowed. “I thought… we had a relationship.”
Great! Caleb’s mind screamed. He felt like shit. Ten days ago, a week ago, so did he, but not in the same way Macy thought. And after seeing Wren, everything changed. It wasn’t fair to Macy, but it was reality that he couldn’t deny.
“We’ll talk about everything when I get back to San Francisco; after this is all over.” Getting back there meant to pack his stuff and figure out if he needed to sublet his apartment, but he didn’t want to divulge that now. “Are you ready to go? Wren was just going to change, and then we can leave.”
It wasn’t long until Wren appeared, and after a short and very awkward silence, they were inside his father’s BMW 640i and on their way. Macy made sure she was next to Caleb in the front seat, though he kept checking on Wren; his eyes flashing up into the rear view mirror. She was sitting quietly in the rich leather seats, and looking out of the window with a sad, contemplative expression on her beautiful face.
“Let’s go to Hermès!” Macy gushed. “I was so happy to see they had one here! Is it far?”
The store was known for high-end leather goods, fragrances, and their expensive ready-to-wear clothing.
“Do you have the address?” It had been a few years since Caleb had been in Denver and while he knew the general vicinity, he wasn’t sure exactly where it was.
After Macy rattled it off, Caleb asked Wren if she’d be able to find what she needed there.
“Hmm?” Wren looked up.
“Hermès,” Macy said, a bit impatiently. “Can you find a dress there?”
“Oh,” Wren was hesitant. “That’s kind of expensive. Can’t we go to a regular mall?”
“For heaven’s sake, Wren,” Macy scoffed. “You’re a ballerina with the New York ballet.”
Wren rolled her eyes before she could stop herself. “Actually, it’s just a touring company, so that pretty much rules out that store.”
“Really? I thought you’d be rolling in money.”
Wren shook her head, her eyes widened, and her mouth flattened wryly. “No. Only a few of the top dancers in the world make huge money, and most of those aren’t company dancers. I’ve been lucky, moving out of the Corps de Ballet sooner than most, especially since I didn’t train in Russia or France. The men make more because they’re in higher demand.”
“Macy, let her be,” Caleb admonished, feeling Wren’s distress. He wanted to quell Macy’s inquisition of her. “We’ll go to Pavilions. There are a lot of different stores there. I’m sure you can find something nice.”
Macy opened her mouth, and then snapped it shut without saying a word. Caleb could tell she was seething, but he couldn’t care less.
“If you’d like, you can drop me off back at the house and I’ll ask Jared to take me around,” Wren interjected from the backseat.
Caleb had already changed direction back toward the mall and he shook his head. “Not a chance.” He glanced at Macy, silently interrupting her retort. The protectiveness he always felt for Wren was rearing its head and he wouldn’t let Macy’s selfishness dictate his actions. He was seeing a new side to her that he didn’t like. He could see she was feeling threatened by Wren and it wasn’t going to get any better when she discovered he’d be moving back to Denver and shelving the plans to start the engineering firm.
Caleb parked in front of the Nordstrom’s store, one of the higher-end department stores at the mall, hoping that it would satisfy both women. The morning had started off clear, but clouds were rolling in and blocking out the sun as they all got out of the car and headed into the store. Macy reached for Caleb’s hand and Wren, who was walking behind saw the gesture. Her heart fell. She would have preferred to shop alone to watching their PDA’s all day.
“Look, I’m going to the d
ress department. I’ll just call you when I’m finished and we can meet up,” she said as Caleb pulled his hand from Macy’s grasp and opened the glass door and waited for both women to precede him inside.
“No, Wren. I’ll come with you,” Macy stated quickly. “I shouldn’t have been so selfish. I know this isn’t a happy occasion.” She smiled at Wren, who nodded sadly.
“I don’t want to intrude,” Wren said.
Caleb’s hand lifted to Wren’s shoulder and he squeezed it gently. “Wren, come on. Let’s get you a dress, sweetheart.” He could sense she was pensive, and her sadness was palpable.
