by Mysti Parker
“Long time, no see,” he said.
Morgan stood up too quickly and banged her head on the doorframe. “Ow!” She backed out and stumbled.
Garrett caught her before she hit the asphalt.
She pivoted in his arms, blinking up at him. “Oh.”
“Oh?”
“Oh my gosh.” She flung her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe it’s you!”
Laughing, Garrett hugged her back, overcome with a flurry of emotions he hadn’t expected. “It’s good to see you again.”
“No kidding!” Morgan pulled back. She studied his face, then her gaze dipped down to his chest and lower. “Oh my, you’ve grown up.”
“So have you.”
That felt like the understatement of the century. Morgan Baxter had more than grown up. She’d become a stunning beauty. Still had the heart-shaped face, but the glasses were gone, her round cheeks were a bit more refined, the poufy perm he remembered now sleeked back into a long, light brown ponytail dyed pink on the last six inches or so.
“And those tattoos! I never thought you'd be a tattoo guy."
Garrett shrugged. "I lost a bet when we were stationed in Texas."
"They look good on you. So...the rumors are true, huh?”
“Which ones?”
She nodded across the street toward Mann Cakes. “We heard someone had bought Maggie’s. To be honest, I’d heard that you and Tanner had bought it, but I didn’t tell Paige. I’m surprised she hasn’t caught wind of it before today, but a lot of people try to shield her from things.”
“Really? Why?”
Morgan bit her lip and shrugged as though she’d said too much and had to pretend ignorance.
“I hear you and Paige have a cupcake shop across town.”
“That’s right.” Her exuberance faded. “But that might be a problem.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re competitors.”
“Nah, we’re not making the sweet stuff. It’s all savory cakes. Bacon, cheese, stuff men like.”
“Hmm.” Morgan put one hand on her hip and rubbed her chin with the other hand. “Weird.”
“Not really. It’s just cheese instead of icing.”
“No, I mean we had a lot of cancellations, and Paige thought it might be because of you guys.”
“That’s pretty unlikely. We’re not even open yet.”
She shrugged. “Times are tough. They probably just want to save money. Sure you guys want to open up a shop? It’s hard going.”
“I know. We had a custom PC business before we went overseas.”
“Linda told me about that. So sorry.”
Garrett shook his head. “Don’t be sorry for me. It’s Will’s family I’m worried about.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With Dad in his trailer. Hopefully not for long. He snores loud enough to wake the dead.”
Morgan laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck again, giving him a warm, comforting hug. Garrett swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled, hugging her back. She’d always been a hugger. It was one of many things he had loved about her.
She released him slowly and pulled back, arms crossed and blushing slightly. “I guess I should go.”
“Yeah, I should get back to work. We have a lot of tile to lay.”
“It was really good to see you again,” she said quietly, her gaze fixed on her feet.
“You too.”
Morgan nodded and reached for the car door handle. The logical thing to do would be to let her go and get back to business. They had bills to pay, after all. But a sinking feeling in his gut overcame logic. They’d always been good friends. Time and distance surely hadn’t changed that. He realized then how much he had missed her.
Garrett cleared his throat. “Would you have time to grab a coffee? Catch up a bit?”
Morgan turned her head, meeting his eyes with her bright hazel ones. Her pink-glossed lips curved upward, bringing out the dimples he remembered from their youth. His breath caught. He’d always thought Morgan was pretty, but he never expected to be so affected by a simple smile. Yet here he was, staring at her like a smitten puppy.
“I’d like that. How about Beach Pointe Roasters?”
“Do they still have coffee that can clean brakes?”
“Oh yeah. It’ll put hair on your chest.”
“Maybe you should stick with decaf.”
Morgan laughed. “Nah, I’m pretty hard core. I’ll get my purse and call Paige real quick.”
“Okay, I’ll run over and tell Tanner where I’ll be.”
Garrett looked both ways and jogged back to the store. The train rolled by along the cross street, snagging up the busy afternoon traffic. The whistle blared, jarring his doubts to the surface.
