Wild Irish Rebel (14 page)

"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."

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 mixed 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.