Caleb wished the morbid business of the funeral was behind them, and the will had already been read. At least then, he’d know if he’d made the right choice. Judging from Wren’s comments about a ballerina’s salary, he felt confident that he’d done his best for her. The only thing uncertain was whether she’d want to move home to Denver, too. He hoped so, but if she wanted to keep touring, then he’d just handle Lux for the both of them.
They walked through the store to the escalators and followed the signs up to the Women’s dress department. Wren immediately went through the available dresses to find all of the black options and was soon ensconced in the dressing room with her few selections. She closed the curtain behind her and started to try them on.
After the morning with Caleb, she hated seeing him with Macy. It was reality and she had to face it. Her eyes filled with tears as she took off her clothes and slipped into the first dress. It was simple with short sleeves, a scooped neckline, and was pretty fitted through the body. The hem stopped about two inches above her knee. The classic style was elegant and modest.
She swallowed at the thickness in her throat and wiped at the tear about to fall from her eye as she stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t really care about what she wore to the funeral as long as it was appropriate and respectful, and this would do fine. Her budget demanded she pick something she’d be able to wear again, and this dress could be used for various occasions, depending on how she accessorized.
She physically jumped when the curtain was yanked open suddenly. Wren’s hand went to her chest and she gasped; startled. Macy was standing there with an armful of dresses. She barged in, and started hanging them up on the hooks situated on all sides of the small space.
“Oh, Macy, you scared me.” This was the second time that Macy had invaded her privacy and Wren was annoyed.
“I brought you more choices. Look at this one?” Macy smiled brightly, the bright magenta lipstick a perfect compliment to her skin and dark hair. The dress she held up was made of chiffon and the skirt loose and flowing in a soft mauve but was inappropriate for the occasion. It would be pretty for a summer party, but this was a funeral. Some of the others Macy chose would be appropriate, but they were the best designers that Wren wouldn’t be able to afford, and the one’s she could afford were hideous; the style all wrong or designed for a woman two or three time’s Wren’s age.
Macy was so glamorous and Wren felt dowdy next to her. Caleb’s girlfriend was always dressed to kill, and Wren was at a disadvantage because she barely had anything with her; let alone weather appropriate.
“I’ll try it, but I think this one will be fine.” Wren looked at the price tag and balked. As simple as it was, it was still more than three hundred dollars.
“You need two, right?” Macy asked holding up another dress.
Wren shook her head. “Maybe if I get a scarf or a sweater, I can wear the same one for both the visitation and the funeral,” she said quietly. She didn’t feel like shopping, and not with Macy’s overbearing presence bombarding her. “Plus, I still need shoes, hose, and stuff.”
“Caleb’s loaded now. He can pay for it. I’m sure he’ll want to, anyway.” Macy shrugged off Wren’s monetary concerns.
“That’s okay. He doesn’t need to. I travel a lot and so I don’t like to have a lot of clothes. I’d rather have one dress that’s versatile.”
After more prodding from Macy and her refusal to leave the small dressing room, Wren acquiesced and tried on three more dresses. Caleb was waiting outside the small suite of rooms used for fitting rooms and she didn’t want to take so much time. She decided that if she didn’t argue with Macy, it would all be over more quickly. In the end, she still chose the first dress she’d tried on.
Macy got a better look at the locket Wren always wore under her clothes, which had been her main objective of joining her in the fitting room. The façade of helping Wren pick out a dress was the perfect excuse.
The pendant was much more beautiful than it was in the portrait, or the brief glimpse she’d had the previous evening in Wren’s room.
“Wow. That’s gorgeous. It was Celine’s, wasn’t it? I saw it in the portrait.”
Wren bent to pull on her jeans and quickly pulled her V-neck T-shirt over her head. For some reason she was irritated that Macy had been in Celine’s room to see the portrait, and hurt that Caleb was obviously close enough to her to take her into his mother’s room. “It was.”
“What is it?
“A locket. It has Caleb’s baby picture in it.”