He buttoned up his shirt as he went, muttering all the way. “What am I doing? She’s probably in a serious relationship already, maybe even engaged. I’m just catching up with a friend. That’s all. Just a friend. Perfectly normal.” But, he couldn’t ignore the nervous jitters in his stomach. “Just friends” shouldn’t make you feel like you could dance and vomit at the same time.
One of the older men who occupied the bench outside their shop frowned at him. They probably thought the crazy veteran with an unbuttoned shirt muttering to himself had PTSD. All he could do was give the man a stiff smile and wave and hope they didn’t start spreading rumors that he and Tanner were unstable.
Tanner met him at the door, peering over his shoulder. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Yeah, we’re just going for coffee.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
Garrett glanced back to make sure Morgan wasn’t within earshot. “Give me a break, okay? She made it clear a long time ago that she just wanted to be friends. So, that’s what we’ll be.”
Tanner grinned, winking at a middle-aged woman carrying a Styrofoam lunch container as she passed by on the sidewalk. Her gaze was fixed on Tanner – more specifically, Tanner’s bare chest – so she didn’t notice the streetlamp and ran right into it, lunch first.
“You okay?” Garrett asked. He winced at the crushed container dripping brown gravy on her flats.
“Oh, yes, no harm done.” She laughed nervously and scurried away, disappearing into one of the injury lawyer’s offices a few doors down.
Tanner chuckled and flexed his muscles, the big show-off. “Who needs paid advertising when you’ve got these pecs?”
“I don’t want to keep Morgan waiting, so I’ll leave you to, um…admire yourself, but you may want to get away from the windows. Just clean up afterward, will you?”
“Don’t I always?”
Shaking his head, Garrett started out the door.
“Hey, get the scoop on Paige while you’re at it,” Tanner said.
“Whatever.” Garrett jogged across the street again.
Morgan smiled as he caught up to her. She stuck her phone in her back jeans pocket—they hugged her butt oh so nicely, by the way—and hooked her arm in his.
The walk down Main Street to the coffee shop was short, but Morgan didn’t seem to be in any hurry, which didn’t bother him in the least. It felt great hanging out with her again. They’d always had a good vibe between them, and today was the perfect day to take a walk. Leaves and flowers were budding in bright greens and yellows. A squirrel sat atop one of the new bourbon barrel trash cans, happily munching on a French fry. The mayor’s downtown revitalization program had just been completed, which meant good things for their new business. When he and Tanner left home for basic training, the town had all but died. Every other shop had a For Sale or Lease sign in the window then. Now, most every shop was open for business with fresh paint and fresh customers.
“How’s Tanner doing?” Morgan asked while they waited in the short line to order.
“He’s good. Same old full-of-himself go-getter. Losing the business and Will’s death hurt him, though. He doesn’t want to show it, of course.”<
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“Of course. Sounds like he’s not changed much.”
“I don’t know. I think he’s grown up a lot. The Air Force tends to do that to you.”
They finally ordered drinks and took a tall round table near the front windows. Garrett sat down, while Morgan had to climb up to perch atop the seat across from him.
Silence stretched between them, making the atmosphere awkward. Morgan stared out the window, watching the people pass. Garrett watched the street scene, too, but stole a few glances at her. He loved the way her eyes took in every detail, darting toward all the movement beneath those long lashes. She caught him looking and smiled, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Heat climbed up his cheeks, so he turned his attention to the window again, though he honestly didn’t notice anything going on out there. All he could sense was Morgan’s closeness. Her nails, painted in light blue with pink flowers, clicked on the table. She didn’t wear a ring. So... divorced, single, or possibly lesbian? He had never assumed she swung that way. But that brought on thoughts of her long legs tangled up with equally hot legs, which sent heat straight to his groin.
The server brought their coffees and broke his speeding train of thought before he could say or do anything too stupid. Morgan had a soy latte, while Garrett stuck with his routine dark roast with half-and-half, plus a couple of lemon scones.
“Thanks,” Morgan said, snatching up a scone. “These things are to die for.”
