"You're going the wrong way," Morgan said, her nose in the air.
"I'm going to take the inland route so Flynn can get started hooking your van up, if you must know," Patrick bit out, staring into the darkness.
Morgan crossed her arms across her chest, angry at Patrick, mad about her van, and not even knowing why she was so mad.
"You didn't have to make a scene in front of Flynn; he's my employer after all." Morgan turned to Patrick, glaring at him.
She could barely make out his face in the darkness, but she could see that his jaw was clenched tightly.
Silence descended upon them.
"Oh, the silent treatment? Lovely, just lovely. Real mature," Morgan spit out and turned her body away from him, praying the ride would go quickly. She didn't know what the big deal was or why he had come all the way out to be mad at her.
They sat in silence for the remainder of the drive, Morgan's anger building the closer they got to the village.
"What is your problem? It's not my fault that my van broke down!" Morgan finally shouted. Patrick pulled his car to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes and causing Morgan to jerk against her seatbelt.
"You are supposed to call me. Me! I'm your boyfriend. I'm the one who rescues you!" Patrick yelled at her, a vein sticking out in his head as he did.
"You were at work!" Morgan shouted right back.
"Then I leave work!" Patrick shouted.
"You can't just leave work," Morgan said in shock.
"I can. When my girlfriend is in an emergency, I most certainly can. You’re stranded on a dangerous road in the dark and you call Flynn. Not me. Flynn," Patrick said, biting out the words.
"I didn't realize I was your girlfriend," Morgan said snarkily, latching on to anything she could to fight back, caught up in the moment.
Patrick stared at her, his mouth dropping open. Closing it, he started the car, pulling back onto the road in silence and driving directly to her apartment building. Morgan sat in silence, feeling guilty, but also feeling righteous. They'd never discussed what they were to each other. There was no contract that said the girl had to call the boy when she was in trouble, she fumed to herself.
Patrick stopped the car, his eyes shooting daggers as he gestured for her to get out.
"If this week has meant nothing to you, then fine, we can just be friends."
Morgan's mouth dropped open.
"I never said this week didn't mean anything to me. I just didn't realize that I was supposed to call you first," she began.
"Save it, Morgan. You are too strong to ask for help, is that it? Always going it on your own? You don’t need anyone? Fine, then. Just fine. I'll see you when I see you," Patrick bit out.
Ice washed over her heart and Morgan stumbled from the car, unable to speak, unsure what had just happened but knowing that she felt like she was going to be sick. She shoved the key in the lock and ran up the steps to her apartment, tears blurring her vision. On a sob, she rushed to her bed and fell facedown on it, her heart cracking open.
She never should have given her heart away, Morgan thought. Hadn't she learned by now? Her body shook as she pulled the covers over her head, willing the pain to go away. So, maybe she'd made a mistake by not calling Patrick. But it wasn't like she'd offended his honor or something. She'd been looking out for him and his work, Morgan thought angrily as she punched the pillow beneath her face. And, he sure had never asked her to be his girlfriend, had he?
Morgan felt guilt wash over her as she thought about what she had said. Patrick had taken her to meet his family. When she freaked out, he'd patiently listened. He had also very tenderly and very sweetly shown her what intimacy was.
Morgan groaned again and looked at her watch. The pub would be in high swing now with the annual boat races tomorrow. Patrick would have no time to talk and it was best she waited until morning. He'd work off his mad a bit and then she could apologize.
Resolved, Morgan turned and stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim her.
Chapter 26
The next morning, Morgan paced in front of her slow pour-over coffeemaker. She'd spent a restless night, continually getting up to see if Patrick had texted her. Finally, at three in the morning, she had sent him a text saying that she was sorry.
Morgan sniffed and put her nose in the air. He'd certainly never bothered to respond. Probably laid up with some girl right now, Morgan thought and then pushed the thought away. Patrick may have a fine Irish temper but she didn't think he would do something like that to her.
At least she hoped he wouldn't.