“It’s beautiful.” Macy reached out to touch it, intent on looking at it closer and seeing the picture. It could be partially seen through the filigree gate of the top section, but the picture that Wren had added of him when he was older in the third gate was hidden behind the first picture. The gates were layered and could only be viewed when the others in front were slid aside. It was like a secret between the person who owned the locket and the person who had gifted it.
Wren backed up a step and quickly returned the pendant beneath her shirt. Only the chain showed until it disappeared beneath the neckline. “It is.”
“Then why don’t you show it? Why hide it away in your shirt?”
Wren closed her eyes for a split second as she shoved her feet into the pair of old vans she found in her closet that morning. “I just don’t. I don’t know.” She shrugged.
“Do you need anything, honey? Are the sizes alright?” An elderly sales clerk asked, thankfully interrupting Macy’s inquiry.
Wren opened the curtain but bent to pick up a hanger from the floor, hung up the dress, and looked apologetically at the clerk. Macy turned and left the room without offering to help Wren remove the dozen dresses she’d brought into the room.
“I’m sorry, I’m just going to get this one dress.” She handed the one she’d chosen over to the woman. “Can I bring some of these out and help put them away?”
“Oh, no dear. I can do it.”
“I feel bad leaving this mess for you. I’d be happy to help,” Wren said, and offering a soft smile as she picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder; she grabbed several dresses from where they were hanging on the walls. There was a rack outside the dressing room suite that she hung them on.
Wren glanced out to see Caleb engaged in an animated discussion with Macy; his brow furrowed. It seemed intense and Wren looked away when Macy put her hand on his chest in a familiar way. “Would you be able to help me find a scarf and jacket to go with this dress? I don’t have a lot of money, though, so something simple,” she asked the woman.
“Oh, of course, dear. Do you have an idea of style?”
“Basic black. I’m hoping it will rely on cut for style, and a simple scarf with muted colors. Maybe grey and white, or grey paired with a soft pastel? It’s for a funeral and wake. I’d like to be able to wear this dress to both. I’ll need sheer black stockings and some basic black pumps.”
“I can help you with the jacket and scarf, but the shoe department is downstairs.”
“Would you mind just picking out the blazer and scarf? Whatever you add will be fine. I just really want to get this over with.”
The woman nodded in understanding and went off to collect Wren’s requests. “Of course. I understand, dear.”
When Caleb caught sight of Wren with the sales woman, he touched Macy on the elbow with
his index finger. “Just a minute.” He walked toward Wren when the older woman walked away. She looked stressed and frazzled. “Are you okay? Did you get everything you need?”
“I did find a dress and the clerk is going to find a couple of matching pieces. I still have to get shoes.” She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “This sucks, Caleb.” She looked up into his concerned face and shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
He pulled her into his arms and against his chest in a tight hug. “For what?” He loved the way she smelled. Everything about her was softer than Macy, even her scent.
He could feel her shoulders rise in a shrug against him, still unwilling to let her out of his embrace.
“Everything?” her voice broke slightly.
Caleb bent to kiss the top of her blonde head, his lips moving against it as he spoke. “It’s going to be okay, Wren.”
“Is it?” Her arms were around his waist now and her fingers curled into his shirt.
“I promise.”
“Are we buying the dress, or what?” Macy’s impatient voice intruded. “I’m starving.”
Wren pulled out of Caleb’s arms, guilt flooding over her. Macy shouldn’t have to witness her falling apart like a baby in Caleb’s arms. She sniffed and smiled at her. “Yes. I’m just waiting for the clerk to come back with a scarf and jacket. I’ll pay the bill here and go find some shoes. Why don’t you two go to the food court while I finish up?”
“An excellent idea,” Macy began, sliding a hand through Caleb’s elbow to start pulling him away.
Caleb had other ideas and was already handing Macy money. “You go. We’ll meet you there.”
“I came to shop, not eat alone.”
Caleb turned to Macy and put his hands on her shoulders. “Then shop. But if you’re hungry, get something to eat and we’ll follow in a few minutes.”
Macy glanced in Wren’s direction. The sales clerk had returned and was helping her try on the jacket by the cash register, and viewing her reflection in the long mirror outside the dressing rooms.
