Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MORGAN
Everything was going great at school. Same with home.
And heaven help her, she was becoming a part of the first female friend group that she’d ever had. Just the night before when they’d gone out to a local bar for some dancing and fun, Morgan and Kylie had spent some timetalking. Well, it was more yelling at each other with the noise from the music and conversations, but as a teacher with a few years of experience, Kylie was a great resource about how to fit into the school faculty.
When they got home that night, she’d curled up beside Palmer in his bed and she’d broached the subject about her basically unused bedroom. It didn’t go as badly as she thought it might.
No sooner had she broached the subject of it when Palmer rolled her under him and kissed her. “I’ve been trying to think of a way to ask you without sounding like I was being pushy.”
She’d slid her hands down his back and grabbed a hold of his amazing ass and drew him closer to her. “There are ways I like it when you’re pushy…”
There was no more discussion after that.
She smiled as she remembered how late they’d stayed up with Palmer finding different ways to push.
Yawning, she reached for the coffee pot and started to pour before she heard someone clearing their throat.
Joan leaned up against the counter. “Tired?”
“Mmm hmm.” Morgan kept pouring, half wondering when her coffee cup would fill. “Late night.”
“Oh?” Joan grinned as she lifted her coffee cup to her mouth. “Was your hottie dragging his backside out the door this morning too?”
Morgan heard the smile in her voice and couldn’t help but smile a bit herself, too. “Yes… He was up late celebrating with me.”
“Oh?” Joan’s smile faltered a little. “Spill. You know my life is boring. I need as close to details as I can get.”
Morgan’s cheeks burned with the memories that were simmering just under the surface.
“But before you do, sweetie, maybe you should let me refill that coffee pot.”
Frowning, Morgan looked at her friend and saw that Joan was pointing at the carafe she had in her hand.
Morgan lifted it up and saw that it was empty and given how dry the coffee was at the bottom of the carafe it had been empty for quite some time.
She groaned out loud and Joanlaughed softly, taking the coffee pot out of her hand.
Morgan followed her to the sink and watched as she washed out the glass and filled it with water to transfer to the coffee machine.
“I finally asked Palmer if I should just move my things into the master bedroom. I only go into the other room to get my clothes now.”
Joan gave her a big beaming smile. “I take it that he was all for sharing with you?”
“Oh, yeah.” Morgan’s dreamy sigh felt as good as it sounded mixed with Joan’s soft laughter.
“Hence the late night… activities?”
Morgan leaned her hip against the cabinet as she tore open a coffee pouch and poured it into the new filter that Joanhad added into the machine. “I keep waiting for there to be a strain or an uncomfortable moment between us. I’m sure there’s one just around the corner.”
Joanwaved off her concern. “Why worry about that, Morgan. Don’t invite trouble.” She finished pouring the coffee in the reservoir and looked up. “Are you saying that you want an issue?”
“It’s not about that,” she protested. “I’m just saying I feel like this is kind of charmed. He didn’t even bat an eyelash at the whole map of stretch marks I have from losing all of that weight I gained after my parents died. He just seems to love every inch of me.”
Joanleaned in with a wink as the coffee machine started to hiss with steam. “I bet you love all of his inches, too.”
The two laughed at that and Morgan went to wash out her cup.
“Not that I’ve measured or anything, but I can say there isn’t anything about his… inches that leave me wanting.”
The door opened up and Officer Munder walked in. “Morning, ladies.”
Immediately, Morgan’s whole mood dropped. She hoped that she caught her reaction before the officer did, and bolstered her smile. “Morning, Officer Munder.”
He grabbed up a cup and walked over to the machine, stepping in between the two. “What? No coffee?”
Joan who had been at the school for years was the one to speak. “It was out before we got in here. Morgan just started a new pot, so you should thank her.”
The school resource officer turned to her with a big grin and Morgan bit down on the inside of her cheek by accident.
“Thanks, Morgan. I think you’re fitting in here really well.”
She flickered a look at Joan who was cringing a little. Neither of them seemed to like the way he said her name.
“I was wondering,” he gave her a curious look and a strange tilt of his head, “I haven’t seen your truck around.”
“Oh that?” Morgan hesitated but tried to cover up her unease. “I haven’t been using the truck lately.” Not a lie, but not the full truth. She decided to reflect. “I was wondering…”
Officer Munder lifted the coffee carafe from the machine and filled his cup before setting it back again.
Morgan tried not to let it get her goat that he hadn’t offered to let them go first.
“Go ahead and ask.” He lifted his cup to his lips and took a sip leaving Morgan to wonder if his mouth was coated with metal that he could drink coffee right from the machine.
“I was wondering if you had anymore information about how Benji hurt himself. There isn’t any record in the school’s files.”
