Chapter Three
“They should already be fucking,” Sierra said. She shrugged. “There, I said it.”
Morgan nearly choked on her coffee as Sierra got the book club off to a start with a bang. The boisterous blonde was known for saying the first thing in her head, and this case was no different.
“I don’t know,” Kayla said, leaning forward in her seat, their latest book clutched in her hands lovingly. “There’s this sort of magical build up to that for things to work.” She sighed, her long brown lashes touching her cheeks behind her glasses as she did so. “Brock has had such a troubled life. Losing his wife and now struggling with how to get past her death as a new woman comes on the scene. He wants her, but he can’t really bring himself to break the vows he had with his past life.” She smiled lovingly at the book in her hands. “I want that sort of love.”
Erin snorted. “Not me,” she said. “If I die, I want my man to move on.”
“Pretty sure he will,” Sierra mumbled under her breath.
Erin’s short, chin-length hair bobbed around her face as she turned to glare at Sierra. “It was one time,” she snapped. “I’ve let it go, and so should you. Not like it’s your business.”
They could all hear the edge in her voice and knew that her boyfriend of two years might have been forgiven for cheating, but Erin hadn’t forgotten.
Morgan felt her heart twist for her friend and the pain all her boyfriend’s antics had caused her. Why couldn’t more men be like the guys they read about in books? Trying to make themselves the best men they could possibly be for their women? Was it really that hard?
It’s not like they expected perfection. They did expect though for their men not to run around on them.
“Sorry,” Sierra said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
Although the woman had a tendency to put her foot in her mouth, she didn’t do it out of malice. They all cared about their friend and hated to see her feel this way.
There just wasn’t much they could do about it. Maybe it would have been better if she just left her boyfriend. Morgan couldn’t be sure, and Erin was right. In the end it was her business and her choice.
Erin gave a small nod and turned to look out the window. The women had fallen quiet, and now no one was quite sure how to break the awkward silence.
The doorbell rang, startling Morgan.
The door opened and Jamie stepped in, a box of pastries in hand and large grin on her freckled face.
“You are never going to believe this,” she said as she placed the box next to the coffee.
“Don’t tell me they ran out of chocolate,” Kayla said with a sigh. “They always run out of chocolate. You’d think they’d make more.” A look of horror spread on her face.
Jamie waved a hand dismissively. “No, you junkie. They didn’t run out of chocolate.” She rolled her eyes. “I got your damn chocolate.”
Morgan chuckled, but then Jamie turned to stare directly at her.
“No,” Jamie said. “You are never going to believe who I saw.”
Morgan’s heart hammered in her chest. There was only one person she would be surprised to see but had been wanting to see this whole time. Of course, it was impossible. There was no way it could be him of all people.
Jamie flopped down in the nearest chair and swung her legs over the side, donut in hand as she did so. “So I’m at the bakery and just waiting for my turn. I’m glancing around, you know, checking around, when a hot-looking ’69 Mustang pops in across the street for a quick coffee.”
Confusion washed over Morgan, both over what this had to do with who she thought was coming and the fact that Jamie seemed to care more about some random car than anything else. At least, she was pretty sure it was a car. She still had no idea what a ’69 Mustang even looked like.
She shrugged. Several of the other women exchanged glances.
Jamie looked around the room as if they were all complete idiots for not understanding her car babble. They couldn’t all be mechanic gearheads.
“Christ, a fast fucking car,” Jamie said. She rolled her eyes.
The others nodded as if they had been following all along.
She snorted. “I’m not really paying attention to the guy driving it because who would with that sort of metal beauty in front of them.” She sighed, obviously still in love with the car. “Anyways, the guy goes back to the car, and it’s Davin.”
Jamie, Sierra, and Kayla nearly stared a hole in Morgan as they waited for her reaction. She could feel the color from her face drain as she tried to compose herself.
Davin. After all these years.
Morgan wasn’t still in love with him. She knew that. At least she hoped that.
It didn’t matter that she’d thought about him nearly every day since he left. That was just about memories. It wasn’t love.
“Who’s Davin?” Erin said.
Morgan might have been relieved to have all the eyes shift over to her friend if they weren’t about to dig into a wound that had never really healed.
“Davin is the sexy gangster that stole Morgan’s heart,” Jamie said with a grin.
Sierra huffed loudly. “You mean broke her heart.”
Erin frowned. “You dated this guy? I don’t remember you ever mentioning him to me.”
Morgan took a sip of her coffee. It was bitter in her mouth, and she had trouble swallowing the brew. “We never dated,” she said softly.
“I don’t understand.” Erin cocked her head to the side. “Then how did he hurt you?”
Morgan shook her head and offered a small smile. “He didn’t,” she said. “He was always there for me. Protecting me, and never asking for anything in return. I just wanted more than that.”
She could see when her friend understood the situation.
Kayla sat forward. “We’re always reading about unrequited love,” she said. “Maybe he’s come back to confess his feelings.”
Morgan shook her head. “I doubt that. All these years he could have picked up a phone, and he didn’t.” She shrugged. “I’m not angry, really. I just don’t think him being back means anything like that.”
Jamie placed a hand over Morgan’s. “But he did send that beautiful arrangement when Aunt Dee passed.”
Morgan nodded. Davin had sent a arrangement with a card she kept tucked in her favorite book. But there was always a part of her that wondered why he didn’t come.
He knew what Dee meant to her. That she would be hurting more than she’d hurt in years. Yet he still didn’t come.
“Well, I for one think you should stay clear the fuck away from this guy,” Sierra said. “He was trouble then, and he’s trouble now. He’s a criminal for crying out loud.”
Judging by the frowns of everyone else, Sierra was in the minority.
“I don’t think it will really matter,” Morgan said, and stood to grab a donut. “I doubt I’ll even see him. It’s not like he’s going to stop by for a chat.”
Jamie jumped up and snagged another donut from the box. “We’ll see.” She winked.
Morgan swallowed, trying to control her thumping heart.
He wouldn’t come. No way he’d come. Not after all this time.