Haven Creek (29 page)

“Once I realized I was pregnant, Lucas and I went to see Manda to let her know, but she had slipped into a coma. I sat with her around the clock until she came out of it long enough for me to tell her that Lucas would get his third child. She couldn’t talk, but managed to smile and nod her head. Then she slipped away.”

Nate buried his face in his hands. He did not want to believe what Odessa had said, because it was too bizarre. “I can’t believe my father went along with this,” he said through his fingers.

“We granted a dying woman her wish. She wanted me to take care of her husband and children, and I did. You and Sharon aren’t just Lucas’s children—you’re
our
children. You’re as much my son as Bryce is. The only difference is that I didn’t give birth to you. It’s the same with Sharon. She’s my daughter, and Gabby and Greg are my grandchildren.”

Lowering his hands, Nate felt as if he’d gone a few rounds with a professional boxer. His head and chest hurt. He couldn’t believe he’d spent nearly twenty years harboring distrust and resentment, when it’d been his mother’s wishes for Odessa and Lucas to get together.

The words he’d carved on the plaque came to mind:
The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.

He felt the gentle touch of Odessa’s hand on his. His fingers closed around hers. “I know it sounds incredible, but if you don’t believe me, then ask your father.”

Nate reversed their hands, kissing her fingers. “No. What we talked about should stay between us.”

“Like what goes on in Vegas?”

He smiled. “Exactly.”

Odessa sobered. “We’ve talked about everything and everyone but Morgan. Do you love her, Nate?”

Lines fanned out around Nate’s eyes when he smiled. It was the second time within a week someone had asked him if he loved Morgan. “I don’t know.”

Pulling her hand from his grip, Odessa stood up. “Don’t be no fool, Nathaniel Shaw. Every single man sitting in that room would like to have what you’re about to lose if you don’t put a ring on her finger.”

Nate also stood. “Why you put the mout on me?” he asked, slipping into dialect.

Odessa sucked her teeth. “I’m not. You married that hungry-looking whore when you should’ve never given her a second look. But with Morgan, you tell me you don’t know. I bet you’ll get it together after she’s gone. A girl like Morgan won’t stay single forever.”

Odessa was wrong. He wasn’t going to lose Morgan. Suddenly, Nate saw movement out of the corner of his eye. “Mrs. Shaw, your husband is looking for you,” he said in a singsong voice.

“Hi, honey,” she said sweetly, as Lucas approached.

“Are you all right?” Lucas asked.

Nate rested a hand on Odessa’s back. “She’s better now,” he answered for Odessa.

Odessa gave Nate his handkerchief. “Thanks for lending me your shoulder. If I get this emotional over my son’s wedding, what am I going to do when I become a grandmother?”

Cradling his wife’s face, Lucas kissed her forehead. “We’ll probably have to sedate you.” He nodded to Nate. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Waiting until Lucas and Odessa had disappeared from his line of vision, Nate pounded his fist into his other hand. He was still attempting to process what Odessa had disclosed about the secret agreement.

Odessa’s disclosure and her warning about losing Morgan made him feel as if he’d entered an emotional vortex, that he was spinning out of control and had no chance of slowing down.

Nate knew he couldn’t just shake off the distrust that had festered within him for half his life. It would take time, and he knew his reluctance to open himself to loving Morgan was a result of that distrust. However, he’d been given a chance to start over.

Adjusting his bow tie, he returned to the private room. He froze when he saw Morgan laughing as Ian whispered something in her ear.
I saw you with Morgan at the fair, and it’s as plain as the nose on your face that you’re in love with the girl. Every single man sitting in that room would like to have what you’re about to lose if you don’t put a ring on her finger.

Could Odessa see what he couldn’t? There were times when he felt he was in love with Morgan and suppressed the feeling as it came up. There was no denying the intense physical attraction, but their relationship went beyond sleeping together. And how long could he refuse to acknowledge what was obvious to everyone but himself?

Walking over to her, he rested a hand on her shoulder. She turned to smile up at him. “Let’s go.” Pulling back her chair, he helped her to stand.

“Uh, okay. Is something wrong?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“What do you want to talk about?” Morgan asked.

“We’ll talk outside.” Nate escorted her out of the room and over to an area across from the lobby. “What’s with all the flirting?”

Morgan’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Do you enjoy disrespecting me in front of my family?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. But if it’s because I’m laughing and talking with a man—”

“Not a man, Morgan,” he said, interrupting her. “It’s been a few men.”

