Page 18 of Easton Island: A Wedding to Remember

“That it is.”

She watched him drive off. It seemed as if the bickering between the two had ramped up in recent months. Eventually, sometime down the road, their feelings for one another would come to a head. Hopefully, it would be the catalyst for Jax and Ronni to admit what everyone else had known all along.

The only downside Morgan envisioned was that whatever triggered the future event would set off an epic battle, and innocent bystanders in the line of fire had better be ready to run for cover.

Chapter 8

Morgan was almost home when she noticed Wyatt’s Locke Village Patrol car trailing behind her. He pulled into her driveway, and she waited for him to climb out. “I thought that was you following me home.”

“I clocked out for my break.” Wyatt gave her a quick kiss. “I ran into Grady earlier. He mentioned something about an unhappy customer and complaint at your grandmother’s gallery.”

“Unhappy might be an understatement.” Morgan briefly filled him in on what had transpired. “I think there’s a good chance this guy plans to try scamming money from my grandmother. After hearing about what he’d done to the gallery in Toronto, there’s no chance she’ll pay him to go away.”

“I don’t blame her. Although it sounds like she’ll run the risk of having her gallery’s reputation ruined if she doesn’t. Depending on how he decides to negotiate, he could be charged with blackmail.”

“I’m sure he’s smart enough to know he can’t just demand that she pay him cash to drop the claim.” Morgan told Wyatt he hadn’t come back, at least not yet. “His silence is worrisome.”

“Because you don’t know what he’s plotting.”

“Exactly.”

Wyatt’s radio went off. “Duty calls.”

“Always.”

“What are your plans for tonight?”

Morgan shrugged. “Stay home. Hang out with Chester. I would invite myself over to Easton Estate for dinner, but Gerard is still there. I don’t want to be third wheeling.”

“Third wheeling?” Wyatt grinned.

“You know, the third wheel.”

“Gotcha.” He blew her a kiss. “I’ll check in later.”

Morgan blew one back and returned inside, where she found Chester waiting for her at the door, his leash dangling between his teeth. “Good idea, buddy. A little fresh air is what we need.”

Thick clouds had gathered, and a brisk northerly wind blew across Lake Huron’s open waters. Morgan grabbed her sweatshirt, layered it with a windbreaker over the top, and followed her pup to their private beach across the street.

Halloween was long gone, and Thanksgiving was only a couple of weeks away. With all the attention being focused on the wedding, Morgan hadn’t heard a peep about turkey day, although it wasn’t celebrated on the Canadian side the same day as it was in the US.

Her mother had always made a point of roasting a turkey and fixing all the trimmings, even if it was just the two of them.

The year before her death, Morgan had insisted it was her turn. She’d fixed the perfect turkey. With a little help from Laura, she’d also whipped up a savory batch of stuffing, along with mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.

Little did Morgan know it would be the last holiday meal she celebrated with her mother. Not long after, Laura collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where she remained until her death.

The loss of her mother was bittersweet. Morgan’s heart still ached and she missed her mother terribly. In some ways, timehad passed in the blink of an eye, yet there were days it moved at a much slower pace.

One thing was certain…nothing stayed the same. Laura’s death. Divorcing Jason. His incarceration. Meeting Wyatt. Brett and Quinn dating. And now Elizabeth’s upcoming marriage to Gerard.

Her internal clock occasionally reminded her she wasn’t getting any younger. But she and Wyatt were content with their relationship, or at least Morgan was.

Jason had put her through so much. If she was completely honest with herself, she was a little gun-shy about making a major commitment again. The bottom line was she didn’t trust her own judgment, at least as far as men were concerned.

Morgan had believed she and Jason would raise a family and live happily ever after.

In the quiet moments when she dug down deep, a small part of her was convinced there was no such thing as happily ever after. Maybe it was “content ever after.” Being content no matter who was in her life.

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