4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Morgan
Morgan walked over to the front window of Callahan’s Food Mart, reaching up to click on the ‘OPEN’ sign. She paused. She couldn’t help but notice the incredibly cute gift shop that was across the street.
“How did they get set up so fast?” Morgan asked her brother.
Doug briefly looked up from where he was counting the opening float in his cash drawer. “I dunno. Maybe we were busy and didn’t notice them setting up shop?”
“It wasn’t busy in here yesterday. We would have noticed.”
The shop location was usually a seasonal gift shop, and there was always someone new renting the space each summer and trying their hand at it.
But this one was different from the others.
The drab storefront went from grey brick to pink overnight and there was a beautiful hand painted sign that read ‘Goddess Gifts & More’.
The window display was full of large, artificial flowers and there was a trio of white mannequins on display.
One mannequin was wearing a very cute denim dress.
And it looked like it was in Morgan’s size.
And it would be the perfect kind of thing to wear on a date.
You know, if she planned on going on a date sometime soon.
Because a certain someone had decided to move to Cornerstone.
Morgan crossed her arms over her chest and chewed on her bottom lip, thinking over the whole Cody Situation.
He had been very weird the night she bumped into him on the road the other night, when she was on her way to Doug’s place after work.
But the following day Cody seemed to be fine, and his apology seemed genuine.
He was older now, which hopefully meant more mature.
He wasn’t the eighteen-year-old who broke her heart.
And she wasn’t the eighteen-year-old who was so hopelessly in love with him that she scared him away by talking about getting engaged only a few months after they started dating.
Morgan shook her head, feeling embarrassed just thinking about it.
She had been so clingy, it was no wonder he skipped town.
But he was back now. And the dating prospects in Cornerstone were non-existent.
And the past decade had been kind to him.
She could not deny that she thought he was pretty cute.
She also couldn’t deny that talking to him the other day gave her swarms of butterflies in her stomach.
Not that she was going to make it easy for him.
She planned on putting on a brave face and pretending like she was still pissed with him.
For like, at least a week or more. Or a couple of days. Maybe.
Fuck it. She headed for the front door, just as the pink cursive ‘OPEN’ sign clicked on in the gift shop’s window.
“I’ll be right back!” she called over her shoulder to Doug. Before he could stop her, she jogged out the Food Mart, heading across the street to the gift shop.
The bell jingled as she walked in, and Morgan couldn’t help but notice the sound of their shop bell was a lot more delicate and pretty than the one they had on the door of the grocery store.
The shop looked like the kind of place that was set up with the precision of someone who was more interested in taking social-media-friendly photos than actually running a business.
It was much more than the average Canadian souvenir gift shop that usually took this spot each summer.
There were no boxes of maple sugar candies or tacky beaver magnets.
Instead, there were racks of pretty clothing, displays full of sparkling accessories, and elegant home décor items. And there was so much pink.
Pink walls, pink stained wooden floors, and a pink crystal chandelier.
When did they do all these renovations? Morgan wondered.
Painting the outside was one thing, but they also had time to give the interior a full makeover?
She worked at the grocery store four to five days a week and lived in the apartment above the grocery store, and she hadn’t seen any work being done.
One second it was the vacant shell of last year’s boring souvenir shop, and now it was a pretty pink paradise. It didn’t make sense.
Everything was so pink Morgan did a double take as she noticed the woman standing at the front desk: with her long, pale pink hair flowing over her shoulders, and her pink gown that was nearly the same color as her hair.
She was a statuesque beauty with medium-brown skin that seemed to glow with an inner light that suggested this woman was a skincare expert who knew every Korean beauty secret.
Morgan had to do a doubletake as she noticed the stark white parrot with pink beady eyes sitting on the woman’s shoulder.
Morgan had never seen a parrot in-person before.
It was bigger than expected, at least a foot and a half tall and eerily still.
It scored extra creepy points for being an albino parrot.
Morgan wasn’t even sure if it was alive until it blinked.
“Greetings,” the woman said with a voice that was smooth like honey. “Welcome to my shop. How may I assist you today?”
“Um…” Morgan was temporarily dumbstruck by the woman’s beauty and the creepy parrot. “I just wanted to say welcome to Cornerstone. My name is Morgan Callahan. My brother and I run the grocery store across the street. We didn’t even notice you setting up shop but…wow! This place is amazing!”
“Thank you for the warm welcome and your high praise. My name is Systemica, but you may call me Temica, since we’re neighbors. It has always been my dream to own a beautiful gift shop and Cornerstone seemed like the perfect spot.”
“Your shop really is beautiful.” Morgan slowly turned in a circle, taking everything in. Her eyes landed on the denim dress in the window and Temica noticed what she was looking at immediately.
“That dress would look marvelous on you! Let me fetch it off the mannequin so you can try it on.”
“Oh, I…” Morgan looked through the window to the grocery store. It didn’t seem like it was busy. She’d just quickly try on the dress. “Okay, yes. I’ll try it on.”