Going on tiptoe, Morgan leaned into him. “Don’t you dare go there! If you’re that concerned about me talking to other men, then you should put up or shut up. I’m sick and tired of you giving me mixed signals. I’m also not your ex-wife! I’m going to ask you one question and I’d like an honest answer. Do you love me?” The seconds ticked by as tension swelled between them. “Wow. Your not saying anything tells me everything I need to know.” Turning on her heels, she walked back into the room, leaving Nate staring at her back.

Nate waited to return to the dining room. He was reeling from the realization he may have lost Morgan. When he saw her laughing and talking with the other male guests, all he could think of was his ex bragging about the number of men she’d slept with. He ran a hand over his face. How could he be so stupid? He knew Morgan was nothing like Kim. He must have still been affected by the conversation he had with Odessa.

He walked back into the room to find Morgan talking to his father. Lucas had nodded to whatever it was she said to him. She avoided Nate’s eyes when she returned to her table.

“What’s going on between you and Morgan?” Lucas asked as Nate reclaimed his chair.

“Nothing.”

The older man’s eyebrows lifted a fraction. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing. She just asked me to drive her back to the Creek.” He rested a hand on Nate’s sleeve. “Listen, you don’t have to tell me what went down between the two of you, but from experience, son, you need to give her time to cool off.”

He flashed a brittle smile. “Everything’s cool, Dad.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Nate gave his father a direct stare. “You don’t have to. As I said, everything’s all good.”

He’d said it not only to reassure his father but also to reassure himself. He had to move past his trust issues or he would lose Morgan forever.

N
ate realized his mistake when he didn’t hear from or see Morgan for a week. Lucas had mentioned not crowding her and giving her time to cool off. Well, a week had come and gone, and she still hadn’t contacted him.

He did what he’d done when he first returned to Cavanaugh Island—he threw himself into his projects. With Bryce helping him, he finished the armoire doors in record time. Even when his brother and sister-in-law closed the door to their bedroom, Nate continued working. There were some nights when he managed to get by on three hours of sleep, even though he would pay for it the next day. It was the first time that working hadn’t been therapeutic, and he knew why.

Nate missed Morgan. It wasn’t just her passion; it was her smile, the sound of her voice, the lingering scent of her perfume in his truck or on his skin after they’d made love. Oh, how he loved making love to her.

Taking off his protective eyeglasses, he placed them on the worktable. “I’m going out for a while,” he said to Bryce.

Bryce’s head popped up. He was sanding a newel post for a new staircase. “Okay.” He removed his own glasses. “I’m going to take lunch now. I told Mom and Dad I’d eat with them today.”

“Tell them I’ll see them for dinner.”

Nate washed up in the bathroom, then headed outside to his truck. He started up the vehicle and stared through the windshield. He’d thought about driving to the Cove to see Morgan, but quickly changed his mind. He would drive into Charleston, stop to eat something, and then do some sightseeing before returning to the island. Maybe getting away for a few hours would help him clear his head.

Morgan picked up the receiver and replaced it just as quickly. She’d found herself unconsciously reaching for the phone to call Nate, but each time she stopped herself because she was waiting for him to call her and apologize for believing that she was no better than his ex, who’d admitted to sleeping with the world! She was miserable, and it wasn’t nice to think bad thoughts, but she hoped Nate was miserable as well.

Yet something told her she had to be mature about the situation. All she had to do was extend the olive branch, and if he rejected it then she would know how to proceed. After all, she had lived without Nate in her life before he returned to Haven Creek, and she could continue to go on with her life even if they were no longer together.

Picking up the receiver again, she tapped the number for Shaw & Sons Woodworking instead of Nate’s cell phone. It rang four times before switching over to voice mail. Morgan cleared her throat. “Good afternoon, Nate. This is Morgan. I’d like for you to call me back when you get this message. It’s not an emergency.” She ended the call. Her voice was normal and businesslike. Now she would wait.

Business had picked up, even if her personal life was going downhill fast. That was a good thing. She’d contacted Abram Daniels, her former classmate and interior designer extraordinaire, to ask if he would be willing to work for her, and much to her shock he’d agreed. He’d worked freelance for a Philadelphia-based design company, and his fiancée was an office manager with a Bucks County design firm. Now Morgan could concentrate on the restoration project while Abram dealt with the firm’s interior design clients. His fiancée would become the receptionist. The fact she was knowledgeable about interior design was definitely a plus, especially since Samara would return to her teaching position in another week. Morgan had offered to let Abram and his girlfriend stay with her until they could find a place of their own. As soon as the summer season ended, those vacationing on the island would leave, and rooms at the Cove Inn would once again become available.

