by Kate Sweeney
Morgan looked at Cara with tears in her eyes. “How’s that for a mood killer?”
Cara laughed, still holding her arm. “You definitely have a way with you.”
Morgan chuckled, wiping her cheeks. “I can really wow the ladies.”
“So, what happened with this woman?”
“Oh, who knows.”
Cara laughed out loud, then put her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Morgan laughed. “Mom called her The Snake.”
“I know.”
Morgan stopped laughing. “What do you mean? How could you know that? You know about this? My mother told you?”
“Oh, no. I—”
Morgan stood. “You knew all about this and you made me bring it up again?”
Cara quickly stood, as well. “Morgan, no. I had no idea about your uncle. Your mother just mentioned The Snake, er, the woman because I asked her about your life. That’s all she said. She told me I’d have to ask you, and it would be up to you to tell me. But it was up to you. Honestly, I had no idea the two were connected. You have to believe me.”
Morgan walked over to the fireplace, placing her hands on the mantel. Cara hoped she didn’t try to tear it off the bricks.
Morgan turned around. “I believe you. I know my mother. She can be a blabbermouth, but she’d never talk out of turn. I didn’t mean to get upset.”
“It’s an upsetting subject. I understand.” She walked up to Morgan, holding out her hand. “Friends?”
Morgan took the offering. “Friends.”
Cara could only gasp when Morgan pulled her in her arms, and she got thoroughly kissed. And Cara kissed her in return. Cara then quickly pulled back.
Morgan was breathing as if she’d run a race. “I’m—”
“I swear to God, if you start apologizing.”
“I can’t apologize for doing something I’ve wanted to do since you showed up on my doorstep.”
It took Cara a moment to calm down. She looked into Morgan’s eyes, and for a moment, she wanted to kiss her again. But when Morgan stepped back, Cara was clearly disappointed. Morgan walked past her; she picked up her wineglass and drained its contents.
“Well, thank you for telling me. I’m sure it wasn’t easy,” Cara said, fighting the urge to be in Morgan’s arms again.
“That was an exhausting topic.” Morgan looked at the empty glass.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you start apologizing now. I enjoyed the end of it, though.”
“I did too.”
They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Cara couldn’t take it anymore. The desire to kiss Morgan again became increasingly overwhelming.
“Cara, I know there’s, well, we’ve…”
“Morgan, I have some thinking to do. I’ve enjoyed every minute since I arrived here, and I wouldn’t change one thing.”
“Even the kiss?”
Cara heard the hopeful tone in her voice. “Yes. Especially the kiss.”
When Morgan took a step toward her, she put her hand up. “Let’s leave this for now. Is that all right?”
Morgan looked like a little kid told to put the cookie back. Cara hid her grin.
“I think I’m going to take a hot bath and go to bed,” Cara said quietly.
Morgan nodded. “That’s fine. Take your wine with you. It’ll be like being at a spa. Ooh, I have some bath bubbles I got last Christmas. How about that?”
Cara laughed at her enthusiasm. “That would be fine. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cara grabbed her glass of wine and headed to the bathroom. Morgan was in the linen closet and took out two small bottles.
“This one isn’t open, so you might want that. I like this one, though, but I’ve used some.”
“Thanks.” Cara took the one that was opened.
“Thank you for listening.”
“I’m glad you felt as though you could tell me. It-it means a lot.”
“It does?”
When she grinned, Cara nodded. “Yes, it does.”
“I’ll leave you then. Unless you need any help.”
Cara just looked at her.
“Enjoy.” Morgan laughed while backing up. “No drowning.”
“I’ll try.”
“If—”
“Get out, Morgan.” Cara laughed as she closed the door.
She waved the bottle of bath salts under her nose; the vision of Morgan lying in a hot tub galloped through her mind.
Now what?
Chapter 12
It was a fine day for the cookout. Though Morgan loved to fly, she had secretly hoped for some nice cold rain but was glad the kids had a great time as she flew them around the lake. She only had a couple of kids screaming once when she came close to the lake, then quickly flew over the tops of the trees.
Now kids were running around playing badminton and hitting one another with the rackets because all the shuttlecocks were in the tree, while some played volleyball. Morgan winced as the volleyball painfully careened off a boy’s face. Others played shuffleboard using the cue sticks as swords. There were no incidents with that, thank God. And she was glad they behaved themselves for their short flying excursion. The parents were all together, standing by the kegs of beer and the makeshift bar right outside of the lodge, happy to let the kids run amok.
She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Cara about their discussion—or the kiss. And she didn’t like the awkward silence between them. She worried if kissing Cara was the right thing to do. But remembering how she felt, how her body reacted to the feel of Cara’s lips—no, it was the right thing. Perhaps not the right time.
Cara had spent most of the previous day writing, and at night, she seemed distracted and went to bed early. Morgan was disappointed, but she knew Cara needed to get the article done before they left for Chicago, which sadly was in two days. Time had flown by.