Garrett picked up one and tried a bite. “Wow, they are pretty good. I’m surprised you’re eating the competition.”
“Nah. They don’t fill big orders for parties and stuff like we do. They’re just here for the quick caffeine and sugar fix. We do a little cross promotion. They send folks our way, and we send folks to them.” Morgan bit her lip and looked down at the table as though she had given away proprietary secrets.
“Ah, I see.” He tried to sound uninterested without sounding too bored. Why did talking to her suddenly feel like teetering on a balance beam?
She swallowed and dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “So...what exactly happened to your business? I know there was a fire and your friend…you know, but was it arson or what?”
“The police suspect arson, but they’re not a hundred percent sure yet.”
“Oh.” Morgan’s lips curved into a sympathetic frown. She lay her hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. God, she was sweet. “How did you get into the computer business? Tell me about it.”
“I started building custom PCs on base during my downtime. It was just one or two a week at first, but then they started selling like mad. When we returned from active duty, Tanner convinced me to open a shop in Louisville. So, we did, and that’s when Mann Brothers Custom PCs was born. He handled all the marketing and customer service so I could concentrate on building. We did great until we were deployed to Afghanistan.”
“I’m so glad you guys are okay.”
“Me too. We were lucky, compared to a lot of good people who didn’t make it home.”
“What made you join the Air Force?”
Garrett laughed softly, sat back in his chair, and took a sip of coffee. “Tanner.”
Morgan flashed a pearly-white smile. “Do you do everything your brother says?”
“No, but I wanted a college degree and didn’t have enough financial aid, so I would have had to get a bunch of loans I’d still be paying off. Mom and Dad couldn’t help us, so the Air Force seemed like a good alternative. All tuition paid.”
“That’s great!” Morgan’s smile faded as she picked at her scone.
“Well, it’s not like I did anything with it except for the computer shop, and a lot of good that did.” He cleared the tightness of unwanted emotion from his throat. “Enough of that. I bet you got an art degree and have paintings all over town.”
She met his eyes briefly and shook her head. “No. I started college but left after a couple of years. Paige needed help.”
“Oh.” Shoot, he’d overstepped. Might as well go with it. Awkward silences were more difficult than awkward conversations. “What happened to Paige?”
Morgan shifted in her seat. Her shoulders lifted and fell in a long sigh. “It’s a long story. She has a son. He’s autistic.”
“Oh. That’s rough. How old is he?”
“Um…” Her gaze bounced all around the table and finally landed in her coffee cup. She took a long drink, her face mostly hidden in the steamy depths.
“Sorry.” Should have chatted about the weather. She’d likely bolt any minute. This was clearly an uncomfortable subject for her.
Morgan lowered her cup and shrugged. “It’s hard on her. Ty’s a sweet little boy, but on bad days, it’s really bad. Mom babysits while we’re at the shop, but she can’t handle him and the other kids when he acts out. Just don’t talk about it to anyone or tell her I told you. Paige doesn’t like people knowing about her personal life.”
“I understand.” He didn’t really. This whole thing with Paige felt off.
“So, what about Will? Did he run the shop while you were gone?”
He wanted to ask about the kid’s father, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Besides, Morgan had already changed the subject. “Yeah, him and a few interns from the community college.” Now he knew how Morgan felt, venturing to such a heart-heavy topic. “We were in London, on our way back, getting ready to head to LaGuardia. That’s when we got the news. Our flights had been delayed twice. If we’d been on time, maybe we could have stopped it… I don’t know.”
“You can’t beat yourself up over it.”
“No, but what I can do is help out Will’s family with the funeral expenses. That’s where my part of Mann Cakes will go until their debts are paid.”
“That’s very sweet of you.” Her somber expression brightened from a smile to a laugh. “Where did you get that name?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
She laughed again, shaking her head. “Silly me.”
Even though talking about Will and the fire had dampened his mood, Garrett smiled. Morgan had always had a way of lifting his spirits, no matter how glum he was.