Nate drove around aimlessly. He stopped long enough to eat lunch alfresco. It gave him an opportunity to do a little people watching. Street musicians on Charleston’s downtown Market Street changed from a bluesy number to a military tune when four Citadel cadets came along, marching in formation. His cell phone rang. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, Nate looked at the display.

“What’s up, Bryce?”

“Morgan called the shop a little while ago. She wants you to call her.”

“Did she leave a message?”

“She said it wasn’t an emergency.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t hang up, Nate. Mom wants to know if you’ll eat with us.”

“Tell her yes.”

Nate ended the call. Morgan had called the shop. If she’d wanted to speak directly to him, she would’ve called his cell. The fact that she said it wasn’t an emergency meant that it probably had something to do with the restoration. He would call her back later.

He drove back to Haven Creek in time to shower, change his clothes, and make it to his father’s house for dinner. Bryce talked a mile a minute. His probation officer had approved his leaving the island to attend classes on the mainland. Stacy’s request to transfer from a mainland public school to the one on the Landing was approved. She was assigned to teach kindergarten for the first time, and Bryce went with her to clean and decorate her classroom. Nate smiled. It appeared as if his brother and sister-in-law were working to make a go of their marriage.

Odessa touched a napkin to the corners of her mouth. “Nate, when are you and Lucas going up to North Carolina to deliver the armoire?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Anytime Dad is ready.” They’d completed the piece two weeks earlier than projected.

Lucas took a sip of water. “We can go tomorrow.”

Odessa smiled at her husband. “That means you have to go to bed early.”

“No, I don’t,” Lucas countered. “Nate’s going to do the driving.”

Nate stared across the table at his father. “Are we going to do everything in one day?”

“No, son. It’s two hundred miles between here and Charlotte, then it’s going to take at least three hours to put the thing together. We’ll stay overnight and start back the following morning.”

“You better get some sleep, bro,” Bryce suggested.

“You’re not sleeping, Nate?” Odessa asked.

He managed to look sheepish. It wasn’t that he wasn’t sleeping, but he had forced himself to work to the point of exhaustion, so that when he did go to bed he would fall asleep immediately and not think about Morgan. “I’ve been up working.”

Lucas pushed back his chair. “If I’m going to share the driving, then I’d better turn in early.”

Nate also stood. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be all right for tomorrow.”

Coming around the table, Lucas rested a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Come sit on the back porch with me for a few minutes.”

Nate walked with his father to the porch, waiting until the older man sat in his favorite recliner before settling down in a comfortable armchair. “What’s up, Dad?”

Tenting his fingers, Lucas peered at his firstborn. “That’s what I should be asking you. Are you still seeing Morgan?”

There was a noticeable pause, then Nate said, “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s over, Dad.”

“What did you do to her?”

A frown creased Nate’s forehead. “What makes you think I did something?”

“She was quiet as a church mouse when I drove her home after Bryce and Stacy’s wedding. I told you to try and make things right between the two of you, and here it is now one week later and you tell me it’s over.”

“Stay out of it, please, Dad.”

Lucas’s hand came down heavily on the arm of the recliner. “Don’t tell me to stay out of it when I see you moping around like you lost your best friend. You get up before the chickens and go to bed at an ungodly hour every night. I’m going to ask you one question, and I’d like an honest answer. Do you love that girl?”

It was a question Nate had asked himself over and over during his involvement with Morgan, and the answer was always yes. “Yes, I do.”

Lucas smiled. “Thank you for being truthful…finally.” He sobered. “It’s not easy figuring out women. I should know, because I’ve been married twice. Your mother and I had our ups and downs, but thankfully we had more ups than downs. It’s different with Odessa, because by the time I married her I knew what was expected of me as a husband. I know folks were talking when I took up with Odessa, and it got worse when Bryce came along.”

Nate listened intently as his father corroborated what Odessa had revealed. The word he repeated over and over was
guilt
. He’d felt guilty sleeping with his wife’s best friend when Manda was still alive. Guilty because he’d gotten Odessa pregnant while he was still married. Guilty because he’d slept with a woman in his marriage bed as his wife lay dying.

“Guilt ate me up from the inside out, but when Bryce was born, I felt as if I’d been forgiven, because Manda and I always talked about having another child. If you ask whether I would’ve done things differently if I had a do over, I probably would say yes, because I would’ve waited for a respectable period of mourning before marrying Odessa. I’m not perfect, Nate. I’ve made mistakes, but at least I’m man enough to admit my mistakes, unlike you, with your stiff-neck pride.”

