Chapter 19
Morgan
Morgan patted her jean pocket to make sure the box was still in there as she scanned the crowded park. It was even busier than a typical Saturday morning with everyone out enjoying the perfect spring day of warm weather with a cool mid-March breeze and lots of sunshine after a rainy winter.
As she scanned the area, she took in the sight of the town’s main park.
There was a little pod of food trucks and sculpted bushes dotted the walkways lined with bright fuchsia azalea bushes.
The sculpted bushes always brought a smile to her face as they were well-maintained greenery shaped into alligators and egrets to the delight of every child and adult alike.
She spotted Danielle on a bench away from the playgrounds, near the little lake on one side of the park. An anticipatory rush flowed through her core as her steps carried her hastily down the path until she reached her.
As she approached, she noticed Danielle had a pen perched above a stack of papers, and Morgan remembered she said she’d be grading.
Danielle’s long blonde hair trailed in loose waves over the shoulders of her pink long-sleeved T-shirt as her head was tilted downward, her expression set in one of deep concentration.
“Hey,” Morgan said, slipping onto the bench beside her.
Danielle looked up from her papers. Her green eyes brightened as she took in the sight of Morgan. “Hey.”
A cool breeze cut across the water, sending a slight shiver up Morgan’s back. The bright sun reflected off the water as high, puffy clouds slipped beside it.
“At least it’s a beautiful day for working outside,” she said, pointing at the papers.
“Definitely,” Danielle said. “If I have to grade an endless stack of research papers, this is the best place to do it.”
“I won’t keep you from your work. I just wanted to drop something off with you.” Morgan shifted on the bench to dig the box out of her pocket. She handed the tiny brown box to Danielle.
She hoped it wasn’t too much. Not that the gift was too much, but that she wasn’t too much for thinking about Danielle.
But she was thinking about Danielle. She couldn’t help it. She just had to find a way to play it cool.
Danielle took the box tentatively and touched her left earlobe. “You’ve already given me this piercing and a dress. I think we’re even.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Morgan said. “I promise. And I couldn’t resist.”
Danielle opened the box and lifted the card containing a pair of brown and rose-colored earrings. Her green eyes brightened as she said, “They’re beautiful. Did you make them?”
Morgan nodded. “I had the stones on hand already. When I saw the dress you picked, I immediately had an idea for them.” She quickly added, “You don’t have to wear them. No pressure. But I had fun making them anyway and wanted you to have them.”
Danielle held the card so the beads gently dragged over her palm, feeling the stone and metal on her skin. She looked up at Morgan and said, “You’re so talented! I wish I had a cool hobby like this. I just like to read. That sounds boring.”
Something pinched inside Morgan’s chest at hearing Danielle call herself boring. She wanted to wrap her arms around her and defend Danielle from her own mind.
“Not boring at all,” Morgan said as Danielle put the earrings back in their box. “I wish I could read more, but I have trouble focusing. I get too distracted. Jewelry making holds my attention because I’m using my hands.”
“Makes sense. I’m at least joining Melanie and Kim’s new book club, so at least I’ll be reading with other people soon. That sounds less boring. But I still say your hobby is way cooler. Was it hard to learn?”
“It took a while to get the hang of. Now the only problem is keeping Reginald out of my beads.”
“You have a roommate?”
Morgan laughed. “A needy furry one. He’s my cat.”
“Aww, he sounds perfect,” Danielle said. “I’d love to have a cat, but Lila is pushing hard for a dog. Well, a snake actually, but she’d settle for a dog.”
“A snake, huh? I’m guessing that’s not going to fly with you.”
“Nope,” Danielle said with a laugh that was just about the most perfect sound in the universe. “Not at all.”
A comfortable silence settled between them as Morgan gazed at a man and a little boy watching some ducks swim in the lake.
“My dad used to take us here when Felicia and I were little. Back before we moved to Baton Rouge. I love this place. I really missed it after Felicia and I each moved back to Oakview not long after we turned eighteen.”
“Are you still close with your dad?”
Morgan shook her head. “He died when I was younger. Car accident.”
“Oh, gosh. I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. And it played out great for Mom in the polls,” she said with venom dripping down the back of her throat.
Danielle flinched, and Morgan regretted being so callous about it.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to say it like that, but it’s pretty much what got her the Senate seat. Dad’s death and Grandma’s money.”
“Do you have any other siblings?”
It didn’t slip Morgan’s notice that Danielle was changing the subject. Which was fine. Morgan didn’t much want to talk about her mother.
“No, it’s just me and Felicia,” Morgan said. “How about you?”
“No siblings. It was just me and my mom. And my grandmother. They both died a few years ago. That’s when I moved here. I just didn’t want to be there without them anymore. So, Lila and I got a fresh start in Oakview.”
“I’m sorry about your mom and grandma,” Morgan said.
“Thanks. We’ve settled in here pretty well. And I have Melanie and Kim and Gerri now.”
“I’m glad you have them at least. I don’t know what I would do without Jen.”
Morgan shifted on the bench, and her hand grazed the side of Danielle’s hand. The touch sent electric shocks up her arm, and the rest of her body craved more.
She pulled her arm away and stood quickly. “I should get going. I need to be at work soon.”
“Oh, right.”
Morgan wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking, but she thought she was picking up a hint of disappointment in Danielle’s voice. But that couldn’t be.
Could it?
Danielle had been the one to pull away from that kiss. Morgan should have never been so impulsive, and Danielle had made it clear she wasn’t on board.
So why was she picking up on disappointment?
Because they were friends now, Morgan reminded herself. Nothing more than that.
“I’ll leave you to your work,” she said, backing away from the bench. The exact opposite direction her body wanted to go.
Danielle looked up at her, eyes widened with the abrupt turn of the conversation. “Thank you so much for the earrings.”
“No problem,” Morgan said. “Thanks again for agreeing to come with me. Actually looking forward to the wedding now.”
And she was. A couple of weeks ago she couldn’t imagine looking forward to her sister’s wedding, but now she couldn’t wait for the day to come.