The smile in the officer’s eyes turned cold for a moment, changing back so quickly she was almost sure she’d imagined it, but before her coffee in the morning, there wasn’t a lot that she fantasized about… except Palmer.
“Well, I guess he hurt himself outside of school hours.” The officer took another sip, this time with his eyes focused on her. “Why all of this curiosity, Morgan? You don’t have enough to keep yourself occupied with your job?”
Morgan could see Joan’s eyes widening behind the officer’s back. “I think worrying about the health and welfare of my students is my job. Benji was obviously hurt badly enough to warrant medical treatment, but Palmer said he looked like he’d tried to treat himself.
“I’m not sure exactly what the guidelines are here in San Antonio, but I’m assuming it’s close enough to Center City that if I suspect that someone hurt him, I would need to reportit.”
“What exactly would you report?”
She saw the way the officer’s knuckles whitened where he held the handle of his coffee cup. Morgan also saw Joan tensing for her reply.
“I’m not reporting anything as of yet,” she explained. “I’m just looking into his injury. I know we all want him back at school.” Morgan looked at the officer expectantly. “He was badly hurt and I think it would be a good idea for you to see if someone at the school hurt him and that’s why his mother is so interested in protecting him by keeping him home.”
It seemed like it took an effort for him to speak. Unlocking his jaw with nearly an audible click, Officer Munder gave her a smile. “You’re one of those mother bear woman, right? The ‘don’t mess with my cub’ kind of thing?”
“I’m a teacher.”
She saw Joan nodding again.
“It’s what we do.”
Officer Munder narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head back and forth, an almost imperceptible movement. “I’ll look into it, but you should know, Morgan-”
“Miss Rafferty.”
She knew she’d made a mistake the instant that she spoke. She hadn’t meant to say it at all. She definitely hadn’t meant to cut him off, but there was something so familiar about the way he said her name.
“Oh… Okay. Miss Rafferty.” The officer stepped back from the coffee pot until his badge was glinting in the light. “Just remember that we have rules around here. Rules to keep you safe.”
He left moments later, seemingly taking all of the air with him.
Joan shook her head. “What was that all about, Morgan? He’s not someone you piss off.”
“Why?” Morgan knew better than to ask that question. “Why would that piss him off. He’s not my friend. We work at the same school, but I don’t call him by his first name.”
Morgan could see by her friend’s expression that she understood, but she didn’t think it went over well.
Morgan felt the same way but it was too late to fix it.
She had to move forward.
She filled her cup with coffee and went back to the table to put the cover on the travel mug. “I’m going to head to my classroom and get an early start.”
Joan gave her a smile as she walked past. “Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
Morgan turned around and gave her friend a big hug that surprised both of them. “Thanks, Joan. It’s good to have you as a friend.”
Joan pulled her back in for a hug and whispered into her ear. “You keep your head down, you hear? You make this place almost bearable with people like Munder around. I want to keep you here forever.”
Morgan felt tears gather on her lashes and as she pulled back she tried to blink them away.
She knew it wouldn’t be a good thing to walk out of the lounge looking like she was about to cry.
She didn’t want others to see it, but she definitely didn’t want it getting back to Officer Munder. He might think he was the reason and she had a feeling that he’d like that a little too much.
RHETT
Rhett’s cell phone rang a few times in the afternoon, but he wasn’t able to get to the calls or messages after they’d returned to the station. His phone had been trapped in his pants pocket under his turnout gear and that’s where it had stayed through the car fire and then a call to a cafe where their brand new curtains had been a little too close to the ancient waffle maker and went up in flames.
As soon as he shrugged off his gear and headed to the showers, Rhett rescued his phone and stopped in the hallway when he saw who’d called him.
“Jacob?”
“Hey, man. How are things going?”
Rhett waved at Abe as he walked by into the shower room. “Okay. We’re busy today on shift. You?”
“Taking a break to eat something before I go and interview a witness. I wanted to call and see how you think Morgan is doing.”
Just the mention of her name had Rhett smiling. “She’s amazing, man.”
He heard Jacob groaning softly.
“Please don’t tell me that you’re talking about what you guys do in private.”
“No. Wouldn’t tell you anything about that, Jacob. I’m not a guy that kisses-”
“See? I don’t want to know that you’re doing even that. I’m talking about her job. Is she fitting in? Friends?”
Rhett smiled at his friend’s gruff comments. “I mostly know what she tells me but I got to see her with some of her students in a class. She’s a great teacher.”
“Yeah?”
Rhett could hear how proud he was of his sister.
“The students really listen to her and they offer up comments when she asks for them. I think if I’d had teachers like her in school,I would have paid more attention.”
