Fiona's smile widened. "Even better. I've always liked Agatha too. Good family there."
Morgan decided against filling her in on Aileen's attack on her. Seeing as how they had smoothed things over, it was probably best not to gossip in a small village.
"Yes, I'm quite taken with her. Though their family is large. It will take some getting used to."
"I suppose it will at that. You'll do just fine with them, Morgan. I have no worries about you." Fiona smiled and stood.
"Now, fill me in on any gossip you've overheard at the gallery."
Hours later, Morgan was smiling as she opened the creaky door of her van and climbed up onto the seat.
"Come on, girl, you've got this," she murmured to it as the engine chugged over again. Her night with Fiona had been just right. Good food, great company, and a dog to curl up at her feet. She could happily do this every Friday night, Morgan thought. Though she knew that made her different than other girls her age, Morgan figured that she was making up for lost time.
"Thank you!" Morgan sang out as the engine caught and she creakily backed down the driveway before turning onto the dark road. Her old headlights were the only light on the road here and she squinted into the dark as she made her way slowly along the ocean road.
Ireland wasn't known for its great roads and this one fit the bill. One lane, curvy, and difficult to navigate, Morgan began to wish that she had left earlier in the evening before the sun had set.
"Ah, well. Just go slow," Morgan murmured, and crept along the road. She tapped the accelerator lightly with her foot as she approached a hill.
Nothing happened.
"What?" Morgan asked, pressing harder onto the accelerator.
Nothing happened and the van began to decrease in speed.
"Shit," Morgan cursed and steered the van as far to the edge of the road as she could, the bushes screeching wildly as their branches scraped the side of the van. Morgan turned the key off and then the lights, not sure if she should conserve the battery.
"Shit," Morgan said again, thinking about what she should do.
She was about seven miles from Fiona's house and easily another fifteen or so from the village. As the darkness crept in around her, Morgan tried not to panic. Taking another deep breath, Morgan opened the door and stepped out. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks below reminded her of her precarious position.
It really was dark out here, she thought as she began to walk a little bit to see what was around the next curve. The moon was a small sliver in the sky, casting the faintest of light for her to see by. At the top of the hill, Morgan scanned desperately for any light, or any cars advancing.
Darkness greeted her.
Panic skittered up her spine and she began to breathe slowly, forcing herself to calm down. If worse came to worst, she'd walk the seven or so miles back to Fiona's. It would just take a little longer navigating in the dark, she thought. Morgan turned and headed back down the hill and was just at her van when she remembered her cell phone.
"My phone!" Shaking her head at herself, Morgan opened the driver's door and dove into her purse, digging around in the contents to find her slim cell phone.
"Please be charged," she prayed, knowing that she had a tendency to forget about her phone as she rarely used it.
Finding her phone, she swiped the screen and saw that she had 20% battery life left.
"Yes!"
Scanning through her contacts, she thought about the time. Patrick would be at work by now, so it was pointless to call him. Morgan's eyes landed on Flynn's name. His spread was just over the ridge from Fiona's and Morgan knew that he might have the necessary equipment to tow her vehicle.
Praying again, she selected Flynn's name and then did a fist pump when she heard the ring through the tiny speaker.
"Hello? Morgan?" Keelin's voice reached her through the speaker. Morgan's heart sank. She couldn't call a pregnant woman out to tow her vehicle.
"Hey, Keelin, how are you?" Morgan asked politely.
"Morgan, what's wrong?" Keelin asked.
"Um, well, it's no big deal, I can call someone else," Morgan began.
"Spit it out, Morgan," Keelin ordered.
"My van broke down. I'm about seven-eight miles towards the village on the ocean road coming from Fiona's. I was wondering if maybe Flynn would be able to…" Morgan pulled the phone away from her ear. Keelin had cut her off with a single "On our way."
"Okay then. Okay." Morgan breathed out and wiped sweaty palms on her jeans. Now, all she had to do was wait.
Reasoning that she would be safer in the van, Morgan climbed into the row of seats in the middle and buckled up. If anyone whipped around either curve, they could smash into her van from either end. The middle was fairly safe, she concluded.