“What did Paige say when you called? Bet she’s surprised we’re back in town and in the cake business.”
Morgan grimaced and sipped some of her latte. “She asked me who owned it. I kinda lied. Well, not really, but sort of.”
Garrett lifted one eyebrow and gave her a pretend stern look, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “Isn’t kind of a lie still a lie?”
“More like omission of the whole truth. I told her I had run into a friend and we were having a quick cup of coffee, and then I’d investigate the place.”
“I see, so she sent you to spy on us, huh? I hope this doesn’t turn into some kind of cupcake feud.”
She puffed some air through her lips and waved dismissively. “That’s silly. We’re all adults. I’m sure we can conduct ourselves accordingly.”
He sat up stiffly and deepened his voice. “That’s very mature vocabulary, Miss Baxter.”
“Why thank you.” Morgan laughed, hopped off the chair, and tossed her cup and napkin into the trash. “Now would you be so kind as to show me your Mann Cakes?”
“I’d love to, but we probably should do that in private.” He followed her to the door and held it open for her, grinning from ear to ear.
Morgan’s cheeks turned rosy, and she burst out laughing. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
As he followed her back toward the shop, his mind tripped over what she'd said about Paige's son. Depending on how old he was… No, he had to be grasping at straws, and surely Paige wouldn’t be so cruel as to not tell Tanner he had a son.
Chapter Four
The drive back to Two Sisters usually took ten minutes from that part of town. This time, it felt like two seconds, knowing she had to fess up to Paige. Meeting Garrett like that so unexpectedly had left Morgan in a state of dizzy exhilaration, the kind she got when topping the continuou
s hills along the backroads. She’d thought of him a lot over the years, even friended him on Facebook, but he rarely posted anything but brainy techno articles and memes. His relationship status had changed a couple times, then disappeared altogether when he was deployed, so she had no idea what was up with that. But if he was married, he didn’t wear a ring, and he didn’t mention any serious girlfriend. It was none of her business anyway, but she hadn’t expected to see him, much less to feel so giddy over it.
Morgan checked her face in the visor mirror. Still flushed, still smiling. He had a stubbly beard now and the same green eyes. His dark brown hair was trimmed really short on the sides, a little longer on top, probably an Air Force regulation cut. Quite different from his shaggy sleep-and-go style from when they were teens. But she liked it just the same. And those muscles! Every bit of his body must have been fit and toned. Hardly the lanky kid she remembered. When she’d stumbled, she’d felt the strength in his arms, and the sheer solidness of his torso when she’d hugged him. He’d hugged her back, and it wasn’t a quick acquaintance embrace either, but one that was a little tighter and a little longer than necessary. Or had she only imagined that? She cleared her throat and put on her serious business face. Enough daydreaming. It was only a little past three o’clock. She could open back up, clean up, and…oh crap, she still had to tell Paige.
“She’ll flip. She’ll totally flip,” she muttered while locking up the car. She headed for the shop, smiling at the painted Two Sisters name on the window, her very own handiwork. At least she could claim that bit of art on public display. She unlocked the door and went inside, flipping over the Closed sign to Open. It was a pretty store at least, thanks to her decorating sense. Black and white checkerboard floor, pink and white chairs, white tables, periwinkle blue walls, and light fixtures hung with clear beads that glittered like chandeliers. Colorful, whimsical, and bright, unlike their surroundings.
The shop occupied a nice corner space in a tiny brick-faced strip mall at the entrance to Beach Pointe Estates. The neighborhood had sprung up during the housing bubble in the early 2000s. Nearly every historic small town in America had been infected with these cookie cutter clusters of modern life. Like most Stepford suburbs, the streets webbed between lots exactly one-quarter acre in size. Whoever named these roads must have loved flowers. There was Clover Drive, Daisy Road, and Calendula Circle, to name a few. Bi-level identical houses, all covered in beige siding, resided on each of those floral addresses. Morgan didn’t know how folks kept from getting lost. You’d have to pray the numbers didn’t fall off the mailbox or you’d never get home.