Page 41 of Creed

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. “This can all wait for tomorrow. Maybe you should get some rest.” Stephanie tried to comfort me.

I sighed then tried to give her at least a small smile. “I appreciate that, but my mom calls me OCD. I can’t relax until everything is clean and in its place. This will drive me insane until it’s done.”

She giggled. “You sound just like Creed. He’s also a neat freak, in fact, so is my husband.”

“They’re soldiers, it’s in their discipline.” It was my best guess.

She gave me a warm smile. “Probably so.” She moved an empty box to the side. Typically, I would have been pissed if anyone put my things in a cardboard box. I had luggage and garment bags, which meant I had a specific way to pack. But itwas barely a thought at the moment. My mind was spinning with everything that happened and everything that might or might not happen in the future. I was traumatized, grieving, scared, and sick about Addie. Honestly, if it weren’t for Addie I would be buried deep into my grief. But every time I thought about her, I reminded myself that she needed me to be strong. I couldn’t just lay down and stop living. I had to push forward for Addie’s sake.

I hung the black dress up then pulled out my favorite burgundy cocktail dress. It wasn’t too formal but also not casual. I laid it on the bed then walked over to another box and pulled out my jewelry box. I searched for a few minutes then pulled out my white gold jewelry set and my yellow gold set. I walked over to the dress and laid both sets down. That was when I heard Stephanie gasp.

“Which would you choose? She had fair skin and blonde hair. I think the burgundy would look nice, but would you choose white or yellow gold?”

Stephanie put her hand over her heart. “You’re giving your best friend these diamonds?”

I nodded. “She wouldn’t let me give her much in life, so I guess I’d like to make sure she only has the best now.” Their value didn’t mean much to me. They were sent to me from a few studio heads when I wrapped up Death’s Door. I just wanted Callie to look nice.

“I’d say the yellow gold.” Stephanie pointed at the set.

“I agree.” I picked up the white gold set and turned for my jewelry box. That was when I saw it. My most valued piece of jewelry. My finger grazed over the silver plated locket before I picked it up and opened it to see a photo of us in our freshman year. I got us both one as a Christmas gift. I had no doubt sheno longer had hers, but mine was priceless to me. I squeezed it and grasped the locket in my hand before pressing it to my heart. Flashbacks of memories hit me. The memories were as clear as day. I could see her smiling face when she told me about her first kiss. It was from Dalton Zins, he was her next door neighbor growing up and they kissed down by the creek when she was twelve. Then I remembered one specific sleepover when we were in the tenth grade. We soaked a tampon in red food coloring and left it inside Patrick’s naughty magazine. I knew he hid one under his bed because he never cleaned his room, and I took it upon myself to clean it a few times. He gagged so hard he threw up and we got it on camera. It was the first time we laughed so hard we both peed our pants. Patrick was in middle school at the time, but his horn dog ways were already establishing themselves. We loved pestering Patrick, and he learned very young that girls indeed farted. We would wait until he went to bed then run into his room and pin him under the covers to make him suffer through Dutch ovens. Callie was lactose intolerant so we would binge eat ice cream beforehand.

With a smile of fondness on my face, I reached up to wipe a tear away. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder just before Stephanie turned me toward her and wrapped me into a hug. I cried in the arms of a stranger and once the tears began flowing, they wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t even feel embarrassed because the grief hit me so hard I was just a ball of emotions. I kept hoping the phone would ring and tell me it was all just a nightmare and Callie was with Addie waiting for me at the hospital. But I knew that wouldn’t happen, yet my heart just wouldn’t stop begging for it.

I knew Callie loved me, but I also knew our relationship was strained at times. Maybe it was because I had never been in love, but I never understood why she stayed with Shane. Icouldn’t understand why she fought so hard for him despite the fact that he was a terrible person. She was resentful every single time I begged her to break up with him in high school. Then it was even worse after they married. I thought for sure she would have gotten pregnant right away, but they didn’t, and I’d always say things about leaving him before she got pregnant. Each and every time I begged her to leave she became angry and annoyed with me. She was soon to forgive, but I knew she purposely stopped bringing him up in our conversations to avoid another argument. I had resentments as well, but most of all they were toward Shane. If it weren’t for him, Callie never would have lived that life. She would have went to college on the scholarships she earned, and she would have been a writer. I had no doubts, my best friend was talented, and she had a bright future until she got involved with him.