“She had a tough time after our parents died,” Jacob sighed. “She had a couple of teachers who really took the time to work with her. I think that’s why she wanted to be a teacher, too.”
“Well, she’s a good one. And she cares.”
“Yeah. I just hope she doesn’t end up burning out. Any news about that teacher who had the job before her.”
“Not much. Morgan mentioned that there was a shooting and that-”
“A shooting? Morgan told me that the former teacher was out for a medical issue.”
Rhett didn’t like the angry tone in Jacob’s voice because it was directed at Morgan. “That’s what she’d been told, too.” He explained. “She only found out after she’d been working there for a bit, Jacob. Don’t over react to this.”
“Over react?”
OKAY. He was definitely pissed.
“My sister took over for a teacher who was shot? Where did it happen?”
Rhett wasn’t about to say anything, but it didn’t matter, really. Jacob was already in detective mode.
“I’ll look it up. Lord knows if I left it up to you you probably wouldn’t have said a damn thing to me. Are you covering for my sister now?”
Rhett pushed away from the wall as he spoke. “I’m not covering for her. She’s not a criminal that needs an alibi, but if that’s how you think of her, maybe that’s why she tries to keep things quiet. Look, Jacob, you’re my friend and you have been for a long time, but I’m going to tell you that when you talk about Morgan to me or around me, you better watch what you say and how you say it.”
“Oh, so this is because you’re dating my sister?”
“We’re doing more than dating, old friend. She’s moving into my room, but you should know that it doesn’t change the fact that if you’d talked about her before just like you’re talking about her now, I wouldn’t be happy.”
“You didn’t have to raise her, man. You didn’t have to pick up the pieces after our parents died. I’m taking care of her the only way I know how. If you’re not going to like it-”
“I don’t like it,” he made sure to enunciate his words, “and I won’t stand for it about her or to her.”
“She’s my younger sister, old friend. Don’t forget that.”
“I haven’t forgotten a thing, Jacob. Just as long as you remember that she’s an adult and I’m going to protect her and love her the way that I think she deserves to be loved. Like a grown woman who makes her own choices.”
“Yeah, well… you keep an eye on her, man. I’m going to look up this shooting thing and make no mistake, you and I will be talking about this later.”
“Fine by me.”
The phone call ended and Rhett lowered the phone so he could see the screen.
Morgan had changed it the day before when they’d been at home at night together. She’d taken a selfie of the two of them in bed together. It was safe for work, but the best part about it was the way they were cuddled up against each other.
It looked like they’d been together for years, not just a few months.
He saw her pale hand against the dark grey of his sheets and wondered again how he’d be able to get the size of her ring finger so that he could buy her a ring.
She might not be ready for a wedding ring, but he could give her something to show her how serious he was about the two of them.
He’d take things at her speed, like when she asked him if she should move into his bedroom. He’d been so nervous to push her that he hadn’t even brought up the topic. Thank god she just brought the question up so he didn’t have to struggle to find a way to broach the subject.
Now he just had to find a ring and a way of giving it to her that let her decide what it was.
The in-house speaker clicked on. “Rhett? Rhett, you have a visitor in the community room.”
Dropping his phone back into his pants pocket, Rhett hustled up to the community room near the apparatus floor. They had community events in there all the time, from meetings of concerned citizens to children’s birthday parties. If it had been Morgan, they would have just sent her through into the main station building.
Curious, Rhett walked into the community room and almost stopped short at the surprise visitor standing there.
The young man turned when he saw Rhett in the glass wall panel, dropping the hood of his jacket down to his shoulders. “You’re the firefighter that helped me. The one with Miss Rafferty.”
Rhett was proud to say he was. “They call me Rhett.”
Benji looked a little amused. “Is that like Gone with the Wind or something?”
Rhett smiled at him. “Yeah, just like the movie. My last name is Butler.”
Benji looked around the room with interest. “You mean, it’s just like the book.”
“Fair enough,” Rhett liked the kid more and more. “You want to sit down? Tell me why you’re here?”
Benji met his gaze and left it there. “To the point. I like it. I came here ‘cause my mom is at work and she thinks I’m at home. I think you should know some things that are going on around the school. It’s-”
“Station Seven.” The speakers squealed a little as the treble surged. “Station Seven. Possible cardiac arrest-”
The announcement rattled off and Rhett looked at Benji.
“I have to-”
“Go,” the young man acknowledged his comment with a lift of his chin. “Can I stay here and wait a bit?”
“Sure. Sure.” Rhett watched as one of the men ran by with his dry clothes in his hand and a towel sinking on his hips. Caddo. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Rhett saw Benji pulling out a chair and reaching for the newspaper that someone had left behind as he turned the corner heading for the truck.