Chapter 4
Danielle
As soon as Morgan disappeared behind the bathroom door, Danielle rested her forehead against the white plastic table and tapped it lightly.
What was she doing?
Okay, so sitting with this woman hadn’t been a terrible idea. It felt like the right one. Morgan had been alone and looked like she could use some company.
The terrible idea was sticking around.
Danielle could have let stand Morgan’s assumption that she had somewhere to be. She could have wished her a good rest of the night and gone on her way.
But no. She offered to wait there for her.
And it was more than just an offer. She’d been hoping Morgan would take her up on it. This visit was no longer about keeping Morgan company. It was about enjoying her company a little longer.
Which was ridiculous. She didn’t even know this woman.
Danielle lifted her head from the table and sighed as she looked around the darkened hall.
The dancers were still having a great time up front, including Melanie and Kim, who hadn’t seemed to slow down one bit all night.
Danielle even caught sight of Gerri up there.
She smiled at the sight of her friend trying to learn the current line dance from someone beside her.
As much as Danielle disliked line dancing, she would have been better off up there.
She was enjoying her chat with Morgan a little too much. And what was the point? Danielle had no interest in having a romantic relationship, so there was no point in pursuing something that felt like the beginning of one.
Assuming this sense of connection wasn’t one-sided.
“That was one of the nicest restrooms I’ve seen in a place like this.” Morgan sat in her seat across from Danielle. “And I’ve seen a lot of reception halls.”
Danielle was happy to have that face in her view once again. Her dark eyes were as sharp as her cheekbones, and her short, nearly black hair revealed a shaved nape that Danielle wanted to run her fingertips over.
“Big family with a lot of weddings and graduations?”
“Fundraisers,” Morgan said with a heaviness to the word. “Political.”
“For… you?”
Danielle didn’t follow elections or politics much, so as far as she knew, this woman could be the mayor of Oakview.
Morgan barked a laugh. “No. Definitely not.” She ran a hand through her short black hair, her natural confidence wavering a bit. “Mom. Hence the not supportive bit.”
“Well, that sucks.” Danielle immediately regretted the sentence. But on second thought, she couldn’t think of anything better she could have said, except maybe, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Morgan said with a shrug. “Or at least my life is better now that I’m out of all that mess.”
“I’ll bet.”
Morgan switched gears as if it were a well-honed skill. “Enough of my story. Tell me about how you got into teaching and how you know Melanie. From what I know through Kim, Melanie’s one of the kindest people on the planet. If she’s made you a friend, that’s a high stamp of approval.”
“Not much to it,” Danielle said. “She teaches in the classroom next to mine, and she was my lifeline at that school when I started three years ago. We got along well, and she’s been one of my closest friends since.”
“Sounds very Melanie-like to take someone under her wing. What brought you to Oakview?”
Danielle’s mind raced through all the reasons she left her hometown a little way down I-10, hunting for whatever was appropriate to tell a complete stranger. Certainly not Lila.
“I lost some family. My Mom. My dad moved across the country when I was little, so it had been just me and her. After she died, I needed a change of scenery.”
“I’m sorry.” Morgan looked appalled at her own question and put a hand to her chest. “That was none of my business.”
“It’s fine,” Danielle insisted. And it was. “It’s been a while. It was just time to move on, and I like it here now.”
The pain in her head ramped up a notch. Danielle winced as Morgan watched.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” Danielle said, shaking away the inevitable migraine brewing in her skull. She didn’t have much time before she’d need to get out of there and into bed with a heated eye mask. “Just a headache. Hey, have you had the bread pudding yet?”
Morgan flinched slightly at the abrupt change in conversation. “No. But I had cake earlier. It was really good.”
“Not the same.” Danielle stood, accidentally screeching her chair, audible even over the blasting music. “I’ll bring you some. Just a sec.”
Before she allowed any fake objections, Danielle hurried to the catering area. Since no one was in line, she aimed straight for the pan of bread pudding and got two small bowls with two plastic spoons.
Okay. This was officially weird.
She was feeding a stranger.
A gorgeous stranger she knew more than she should about, but a stranger nevertheless.
“Here you go.” She set one bowl in front of Morgan and sat with her own bowl. “I smelled it earlier and couldn’t leave without trying it.”
Morgan took a bite, and her whole body sagged with satisfaction. “This is so good.”
“Right?”
Danielle took another bite of the warm, rich bourbon-laced bread and custard, trying to hide her pride over making Morgan so delighted. She didn’t want Morgan to catch on to that, but she didn’t want to acknowledge it herself, either.
With a sly smile, Morgan said, “Thanks for forcing me to try it.”
“I’m always happy to be a bread pudding pusher.”
Morgan’s expression turned serious. “Hey, so, this is awkward, but I need to clear something up.”
“Okay.” She drew out the word, buying some time as her brain struggled to piece together what might come next.
Morgan’s expression was unreadable, her eyes locked onto Danielle and focused on the point of her upcoming statement. “I don’t know if this was even on the table for you, and I’ve enjoyed our conversation, but I’m not interested in starting a relationship or anything. With anyone.”
Danielle’s insides unclenched with relief. “Oh gosh. I thought you were going to say something truly awful.”
“Nope,” Morgan said with a small laugh. “Just being upfront.”
Danielle got the impression that everything Morgan did was direct. It was part of her charm.
Danielle suddenly realized there was a part of her that was disappointed by Morgan’s statement. Even if it was true for her as well. She’d been enjoying their time together and didn’t want it to end.