Sighing, Morgan brought her cup of coffee to her face and inhaled the scent, sipping the liquid fast even though it burnt the roof of her mouth. She had just enough time to hop in the shower and get ready before she would meet up with Aislinn.
Today should be fun, Morgan thought as she dipped her head under the warm stream of water, reveling in the calm that showers always seemed to bring to her. She wondered when she would see Patrick and if he would still be mad at her.
Morgan reached out and snagged her coffee cup from the sink, drinking the rest of it in the shower. Finally conceding that she had to get ready, she got out and dried off. Wrapped in a towel, Morgan went to her window to peek out at the weather.
Sunshine greeted her and Morgan smiled at the strings of flags that crisscrossed across the street down to the harbor. The town sure did know how to make a festive event. Feeling a bit better about her morning, she went to her closet and pulled on jeans and a bright pink shirt, finishing it off with a turquoise scarf tied around her neck. She let her hair air dry in loose waves down her back.
Sure and didn't she have the worst dark circles under her eyes, Morgan thought as she examined her face in the mirror. Pulling out her concealer, she went to work on her face, adding some color to her cheeks and a dash of shadow at her eyes. She'd probably just wear her sunglasses all day, Morgan thought and went to where a plastic shopping bag from last weekend sat on her small side table. Inside was a pair of new black sunnies that had caught Morgan's eye. She slipped them on and checked herself in the mirror again. In her opinion, she didn't look like a girl who had been up crying all night over her boyfriend.
Boyfriend. Morgan turned the word around in her head as she pounded down the stairs, pulling the door of her apartment open to step into the sun. She supposed Patrick was her boyfriend. They'd just never talked about it. Didn't he know that she needed to talk about things? She'd never done this before. Why couldn't Patrick see that she needed these steps in their relationship? Feeling her anxiety kick up a notch, Morgan pushed Patrick from her head as she made her way to the gallery where she was meeting Aislinn.
Cheerful streamers crisscrossed the street, making the colorful town appear even more celebratory. The sidewalks were crowded with people laughing and already sharing their first pint of the day. Morgan shook her head at them, knowing they'd be in for some pain tomorrow if they drank all day.
Morgan could already see the harbor filling up with people as they walked past the street vendors parked by the boardwalk and called out to people on their boats. It was the official kickoff to spring and people were happy to be out in the sun.
Slipping down the side street that led to the alleyway behind Wild Soul Gallery, Morgan pulled her phone from her pocket to check for text messages. Her heart jumped at the blinking light and she swiped the screen to see the text.
From Flynn.
Morgan sighed and read that her van needed some work and he'd take it into the mechanic this Monday. Shooting off a grateful text, she pushed down the worry that came from not having heard from Patrick. Laughter floated over the fence around the courtyard behind Wild Soul Gallery as Morgan pushed the gate open.
"Morgan!"
Morgan stopped. Her heart filled with light as she looked at the beautiful group of women sitting around the table in the courtyard. It was almost as if they were surrounded by a glow of love. Aislinn looked every inch
the artist with her wild curls twisted back from her face and a long skirt in a vibrant sea green brushing feet clad in jeweled sandals. Cait was glowing in a pair of maternity jeans and a bright white maternity top that had thin stripes crisscrossing it. Keelin grinned at her, the hunter green top she wore highlighting her pretty burgundy eyes.
"Fiona!" Morgan said, seeing the old woman tucked behind Keelin, wearing a bright shawl in a mix of greens and blues.
"Of course I wouldn't miss the boat races," Fiona said with a smile.
"We're all here," Keelin said, and the women jumped as Keelin wiped tears from her eyes. "Sorry, sorry, just hormones."
Fiona patted Keelin's hand lightly.
"It's good to get emotional about this stuff. My girls. All together. And each one of you a picture," Fiona said, turning to smile at them all. Morgan couldn't help but smile back, feeling her heart fill with love and light from this tremendous group of women before her. Aislinn reached out a hand and pulled her to her side, wrapping an arm around her.