Morgan made sure the plane was moored tightly to the dock. She looked up and saw Cara, who laughed and chatted with everyone. Sal seemed to be taken with Cara, as was Barry, and honestly, everyone who met her. Morgan sighed like a fool when Cara glanced her way, beckoning her as she held up her red Solo cup. Morgan laughed and took the invitation; she couldn’t wait to join the adults.
Barry filled a Solo cup with beer to overflowing and offered it to Morgan.
“The kids had a great time, Morg. Thanks. You were a hit. I thought I heard them scream only once.”
“Well, I thought I’d give them a thrill.” Morgan took off her baseball cap, wiping her forehead before taking the beer. “I’m glad they had a good time. I enjoyed it, and they were well-behaved.”
“That’s because Betty threatened them.”
Morgan laughed, taking a long drink of the icy beer. “Ahh, that’s good.”
“You earned it.”
Morgan looked around while drinking.
“She’s over there with Anne and Fred.”
“Who?” Morgan asked innocently.
Barry laughed, slapping her on the back. “You are hooked, aren’t you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Morgan immediately put her sunglasses back on.
“Not going to work. I don’t need to look in your eyes to see it. Sal thinks you two are adorable.”
Morgan groaned. “Don’t be an ass. There’s nothing between us, Barry. She’s leaving, you know.”
“And you’re going with her. You’ll get to see her in her natural habitat. You’ll know after a few days there.”
“What do you mean?” Morgan tried to sound nonchalant.
“You know what Cara told me?”
“What?” Morgan quickly drank her beer. She almost needed both hands to steady the cup.
“She told me she loved it here. It was beautiful. It feels like a vacation but more than that, she said. So now she goes home, and you see if she’ll miss this.”
“That sounds very simplistic.”
Barry shr
ugged, drinking his beer.
“You think…you think she will miss all this?”
“If she knows you’re going to leave Chicago for good, she might.”
“I don’t know. She’s pretty set in her life. She’s always out on the town. We don’t even have a town.”
Barry laughed, nearly spewing his beer. “We do too. Okay, so it’s not Chicago.”
“Chicago? We’re not even International Falls. That’s putting it mildly. Oh, what am I doing? Why should she want to leave a big city? She’s involved with someone.”
“Yes, but—”
“What the hell do I have to offer?” Morgan went on. “I should just leave this alone, right? Just go to Chicago, do the photo thing, wave my hand, and come home where I belong. And she can stay with her girlfriend. What’s the matter?”
Morgan stiffened when Barry’s eyes grew wide and motioned behind her.
“Oh, no, no, no,” Morgan whispered. She sighed and turned around.
Cara did not seem too pleased.
Morgan smiled weakly. “Hi there.”
“Hello,” Cara said dryly. “May I speak with you for a moment?”
Morgan stepped back. “Me?”
“Yes.”
Morgan mustered all the courage she had, which at this point wasn’t much. “Of course, you can. Excuse us, Barry.”
“Sure.” Barry made an about-face and practically ran away.
Morgan saw beer sloshing out of his blue Solo cup.
“You scared Barry,” Morgan accused her. “I hope you’re satisfied.”
Cara continued to glare. “What are you doing?”
“Enjoying a frosty beverage.”
“What are you doing?”
“It depends on what you heard.” Morgan offered her best smile. She even took off her sunglasses.
Cara sighed. “Come with me, please.”
“Where?”
“Just c’mon.”
“Not if you’re going to slug me.”
“Come with me.”
“You don’t have to be so bossy.”
“Please, come with me.”
Morgan dutifully followed her to the lodge, then to the back office.
“Sal has a printer.” Cara sat at the computer. She put on her glasses.
Morgan smiled, regarding her face. The sexy transformation was like something out of a movie.
“Stop staring,” Cara said, typing on the keyboard. She then sat back when the printer started.
“What is it?” Morgan asked, looking at the pages.
“It’s a printer.”
Morgan tried not to laugh; she saw the first page, craning her neck to read it. When she did, she stopped laughing. The title read The Best Things in Life. She looked at Cara, who shrugged.
“You finished the article?”
“Yes. Last night and today. Betty said Sal and Barry had a computer and a printer. So, here we are. Sorry I was so distracted yesterday. When I’m on a deadline, I usually get in a zone, and I’m oblivious to everything around me.”
Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. “Is that why you were so quiet?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I thought maybe you had second thoughts about, ya know. And it made you uncomfortable. I thought maybe I went too far with the kiss.”
Cara smiled. “You did not go too far, and I’m not uncomfortable. I’m a grown woman, Morgan. I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m glad you do.”
Cara laughed. “I just have things to think about and to come to grips with. And you can’t help me there.”
“I can be there as a friend.”
“Thanks. That means a great deal.”
Morgan nodded, looking at the printer, which was still spewing pages. “This is long.”
“It still has to be formatted for print. I’d like you to read it. ”
When the printer stopped, Cara took the pages and leafed through them. She looked around the desk and found a manila folder, putting the pages in it. Then she handed it to Morgan.
Morgan wiped her hands on her jeans before she took the folder. “I want to read this outside.”
