Chapter Two #3
Morganna dragged herself to her feet, clutching the back of Evie’s seat as she tried to remain upright in the aisle. “Thank ye. That would be lovely.”
Evie hurried to turn the poor woman’s seat back into a bed, smoothed the wrinkles from the covers, and plumped a fresh pillow before helping her companion lie back down. “There you go. Curl up on your side, and I’ll get you one of those pills to hold under your tongue.”
Morganna made a pitiful mewling sound, reminding Evie of a lost kitten. “That’ll be fine, although I’d rather ye killed me and put me out of my misery.”
“The pill will help.” At least, Evie hoped it would. She put it against Morganna’s lips and said, “Open up.” She was afraid to put it in the woman’s clammy hand. It would dissolve before she had the chance to take it.
“Thank ye,” Morganna whispered after taking the pill. “Now tell me a story.” She curled into a tighter ball and buried her face in her pillow.
“Tell you a story?” Evie had hoped to settle back down and finish the movie she’d started, even though she’d already seen it once before, but she didn’t have the heart to ignore poor Morganna. “What kind of story?”
Her voice muffled by the pillow, Morganna gently rocked back and forth as she spoke. “A story of true love. Where two people find each other, beat the odds, and live happily ever after.”
“Oh, I love those stories too.” A true romantic, even though at the ripe old age of thirty-two, she’d decided she would die from terminal virginity, Evie adored tales about lovers finally finding each other.
But sadly, she wasn’t much of a storyteller.
She looked across at the open window and smiled at the swirling white clouds streaming past the porthole.
“I’m not good at telling stories, but I can chatter away about just about anything.
My grandpa used to call me Mockingbird. But I do believe in soul mates, love at first sight, and predestination.
All that stuff. If it’s meant to be—it will be. One way or the other.”
“Mockingbird.” Morganna had stopped rocking and clutching her pillow so tightly to her face. “Annoying wee birds, but interesting to watch.” She shifted with a deep breath. “And I do like yer beliefs. They are good and true.”
“Is your stomach calming a little?” Evie hoped the pill was helping. She hated seeing anyone suffer from motion sickness. That feeling was miserable. “I don’t think you’re as green as you were.”
“Green?”
Evie smiled. “Figure of speech. You weren’t really green. Actually, you were white as a sheet, but now your cheeks are getting a little bit of pink back into them.”
“I still dinna wish to move verra much.”
“Probably a wise idea to stay still.” Evie clicked off the movie.
There wasn’t enough time left to finish it, but she didn’t mind.
Even while battling nausea and trying to avoid turning herself inside out with heaving, Morganna had been the kindest and most considerate host she’d ever met.
“The attendant will probably want you to sit up soon, so enjoy the stillness while you can.”
“Thank the blessings of the darkness,” Morganna whispered so softly that Evie barely heard her.
Blessings of the darkness? Was Morganna in some sort of cult or strange religion? “How are you with trains?” Evie asked, deciding not to pry into Morganna’s beliefs. After all, it really wasn’t any of her business.
“Much better than I am with these feckin’ planes.”
“Well, that’s good.” Evie fidgeted, shifting in the seat.
Now that they were almost there, a serious case of nerves had set in to make her all twitchy.
What in the world was she supposed to do in Scotland for an entire month?
She’d never been much for slowing down and enjoying the view.
She was too accustomed to the fast-paced juggling of timelines, customers, and drivers that her dispatcher’s job had demanded.
And this was the first time in ten years that she’d ever taken any time off.
Vacations were for other folks. She needed to work extra hard not only to keep her head above water but also to ride the wave of success when it finally came her way.
“So…what exactly is there to do in Craig Durness? Lots of castles to explore or something?”
“Dinna fash yerself.” Morganna actually managed a wan smile. “The Highlands will keep ye well entertained. I promise ye.”
“Awesome.” But would it be? Really? A sudden longing for things to return to what they’d been as short as a week ago hit Evie square in the chest. She hated change and didn’t handle it well. That was probably yet another reason she’d never vacationed. She hated veering from her standard routine.
She cleared her throat with a hard swallow. Time to stop being silly and embrace the opportunity. If not for Morganna and Craig Durness, she’d be job hunting while fighting to get her unemployment checks started. “I’ve always wanted to travel.”
Morganna opened her eyes wider and studied her for a long moment. “Then this is just the beginning. I promise ye, ye will be traveling.”