Morgan looked at her phone again, her finger hovering over Patrick's name. They'd texted a few times this week and it always surprised her to see something sweet from him on her phone. Deciding again not to bother him, Morgan turned off her phone to conserve the battery and tucked it back in her purse.
The moments crept by incredibly slowly as she sat, alone in the dark, on the edge of the cliff and waited. She commended herself on not having a freak-out and for steering the van to the side of the road as quickly as she had. She could only hope that the mechanic bill wasn't huge.
Sighing, Morgan jumped as a light sliced across her rearview mirror. Praying that it was Flynn, she craned her neck to see the haze of headlights working their way along the curvy road behind her.
"Phew, that was quick," Morgan said out loud. In a matter of moments, Flynn's huge truck had reached her van. Thankfully, Flynn kept his lights on as he got out of the truck. Morgan bounded out of the van.
"Oh, thank you! I'm so sorry to bother you."
The passenger door cracked open and Keelin slid out. Morgan smiled at her, happy she was there, even though she felt bad for putting her out. Keelin looked lovely in her burgundy sweater that barely revealed the smallest of curves at her waist.
Flynn and Keelin came to stand in front of her, Flynn's arm automatically going around Keelin.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. I've been having some trouble starting it. But then as I approached the hill, the accelerator stopped working. I just pulled the van as far to the side of the road as I could and then it conked out."
"Were you at Fiona's?" Keelin asked, reaching out to pull Morgan into a quick hug.
"I was. I've never driven these roads back so late before; I suppose I should have left earlier."
"I doubt that would have made a difference with your car troubles," Flynn said. He walked around to look at the front of the van, figuring out how to open the hood.
"I'm going to have to tow it. I'll need a few minutes to figure this out," he called, pulling a flashlight from his back pocket and stretching out on the pavement to look under the front of the van.
"How is he going to manage towing it on this small road?" Morgan wondered.
"Flynn never ceases to amaze me. He is one of the most capable men that I have ever met," Keelin said, love and affection shining through her voice.
Morgan turned to her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Ah, so you know," Keelin said and smiled at her.
Morgan shrugged and nodded. "I'm sorry if you aren't talking about it."
"It's fine. I figured you would pick up on it at some point. I'll tell people soon enough. It's just been fun to have this little secret to ourselves for a bit, you know?"
Morgan nodded though she very clearly didn't know.
Out of the corner of her eye, Morgan caught light cresting the hill.
"Flynn! Car!" Morgan shouted, worried that he would be hit.
Flynn rolled quickly to the side and stood against the side of the van, pressed to the hill.
A car crested over the hill and Morgan held her hands up to block the light, while simultaneously waving her other arm to warn the driver.
The car came to a stop before it reached her van.
Morgan knew that car.
She groaned as Patrick stepped out, his face murderous.
"Uh oh," whispered Keelin.
"How did he know?" Morgan said.
"Flynn must have called him while I was in the toilet," Keelin murmured. They watched as Patrick approached Flynn and they talked for a moment. Turning, he stalked across the pavement until he reached Keelin and Morgan.
"Keelin," he said quietly, not looking at her.
"Hey, Patrick, oh, I think Flynn needs…" Her voice trailed off as she stepped away, leaving Morgan in the line of fire.
"Get in my car," Patrick ordered.
"But, I need to..."
"I said. Get. In. My. Car," Patrick bit out and Morgan's back went up. She shoved around him and stalked to the van to pull her purse from the driver's seat. Flynn stood at the front of the van.
"Do you need help?"
"No, I can do this. The fewer cars up here, the better. I'll call you in the morning," Flynn said, a small smile on his face.
"Thank you. The key's in the ignition. I owe you," Morgan promised, her cheeks burning in embarrassment at the scene that Patrick was causing in front of her now part-time employer. She stomped across the pavement and slid into the passenger seat, anger churning in her stomach.
Patrick slid in behind the wheel and carefully eased his car past the van and Flynn's truck.
"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 Twenty-Six
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 thought 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 across 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 women 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."
Wild Irish Rebel Page 14