"How'd things go with Patrick?" Keelin asked and the other women whipped their heads around to look at Morgan.
"What happened?"
Keelin filled them in quickly as Morgan tried to figure out what to say.
"We fought. It was bad. I said some mean stuff. He stormed off. I texted an apology last night, but he never responded." Morgan shrugged, trying to blow the whole thing off.
"Well, that's right stupid of him," Cait said furiously.
"No, it's fine. Let us figure this out, Cait," Morgan pleaded.
"Fine, but I can still think he's stupid," Cait grumbled.
"What was he really mad about, Morgan?" Aislinn asked.
Morgan sighed and sat at the table, propping her arms on it and resting her head in her hands.
"That I didn't call him when my van broke down. Like I need him to rescue me," she scoffed.
The women all simultaneously rolled their eyes.
"I told Flynn not to call him," Keelin said with a sigh.
They all collectively shook their heads in disgust at men.
"So that was what the fight was about?" Aislinn prodded.
"Yes. That and that he kept calling me his girlfriend. Saying that a girlfriend would have called him. I told him that I didn't realize he was my boyfriend and he blew his lid!" Morgan said indignantly, looking around at the women and waiting for them to agree with her.
"Ohhhh, hmm. Maybe he's not so stupid," Cait amended, slicing a glare at Morgan.
"What?" Morgan said, turning to Aislinn with her mouth open.
"Well, you see, it's just that you've been acting like you are in a relationship. And Patrick's mooned after you for months now. It probably hurt him a lot to hear you dismiss him like that," Aislinn said soothingly, running her hand over her arm.
"He never said! He never told me that's what we were!" Morgan said desperately, pleading her case.
"Alright, ladies, back off," Fiona said. "This is Morgan's first real relationship. Might I remind you about your first boyfriends, Cait and Aislinn?" Her steely gaze pinned each of the women and they both blushed, looking down at the ground and muttering.
"Sorry, Morgan. I get it. First love is messy. You guys will work through," Cait said amenably.
"Everyone keeps saying first love! How do I even know if it's really love?" she asked.
"Did he make you so angry you wanted to scream but then you felt like throwing up when he walked away?" Keelin asked.
"Yes," Morgan whispered.
"Do you light up when you see him and look forward to telling him things?" Cait asked.
"Yes," Morgan whispered.
"Does it feel right…in here?" Keelin asked, placing her hands on her heart.
"Yes," Morgan whispered again.
"Then congratulations, my dear, welcome to your first love," Cait said wryly.
"You were a hot mess with yours," Aislinn said to Cait.
Cait immediately shot her nose in the air.
"I most certainly was not."
"Are you kidding me? You made him mix tapes with Forever Love written across them." Aislinn burst out laughing as Cait blushed.
"Alright, girls, enough. Let's head down to the races," Fiona ordered and the women all stood as one.
Fiona came around and wrapped her arm through Morgan's, looking up with her kind, all-knowing eyes.
"You'll be just fine, my dear. Let it go for today and enjoy yourself."
"I think that I might be able to do that now. Thanks," Morgan said, feeling lighter. It helped to talk with friends about her problems. It was another new experience for her, and it felt normal. For once, she felt normal.
"Wait up," she called to the women ahead and they stopped, laughing and gesturing for her and Fiona to hurry up.
Chapter 27
"It's so festive!" Morgan exclaimed as they made their way to the harbor. Musicians were set up in chairs right on the boardwalk, playing a lively lilting tune that made Morgan want to tap her feet. Children raced in packs, urging each other to go faster along the boardwalk. It was a cacophony of color and motion and Morgan found herself enjoying it, instead of shrinking away from the crowd like she would have in the past. She'd never been much of a joiner and it made her feel good to walk into this beautiful chaos of fun with the women at her side.
"Cider anyone?" Keelin asked.
"I'll have one," Morgan said impulsively. She could see Cait considering it.
Fiona nodded at Cait.
"You're due any moment. A cider won't harm the babe."
Cait grinned and nodded at Keelin.