“You like Morgan, don’t you?”

Lucas smiled. “What’s there not to like? What I don’t understand is why you were willing to marry that emaciated tramp, but…” His words drifted off when he saw Nate grinning. “What’s so funny?”

“You, Dad. You missed your calling. You should’ve been a preacher.”

“The next thing that’s going to come out my mouth will definitely not be reverential.”

Nate chuckled. “Is that really a word?”

“Damn right. If you don’t believe me, then look it up.” Lucas leaned forward, sandwiching his hand between his knees. “When I lay in that hospital bed hooked up to tubes, I promised myself that if I didn’t die I would make it my life’s mission to protect my children.” He waved his other hand. “It doesn’t matter that you’re an adult. You, Sharon, and Bryce are still my children. If I had to close my eyes tonight I would die happy knowing my kids are happy. You’ve heard the expression ‘I feel your pain.’ Well, I feel your pain. Promise me you’ll talk to Morgan and try to work things out with her.”

“What’s in it for you?” Nate asked.

Lucas flashed a Cheshire cat smile. “Another daughter-in-law and, hopefully, a few more grandchildren.” His smile faded. “You deserve a second chance at happiness.”

“Like you, Dad?”

“Yes, like me. The difference is I was blessed enough to have had two incredible wives. Now it’s your turn to have at least one.”

“I’ve made mistakes with Morgan.”

“Are they mistakes that can be corrected?”

“Yes…I promise I’ll talk to her.”

“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. I’m going to say one more thing, then I’m going to bed. I’ve only cried twice in my adult life. Once at Manda’s funeral, and once when your strumpet of an ex-wife went on national television to talk about the number of men she’d slept with. Please, son, don’t make me cry for you again.”

Nate sat motionless, watching his father push off the chair and walk away. He was still sitting in the same position when Odessa appeared with a mug of coffee and a small dish of homemade shortbread cookies.

“I know you like my shortbread cookies. I filled a small tin of them so you can take some home with you.”

He took the plate and mug from her. “Thank you.”

“I hope things work out between you and that pretty girl.” Nate stared at her. “Lucas told me,” Odessa added.

“I hope they work out, too.”

Waiting until he was alone, Nate closed his eyes. He’d admitted to his father that he loved Morgan, but that wasn’t doing him much good. What he had to do was tell
her
. He had to admit he was scared to death of what might happen. But Morgan was worth it.

Nate parked his truck behind Morgan’s shop, then strolled through Moss Alley to the entrance. He opened the door. There was no one sitting at the reception desk. Seconds later Morgan appeared from the back. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She looked gorgeous in a white silk blouse, black pencil skirt, and black patent leather pumps.

“Good afternoon, Morgan.” He held up a plastic bag stamped with the Jack’s Fish House logo. “I brought lunch. Have you eaten?”

Her dimples winked at him when she smiled. “No.”

“You don’t have a receptionist?”

“I’m expecting a new one in a couple of weeks.” Morgan brushed past him, locked the door, and then turned over the sign. “Is there something wrong with your voice mail? I left you a message three days ago.”

Nate wanted to laugh. This was how it started with them two months ago. “I got the message, but I had to go to North Carolina to deliver the armoire.”

“So you finished it?” He nodded. “Come on back.”

Nate bit his lip as he stared at the sway of her hips in the fitted skirt. He missed Morgan in and out of bed. His father was right when he mentioned his stiff-neck pride, and it was pride that wouldn’t permit him to go to Morgan and beg for forgiveness.

“What did you bring?” she asked, smiling at him over her shoulder.

“Smothered chicken, black-eyed peas, and cabbage.”

“Yum.”

Morgan stared at Nate as they sat at the table in the lounge, eating the scrumptious meal. He reached for the last biscuit while she put a glass of ice-cold sweet tea to her mouth. It was as if nothing had changed, as if no time had passed during their separation.

“How is your family?” she asked.

“They’re good. And yours?”

“They’re wonderful. The twins are getting big.”

Nate set down his fork. “I came here to tell you that I made a mistake, and I want you to marry me.”

Morgan’s impassive expression did not change. “No.”

“No?”

“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand, Nate? The
n
or the
o
?”

“I…I thought you wanted marriage.”

She blinked. “I do, but not with someone as clueless as you are. You come in here and say you made a mistake, but offer no explanation for the way you acted at your brother’s reception dinner. So my answer is no.”

The pain Nate felt far exceeded any he’d experienced, including that of Kim’s infidelity. “Morgan…I love you.”