Chapter Thirty

Callie:

Hurrying out of the school, I did my best to tie my hair up into a ponytail. I was running late. Surprise, surprise. Jamie cornered me after my last class, pulling me into an empty room and kissing all sense of obligation right out of my head. I'd forgotten I promised Kat I'd be at the diner right after school. She had some kind of meeting she wouldn't tell me about.

I hiked my bag higher on my shoulder and scanned the parking lot for where Colby parked his car. He was hitting the weight room with Jamie and would get a ride to the diner for the dinner shift.

“Dammit, Colby,” I mumbled to myself.

My eyes scanned each row, finally settling on the familiar death trap. We Mccoy seemed to have a penchant for barely running cars. Man, I missed my truck.

Before setting off in that direction, I spotted Morgan sitting alone on a bench. She kicked her toe against the ground with her head dipped low, refusing to acknowledge anyone around her. There was a battle going on inside of me. I wanted nothing more than to get in that car and drive away. I was already late, and this was a girl who'd been nothing but nasty for months.

But my body seemed to have other ideas. I walked toward her. Rocking back on my heels, I waited for her to look up.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey.” She tucked strands of her blond hair behind her ears. It wasn't styled as it usually was, perfectly straightened and then curled. No, it looked stringy, like she hadn't bothered trying. That wasn't the Morgan I knew.

When she finally looked up, her gaze was on some far-off place.

“Are you okay?” Can you say awkward?

“I'm fine.” She wiped a hand across her face and sniffled.

“Where's your car?”

“I sort of crashed it last week.” She shrugged.

Why didn't I hear about that? Last semester, this girl changed my life, she changed me - gave me confidence that I hadn't had in years. She made me happy. Did I owe her anything even after these past months? No, I didn't. But a part of me couldn't stand seeing her like that.

“Do you have a ride?” I asked.

“My mom was supposed to pick me up, but she's been… forgetful.”

“Well, I have to get to work.” I pointed over my shoulder at the rows of cars. “But do you feel like a coffee?”

Morgan didn't react right away as she weighed my words. With a tiny nod of her head, she said, “That'd be nice.”

The ride to the diner was stifling. I didn't know what to say to Morgan, and she seemed intent on not saying anything at all.

Kat was waiting for me when I walked in. “I told you to be here right after school let out.”

“I know, I'm sorry.” I inclined my head toward Morgan and Kat's scowl fell.

“Hi Morgan.” She gave her a soft smile, and then, to my surprise, pulled Morgan into a hug. “We've missed you around here.”

Morgan's back shook, but as Kat released her, she regained her composure.

“You and Colby can handle the dinner rush, right?” Kat asked. “After my meeting, Noah wants to take me out.”

“What's this meeting about, anyway?” I eyed her.

“I already told you it's none of your business.”

“Fine, fine. Yes, go. Have fun. Don't worry about us. There are two cooks on the schedule so Colby and I will only have to handle the front.”

“Like you two would ever help cook.” Kat laughed.

“Just go.” I pushed her toward the door, waving goodbye as she got into her car.

Turning back to Morgan, I gestured toward the counter. She sat on a stool while I tied my apron on and started a fresh pot of coffee.

I went to check on the two customers we had. It was another slow day. Once they were taken care of, I slid a mug toward Morgan and poured coffee into it. Then I grabbed the bowl of creamer packets and handed it to her before she could ask. Some things you don't forget.

Working up the nerve, I finally asked the question that'd been on my mind for the past two months. “How's your family doing?”

She finished stirring in a packet of sweetener before lifting the cup to her lips. Taking a tiny sip, she placed it back on the counter and looked up at me.

“Do you really want to know, Callie?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“It's just that most people would rather forget. They ask how we are out of obligation, but they don't truly want an answer other than 'good'. No one will talk about it. My mom won't even let us mention Troy.” Her eyes watered.

“Morgan, you can talk to me.”