"None for you though, Keelin," Fiona said and Keelin's face fell.
"I know, I know," she grumbled.
"I'll go with her," Aislinn said.
Morgan found herself scanning the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of Patrick's tall frame.
"He's on Flynn's boat," Cait said dryly and Morgan jumped.
"I wasn't looking for him," she protested and then remembered who she was talking to.
"Uh huh," Cait said, but with a smile to take the bite out of her words.
Morgan found herself hypnotized by the sight of Patrick as he worked at tying flags to Flynn's racing boat. His arm muscles rippled as he moved and she sighed just watching him.
"You'll work it out," Fiona murmured at her side and Morgan tore herself away from looking at him.
"Cider!" Keelin called as she came back with a bottle of Bulmer's for Morgan.
"Thanks," Morgan said, lifting the bottle and taking a long pull from it. She stopped and then glanced at the girls. "Um, I'm going to need food."
"Fresh scones right there," Aislinn said, gesturing to a booth.
"I'll come with, I'm always hungry," Cait grumbled and meandered with her to the booth where they both purchased cinnamon raisin scones with sweet cream. They perched on a low wall to eat.
"This is nice," Morgan said, gesturing to the festivity around them.
"It is. The pub will be hopping later, so good for business."
"Where's Shane?" Morgan asked.
"The men are all going on Flynn's boat. Going to enjoy themselves a fast ride across the water," Cait said with a sigh.
"Envy them?"
"Aye, I love it. Whipping across the water with the wind in your hair and sun beating down on you…it's the best. You can't grow up on the water and not feel it in your bones," Cait said and bit into her scone.
"Do you think Patrick and I will be okay?" Morgan asked, her stomach still a ball of nerves at the possibility of losing him.
"Aye, he really does care about you. You'll work through this. Most couples I know have a good fight every now and again. It clears the air. And, making up is fun." Cait winked at her and then winced.
"What was that?" Morgan asked, alarmed.
"Just a twinge, nothing major. I suspect I'll be going later today or tomorrow," Cait said matter-of-factly.
"Oh God, what do you want me to do?" Morgan asked, jumping up
and hovering over Cait. Cait laughed at her and waved her to sit.
"Nothing. Shane knows. And am I not sitting next to one of the greatest natural healers this world has known?" Cait gestured to where Fiona stood.
Immediately, the ball of nerves in her stomach soothed.
"I've never seen her work. What's it like?"
"It's an experience. I've only been with her once and quite by accident. It's almost like magic. You can see the sickness leaving too…almost like a blur of gray or a flash of light. It is enough to make you believe in pretty much anything," Cait mused, squinting at the harbor. "Ah, they're getting ready to go."
"Come on, girls," Aislinn called and Morgan turned, hauling Cait up by her hand.
"Promise me you'll tell me if you need help," Morgan whispered.
Cait waved her away.
"I'll be fine."
Chapter 28
The women picked their way through the crowd to where the entrance to Flynn's dock was roped off. One of Flynn's crew, and a man that Morgan had worked with before, nodded to them and held the rope up, allowing them front-row access to the boat races.
"Oh look!" Morgan cried and pointed to where Flynn's boat, decked out in flags and streamers, lined up next to ten other boats. Their men all ranged around the boat in varying positions. Morgan jumped as Cait let out a wolf whistle that had all the men turning. They waved as their ladies cheered for them.
Morgan felt her heart lift when Patrick waved. She waved back, hoping that he could see the smile on her face.
Hoping that he knew how much she cared about him.
The women linked arms as the announcer shouted over the loudspeaker.
"Five, four, three, two, one!" they all yelled together and began screaming like banshees at the end of the dock. The boats took off from the starting line, racing towards a boat far out in the ocean that Morgan could barely see. Flynn's boat was the easiest to track with the brightly colored streamers fluttering in the wind behind it.
"How far out is it?" Morgan asked.
The Mystic Cove Series Boxed Set (Wild Irish Books 1-4) Page 65