Page 8 of These Charms Won't Fade
And then there’s Cal’s offer…
Instead of going home early, I head for Morgan’s favorite Thai place and pick up our usual order. Red curry for her and Pad Thai for me. After a quick check of our shared calendar to confirm where she’s working this afternoon, I had into downtown Salem to meet her at the bookstore.
Bells chime above me as I step through the door, and I’m greeted by Morgan’s surprised smile. She’s busy ringing out a customer—which gives me flashbacks to my own days working retail—so I raise the bag of takeout in salute before slipping into the stacks to browse the store’s impressive romance collection. After a few minutes, the bells chime, signaling the departure of the customer, and Morgan is at my side a literal second later thanks to her Blood Magic.
“This is a surprise,” she says, reaching for my free hand. “You don’t usually get a chance to sneak away for lunch.”
With a quick glance to make sure we’re alone in the store, I lean in for a kiss. “Do you have time for a quick lunch break? I brought your favorite.”
Morgan inhales deep, a smile spreading across her features. “Red curry? No mushrooms?” When I nod, she shimmies her shoulders with delight. “Let me see if River is done with their break. One sec.”
She slips away, and a flutter of nerves settles in my stomach. I’m ninety-nine percent sure Morgan will be happy with the unexpected direction my morning has taken, but that lingering one percent worries that she’ll panic. She won’t beangry, but she might worry, and I don’t want to be the cause of her distress.
Before I can spiral too much, River, the nonbinary forty-something who owns the bookstore, settles behind the register. Morgan waves to me from theStaff Onlydoor, and I head toward her with our lunch heavy in my hands.
“So,” Morgan prompts as we sit down. “What has your heart beating so fast? Did something happen?”
I pull our food from the paper bag before responding. The steamy, spicy goodness spreads through the air between us. “You know how I was hesitant about Cal’s offer because I didn’t want to disrupt things with my job?”
“That wasoneof the reasons. Yeah.” Morgan raises her eyebrows at me as she pops the top off her curry.
“Well, that’s not a problem anymore.” I mirror her, opening my container of Pad Thai and squeezing the wedge of lemon over the top. “Because I… kinda, sorta… got laid off. Effective immediately.”
“You— Oh.” Morgan reaches for my hand, her touch warm and soothing. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”
“Fine, I think. Maybe even a little excited.” I stir the pocket of crushed peanuts into the noodles, chicken, and veggies. “I don’t know if I’ll enjoy the whole teaching thing, but… I think I want to try. Do you still want to go to Scotland?”
The grin that lights up her face is brighter than any fire. “I’d love to.” Morgan pulls me to my feet, cups my face in her hands, and kisses me. Slow. Thorough. Claiming. My blood sings with her love and her excitement and her passion.
I may not know everything that happens next, but as long as we’re together, I trust that we can figure it out.