“What?” Cara looked over her glasses.
Morgan didn’t answer; she walked out of the lodge, ignoring everyone, including Betty. She sat on the bench at the end of the long pier by her plane and started reading.
After reading a few pages, she realized Cara had taken her life, her friends and family, weaving all of it together in a loving, humorous…adventure—that was the only word that came to mind. Cara Pembroke surely was a good writer. Not that Morgan was any judge, but her words were heartfelt and absorbing. She felt tears sting her eyes at the end of the article.
“So, Morgan Gavin of Lake Kabetogama, Minnesota, has shown me some of the best things in life. It has changed my outlook forever.”
Morgan just stared at the page; she read it twice before looking out at the lake. The late afternoon sun tried its best to warm the sudden cool breeze; it made the lake look like a million sparkling diamonds. She heard the kids and their parents laughing and playing. Even Paul Henderson was here with Pete, who just beamed proudly when they played volleyball together.
“Is it that bad?”
Morgan looked up to see Cara standing there, partially blocking the sunlight. She absently patted the bench beside her. Cara sat but said nothing. Morgan reached over and covered Cara’s hand with her own.
“You certainly painted me in a good light,” Morgan said. “I’m not sure it’s true.”
“Well, let’s call it artistic liberty.”
Morgan laughed and squeezed her hand. “You sure are a good writer.”
“Good subject, but thank you. Anything you want to change?”
Morgan looked at her then. “Not a word.”
“Great. Then I’ll send it to my editor. So, when we get to Chicago, it should already be out. Hopefully, we’ll get a good turnout.”
Morgan nodded. “That’ll be good for your paper.”
“Yes, it will.” Cara gently took her hand from Morgan.
“So, we leave in a couple days, eh?” Morgan asked.
Cara nodded. “I’ve called Linda, she’s sending the plane around eleven. We should be in Chicago and get you settled in by the afternoon.”
“Then you go on vacation.” Morgan saw the frown on Cara’s face.
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“So, where are you going? Someplace warm, I bet.”
“I think so. Kim, she’s taking care of everything. We agreed on Cabo.”
“That’s good. I’m sure you’ll have a great time. You deserve some pampering after this. Get that smell of burning firewood out of your clothes.”
Cara laughed again. “I didn’t mind that very much.”
They both looked out at the lake in silence. There was so much Morgan wanted to tell her.
“Well, I’d better go and send the file to Linda.”
“Yeah, you’d better. Do you need this?” Morgan held up the folder.
“No. You keep that. It’s…it’s for you to keep.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. Look, Cara—”
“What?”
Cara’s quick response took Morgan off guard. “I—”
“Well, there you two are!”
Morgan shook her head when she heard her mother’s voice. “She has the worst timing.”
Morgan saw Cara bite at her bottom lip, trying not to laugh, which had Morgan chuckling. “Go ahead, laugh.”
“You can’t hide from me,” Betty said.
“But still we try,” Morgan added through clenched teeth.
Betty looked from Morgan to Cara. “Am I interrupting?”
“Yes,” Morgan said.
“Of course not,” Cara said. “I have to do a little work on Sal’s computer.” Cara took the folder from Morgan and handed it to Betty.
“What’s this? The article?” Betty looked at Morgan. “Have you read it?”
“Yes.
Go ahead. It’s very good.”
Betty sat down, reverently holding the file.
Cara patted her shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
When she looked at Morgan, she smiled slightly. “I’ll be right back.”
“We’ll be here,” Morgan said.
Betty absently waved before opening the folder.
Morgan watched Cara walk up the pier and into the lodge; she looked at her mother, who seemed engrossed in her reading.
When she finished, Betty took off her glasses and stared out at the lake. “Wow.”
Morgan laughed. “That was my reaction too.”
“I love how she ended it. The best things in life,” she said quietly. “I was right.”
“About what?”
“What?”
“You just said, ‘I was right.’ Right about what?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“You’re lying, Mom.”
“I am not.”
“You are too.”
Betty sighed. “I’ll tell you both later.”
“Who both?”
Betty raised an eyebrow. “You’re never going to get anywhere with Cara if you continue to be so dense.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“In good time.”
“We don’t have time. She’s leaving the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s right. That’s sad.”
Morgan let out a sarcastic grunt. “Tell me about it.”
Suddenly, Morgan felt a physical pang in her chest. She thought she was having a stroke.
“No, you tell me about it. What are you thinking?”
Morgan threw her hands up. “I don’t know. I-I don’t want to think of going to Chicago, just to have Cara leave and never see her again.”
“And run the possibility of something happening here while you’re gone?”
“I don’t know, maybe. I know it’s stupid, but after all these years, I still think about it.” Morgan let out a deep groan. “Why am I going?”
“Because you need to. You need to get out of here for just a few days. You haven’t since The Snake.”
Morgan tried not to laugh. “Speaking of which. You told Cara about her?”
Betty blinked several times. “About who?”
“Don’t try that with me. And don’t think of blaming Cara. She let it out innocently enough. I-I told her about Uncle Jerry.”