“After how terrible I've been? The rational part of me knows you were just protecting your brother. I was the cheater. But the other part of me, blamed you for spinning my life out of control. That was the beginning, and it's hard to separate that terrible feeling from the horror of losing my brother, the pain of being shot.”

“That's why you've been so mean?”

She nodded, taking another sip of coffee. Her hands shook as she lifted the cup. When she caught me noticing, she put it down.

“Side effect,” she explained. “Just another reminder.” She rested her elbows on the counter and hid her face in her hands. “My mom barely leaves the house. Dad barely leaves work. Parker's the same way. All she does is jump out of those planes.”

“That's not surprising,” I said. “Have you ever gone with her?”

“No.”

“Maybe it'd help you. Up there, all your problems disappear, even if it's only for a short time.”

“I thought she was just avoiding being home with me and mom.” A harsh laugh escaped her. “I don't know how to help any of them. I can't even help myself.”

Before I could respond, the bell above the door chimed, and in walked Seth Franklin. I froze, looking back and forth between Seth and Morgan.

Morgan looked toward the door, her face showing no recognition. Sighing in relief, I walked toward Seth.

“Afternoon, Seth. Do you want a booth today?” I asked, hoping his answer was yes.

“That's okay, Sweetheart. I'll sit at the counter today.” To my dismay, he situated himself on the stool next to Morgan.

I moved back behind the counter, pulling out a mug, filling it, and setting it in front of him.

“The usual, Seth?” I asked.

“You're too good to an old man like me.” He smiled as I wrote his order on my pad and set it in the pass-through window to the kitchen.

When I walked back, Seth was chatting with Morgan as if they were just two strangers who weren't grieving the same event. I guessed, to them, they were.

“I'm sorry to hear about your brother,” Seth was saying.

I don't know what possessed her to tell him about Troy. Seth was open and had this caring way about him. Maybe that prompted it.

“I recently lost my grandson,” Seth continued. “I'm not sure it ever gets easier. Especially when most people want to remember them for the things they did wrong. All I think about is the sweet child he once was.”

“I treated my brother like the annoying younger sibling for most of my life. He was only two years younger than me. I figured we had plenty of time to be friends when we were older.”

I felt like I'd intruded on some deep conversation, but Seth pinned me with his gaze, preventing me from leaving, when he said his next words.

“Death teaches us more about life than living ever does.” Seth and I both knew he was talking about Matthew, but Morgan nodded along in ignorance.

Seth's food was ready, and as I set it in front of him, he gave me a sad smile.

Morgan smiled too when I handed her a piece of pie. An actual smile. My gut clenched when I looked at the two of them side by side. Both destroyed by a single night.

A customer came to the counter to pay his bill. I ran his card, and he was on his way. After taking the check out to the other diner and accepting her payment, I turned on my heel and went into the back room, needing a second to breathe.

Pain gripped my chest as I breathed. In. Out. My teeth clattered as I released the last puff of air and turned, hearing the bell above the door signal a new arrival. Colby and Jamie were walking in when I reappeared.

Jamie came straight to me, pulling me close for a scorching kiss.

“Hi,” I breathed.

A smirk appeared on his face. “Hi yourself.”

Behind him, I saw Colby give Morgan a long hug. When he pulled back, he glanced between Morgan and Seth, a question in his eyes. He shrugged with a nonchalance I envied before pulling on his own apron.

“We've been super busy,” I said.

“I can see that.” Colby laughed, looking around the nearly empty diner. He shook hands with Seth as Jamie plopped himself down on the other side of Morgan and threw an arm around her shoulders.

“So,” he said. “Are you done avoiding us?”

Morgan laughed self-consciously. “You should be used to people avoiding you, Jamie.”

“Ms. Cook, you wound me.” He squeezed her tighter. “We've missed you.”

I watched them with a contented smile on my face. Morgan needed us, but I had the feeling we needed her just as much.