“I tried so hard to save her.” I sobbed.

“Love is blind, Morgan. We can’t control what others do, and unfortunately your friend was blind to his evil. It happens to so many women, and you can’t help them unless they want the help. You need to grieve, but at the same time you have a scared little girl that needs you.” Stephanie tried to comfort me. “The greatest thing you can do for Callie is make sure her daughter has a great life.”

“I don’t know where I’m supposed to pull this strength from, she was the first person I loved outside my family.” I continued to sob.

“You’ll find that strength in that little girl.” She ran her hand up and down my back as she hugged on to me. While I appreciated everything Creed was doing for me, I had no support system at Creed’s Lake. I was grieving and needed my family, butall I had were strangers. Stephanie was nice, but I didn’t know her and for the first time in many years, I needed my mom.

I pulled myself together and thanked Stephanie, but she had to leave to get her children. I finished with my things and went straight to my room. I didn’t shower or get ready for bed, I simply took one of the pain pills I got from the hospital and fell asleep.

A Warning

Morgan

I felt hung over when I reluctantly opened my eyes. My head was still hurting, but reality hit me, and I threw the covers back over my head. Waking up to a world without Callie in it ripped my heart out again. I sobbed until Addie’s little face came to mind. That was when I knew I had to shove this heartache down deep and get out of bed. I slept too much and that was apparent when I stood, feeling more tired than ever in my life. I looked down at the nightstand and saw a glass of water and one of my pain pills next to a note. I sat back down on the bed and picked up the note.

Sorry I missed you. You were sleeping peacefully, and I decided not to disturb you. Magnus will take you to run errands and I should be done at the command center by dinner. Please contact me when you learn more about Addie’s situation.

Creed

After laying the note back on my nightstand, I took the pill then made my bed. A shower was more than needed, but did nothing to wake me up and I was sure the pain pill wouldn’t help that fact. I hated sleeping too much. It always made mefeel useless the next day. Once I got to my dressing room, I was undecided on what to wear. I was going to the funeral home meeting with a funeral director and to meet with an attorney. Those had to be the two worst people to have to see. Also, did Josh drive a car or did he drive his bike everywhere?

I decided on a pair of black shorts, a white camisole, and a three quarter sleeve light weight gray blazer. After laying my outfit on the bed, I chose a gold watch, gold necklace, and my large Hermés black and gold cabine handbag. I figured the day would involve paperwork, so I needed something large. I then paired it with my classic Kate Red Sole Louboutin black pumps. If Josh showed up on a bike, I’d just have to ask him to take Creeds car. I wanted and needed to look professional in case I somehow got to meet with someone from social services. My hair was pulled up into a bun, and I went light with my makeup, since I knew I’d be crying at some point. That reminded me to throw my black butterfly Bvgari sunglasses into my handbag. It was officially a day of regular clothes for me, if I were in LA and taking a meeting with the studios.

As soon as I opened my bedroom door, I smelled coffee. Thank God since I was dragging and would be all day. When I went to the kitchen I found a blueberry muffin on the counter in front of the coffee machine. I was hungry, surprisingly enough. Just as I reached for a coffee mug, I heard the doorbell and figured it was Josh. I learned I was wrong as soon as I opened the door. Standing there was a very pretty woman with ginger hair and flawless fair skin. She wasn’t much older than me, and stood tall like she had all the confidence of the world. I looked her up and down and noticed she wore a very short skirt, a baby doll shirt, and pair of wedges on her feet. As I looked her up and down for only a second or two, I noticed she did the same to me.

“Can I help you?” I knew she wasn’t there to see me, and suddenly my heart dropped for some reason. She was there to see Creed.

The woman didn’t even return my fake warm smile. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you Miss Rossi, my name is Felicity and I’m the community coordinator. I meet with every new resident, be it a short stay or not, and go over the amenities available to you, the social schedule and most importantly the rules.”

That was Felicity? I was imagining an older woman, not a young bombshell. I couldn’t believe she was the keeper of the whores around there.

“I see, unfortunately my escort for the day is due to arrive shortly. Do you mind if we reschedule for another time?” I asked.

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