Temica finished removing the dress and ushered Morgan to a change room, which was a little curtained off space in the corner of the shop. As soon as she was alone in the dressing room, Morgan looked at the price tag. As expected, it was a lot more than what she usually spent on her clothes.
I’ll try it on anyway, Morgan told herself. And when I see that it doesn’t fit and doesn’t look as cute on me as it did on the mannequin, my curiosity will be satisfied, and I can move on without buying it.
Except the dress fit like a glove. It hugged her curvy hips and shapely ass and made her cleavage look amazing.
Fuck, Morgan thought. I didn’t expect to look this amazing in it. If Cody saw me in this…
Doug would be pissed if he knew she was willing to give Cody a second chance. It might end up being a terrible decision. But she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Fuck it, Morgan thought, and decided to buy the damn dress.
Morgan paid for the dress and Temica was about to put it in an overly large pink gift bag with plumes of pink tissue paper, but Morgan quickly stopped her.
“I don’t want my brother to know I bought it.
Would it be okay if I came by later, when I’m done work, and I’ll pick it up then?
And I'll just put it in a regular paper grocery bag, if that’s okay? ”
“Very well.” Temica gave her a sweet smile. “I’ll see you later, Morgan Callahan.”
Morgan was locking up the grocery store at the end of her shift when she saw Cody strolling down the street.
Her heart fluttered as their eyes met, and she waved.
He grinned and made a beeline for her. It was the kind of smile that lit up his entire face, and she realized it was all for her.
The butterfly swarm returned to her stomach with a vengeance.
“I’m sorry about Doug,” she said hurriedly, once he was close enough. “I’m sorry he was an asshole to you. You can shop here, just make sure Doug’s not working.”
Cody’s smile broadened. “Really? Does that mean…?”
“It means…I thought about it more, and I will accept your apology. I accept that we were very young and we both made mistakes. I came on too strong, I didn’t realize you only wanted a summer fling, and—”
“And I broke your heart.” Cody looked at her and his gaze softened. “I was young and stupid. I wanted you to know I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I am really, truly, sorry.”
“Stop.” Morgan shook her head. “I said I accept your apology. But I don’t want Doug seeing us being friendly, okay?”
“Friendly, right.” Cody shoved his hands in his pockets and a beat of charged silence passed between them before he asked: “So…are you single?”
Morgan bit her bottom lip in an attempt to stop the grin from spreading across her face. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Cody asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Maybe when I'm around Doug, I’m single.” She could feel her heart thumping double-time. “And maybe when it’s just you and me…we’re testing the waters.”
“Testing the waters,” Cody repeated, smiling boyishly. “Okay. I can…test the waters.”
She couldn’t hold back her smile. She’d really forgotten how damn cute he was. But then her smile was wiped right off her face as a sudden burst of pain erupted in her bottom lip.
“Ow! Fuck!” Her hand went to her mouth and she felt blood on her lips, her fingertips coming away coated red.
“Oh, shit, what happened?”
“Something bit me?” She fished a tissue out of her purse and dabbed it on her lip, soaking up the blood. It seemed like a small cut, but it was a lot of blood. “Did you see anything? A bee or something?”
“No. I didn’t see anything. Are you okay?”
Morgan dabbed her lip a bit more, less blood coming away each time. “I think I’m fine.”
“Well, I walked to town today. Walk home with me? Or did you drive here?”
“I live in the apartment above the grocery store.” She pointed straight up.
“Really? You don’t live at your family’s cottage anymore?”
Morgan shook her head. “I used to. But my folks passed away, and Doug got married and they had a little girl, so they got the cottage and I took the apartment.”
“Sorry about your parents,” Cody said, his face growing somber. He paused, but it looked like he wanted to say something else, so Morgan waited patiently for his next words. “My mom passed, too. A few years back.”
“Yes, I know. Grandpa Sam told me. I’m sorry for your loss, Cody.” She already knew it had just been him and his mom in the city, and his grandfather had been his only other relative. And now they were both gone.
An awkward silence fell between them, the kind that arrives when you start talking about uncomfortable things like parents and other loved ones who have passed away.
She felt the intense need to hug him, to bring him some comfort.
She stepped closer, opening her arms to do so, when the same sharp pain stung her lip.
“Ow! What the hell?” She dabbed her bloody lip with her tissue again.
“Something bit you again? Are you okay?”
“Yeah…I have no clue what’s happening.”
They both looked around, but the street was quiet. Most of the businesses were already closed and the workers had gone home for the day. There were no buzzing bees or wasps or anything.
“So…you’re sure you’re okay? And I’ll see you again sometime?” Cody asked. “Can I have your number?”
“Sure.” She took his offered phone and typed her number into his contacts. He took it back and shot her text that read ‘Hey’, so she could save it. “You can call me. Or text.”
“Thanks. And you’re sure you’re fine?” He motioned to her lip.
“I think so.”
“Call me if you’re not?”
She smiled, but winced as it made the small cut on her lip sting. “Sure. I’ll call you. Good night, Cody.”
“Good night, Morgan.” Cody gave her one last smile, and then headed off in the opposite direction.