“Right,” she said. “I’m not interested in starting anything either. I mean, I’m into women, and you’re—” Danielle caught herself before she said something really embarrassing. “Truly just sitting here to chat. No ulterior motives.”
“Good.” Morgan smiled. “I hate ulterior motives.”
Danielle smiled, then immediately winced as her migraine began to fully form. She rubbed her right temple near where the pain was beginning to centralize.
Morgan stood. “Let’s get you outside where it’s quieter.”
“I can go. You need to stay in here and see your cousin when she takes a break.”
“Nonsense.” Morgan grabbed their empty bowls and spoons then walked around the table to wait while Danielle stood. “You sat with me. Now it’s my turn to keep you company outside.”
The gesture warmed Danielle’s heart, and she was suddenly very grateful this woman crossed off the possibility of dating. She wasn’t sure she could follow her own rule of no new relationships. Kindness was her kryptonite.
It was dark outside, with strings of lights making the front of the building cozy and inviting.
Thankfully, they were benefiting from a February warm front, but there was still a crisp breeze in the air.
Her wrap dress had long sleeves, still leaving her legs bare.
Although, the cool air was actually taking some of the edge off her migraine.
Morgan slipped on a grey sweater over her sleeveless top and led Danielle to a nearby bench.
“Better?”
Danielle nodded and closed her eyes. The surrounding muscles were already relaxing and helping ease the pain, if only slightly. “Much.”
When she opened her eyes again, she looked up at the dark sky containing a spattering of stars, despite the nearby city lights obscuring most of them.
Morgan looked up at the stars, too. “I love a clear night like this.”
Danielle turned to catch a peek at her staring upward.
The string lights glinted off Morgan’s jewelry, and in the warm glow Danielle could see all of her piercings now.
A brow bar. A lip ring. A nose stud. And a string of studs and hoops along the sides of her ears, including through thick cartilage in places Danielle imagined must have hurt a whole lot.
She tilted her head to examine the gorgeous chandelier earrings hanging from her bottommost ear holes, dainty in contrast to the rest of her jewelry.
“Those are beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Morgan said, turning to look at her. “I made them. They’re one of my favorites.”
“Really? That’s amazing. You’re really talented.”
Morgan’s pale cheeks blushed a light shade of pink. “Thanks.”
“Can I ask you something? About your piercings.”
Morgan smiled with what looked like relief from whatever she feared Danielle might be asking. “Sure. Of course.”
“All I have are the standard ear ones.” She pointed at the small blue gems in her lobes. “I’ve always wanted to get another one. Or two. Or whatever. But I’m kind of a wuss about pain, so I was wondering if some hurt more than others?”
“The short answer is yes.” Morgan tilted her head slightly. “Assuming nothing is against your school policies?”
Danielle hadn’t even thought about that. “I don’t actually know. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks for pointing that out.”
“Sure. Wouldn’t want you to get something just to have to take it out.”
“Nope,” Danielle said. “Wouldn’t want that.”
“So on the pain scale, it’s going to hurt more as you go up the ear. And these inner cartilage ones.” She pointed at some jewelry inside her ear. “These are definitely not for beginners.”
“Noted.” She pointed above Morgan’s eye. “What about that one? I have a feeling that might push school policy, but I’m just curious.”
They weren’t a private school with strict policies, but most people in the area leaned a little on the conservative side. She was never sure how far she could push things at work without getting on some kind of school watchlist.
“That one doesn’t hurt much. Surprisingly, less than you think. It’s a thicker chunk of skin to go through, but not a lot of nerves in the area. The trick with this is watching for rejection.”
“Rejection?” Danielle asked. “Like your body will reject it like a transplanted organ?”
“Kind of,” she said. “Sometimes the body will push it right out over time. Nothing you can do about it either.”
“That’s wild.” Danielle found all of this fascinating. “So ears then.”
Morgan laughed softly. “Probably. Unless you want a nose ring?”
“Probably not,” she said. “It kind of freaks me out. The whole nose and keeping it clean thing.”
Morgan laughed again. It was a rich laugh that somehow soothed the ache in Danielle’s head.
“It’s not too bad, but you should go with what you’re comfortable with.
” She leaned her head to examine Danielle’s ear.
“I think a line of them would look cute on you.” She cleared her throat and pulled her head back.
“I mean, it would look good on your ear. The shape and curl would look great with just about any jewelry you want.”
Danielle tried to ignore the fact that Morgan had basically called her ear cute, but she couldn’t ignore it any more than Morgan could take it back.
“So what do I do if I want another one? Like one just above mine, I guess. I had these done in the mall when I was a kid.”
“Definitely don’t do that.” Without hesitation, Morgan pulled out her phone and handed it to Danielle with the messaging app open. “Put in your number, and I’ll text you mine.”
Danielle tried and failed to stop her hand from shaking as she took the phone and typed in her number. This felt so much like the start of something.
But it wasn’t the start of anything. They’d both been clear on that.
A moment later, Danielle’s phone dinged with a text.
Morgan Guillory
Ink and Artistry Tattoo and Piercing
“You can go anywhere,” Morgan said. “But if you text me when you want to come, I can make sure to be there and tell you when it’s usually not busy.”
Danielle stared at her phone and that name. Then she finally pulled it together and put the phone away. “Thank you. I’ll take you up on that.”
A smile spread across Morgan’s face that actually made Danielle’s knees weak even though she was already sitting down.
No, not the start of something. Her no-relationship policy still stood.
Maybe if she said that enough times it would feel true.