Page 110 of The Secret We Keep
It’s not really a question.
With grace, Morgan smiles hesitatingly. “Um.” Her eyes dart to me. They’re laced with uncertainty.
“I’m making casserole if that helps sway you.”
Morgan’s quiet, her cheeks turning redder by the second. She looks trapped.
“You can say no,” I quickly intervene. “The game won’t finish until late, anyways.”
Wringing her hands together, Morgan looks at my mum, avoiding me. “Can I let you know?”
“Of course.” Mum beams with a nod, tapping Evie on the shoulder. “Come on, you. You can finish up your school project before we start dinner.”
Evie’s bottom lip pops out. “It’s the holidays,” she groans with a roll of her eyes, reluctantly turning to follow Mum. “And why are we not going to the game later? I was going to make a banner for Uncle Paddy.”
Mum adjusts her bag on her shoulder. “I thought we could go to the cinema, see that new Disney film you were talking about.”
Evie scrunches her face. “The oneIwas talking about?” she grumbles with distaste. “No, thank you. I want to see Uncle Pads score a hat-trick and win the Gladiator cup.”
Mum mutters something as the pair walk away side by side.
“She needs to stop forcing girly shit on Evie,” I say in a light tone, in an attempt to lessen the pressure in the air floating around us.
“Yeah,” Morgan replies, still not looking at me.
I take a cautious step closer. “Curly fries. What’s wrong?”
“Please, Paddy, don’t call me that.” Her tone is clipped. She looks in pain.
“Did something happen?” I wouldn’t think it possible but my heart races even faster.
She looks over her shoulder.
“Morgan?” I close the gap, towering over her, but her hands fly up to meet my chest. Unlike this morning, she’s creating distance between us. Distance I don’t like.
“Everything’s fine. I’m fine.”
Her words make me finally breathe, but she looks uncertain. “Are you sure?”
She nods, looking at the car she’s standing besides, pausing as if lost in thought. It feels like an eternity, but she eventually looks at me, hands slipping into the back pockets of her jeans. “How did your meeting with Tom go?”
My shoulders slump with my confusion.
For a moment, we stand and stare at each other.
There’s an air of hostility around her.
I could tell her what I was really doing, but I opt for a lie. “Good.”
Coward.
Morgan holds my gaze. “I’m pleased for you, Paddy.”
“Yeah.” My tongue runs over my teeth, mouth turning sour. “So, the game later?”
“I can’t come,” she tells me bluntly.
I get the feeling I’ve fucked up somewhere, but I’m not sure when or how. “Why not?”
