Page 55 of The Secret We Keep
“Think she can hear me?” Morgan rushes out.
I shrug, blowing out a breath.
Morgan cups her hands around her mouth. “You’ve got this, Evie. Remember your signature move.”
Both my mum and dad are jumping up and down as Evie crunches her body towards the kid in her hold, then towards her foot. She bendsand hooks his leg out before she comes up into a mount, effectively pinning him.
Evie locks the kid’s head under her shoulder. One knee lands on his chest, the other coming up so that she can steady herself. When she pulls back, his head is trapped.
“She’s going to do it.” Morgan’s hand grips my arm, the other on my mum’s.
Mum’s hands scrunch in her hair. “Hold on, Evie. Hold on,” she cries, but she needn’t worry.
The kid underneath Evie taps his hand on the mat, signalling his submission.
The buzzer sounds, and the ref stands to his feet, breaking an overcome Evie off the young boy.
“She did it.” Morgan smiles so widely; it knocks the air from my lungs, and the crowd applauds with a burst of excitement.
In her own rush of excitement, Morgan’s hands fly around my neck unexpectedly; her body vibrating with happiness.
“Are you trying the signature scarf hold on me?” I ask, the coconut smell of her shampoo hitting me. When she pulls away giggling, I find myself staring at her, seeing her happy.
For a moment, she’s staring back.
“Let go of each other, you two. Evie’s waving at us.” Mum rolls her eyes.
I wisely keep my gaze forward, because one thing’s for sure, Morgan Brooks felt good in my arms.
Make him go to the hospital
Morgan
Outsidetheleisurecomplex,my ears are still ringing. I yawn, covering my mouth, the comedown from the excitement of watching Evie leaving me exhausted.
After waiting for her to receive her medal and new coloured belt, Jerry called to tell me he was outside. He’s a little earlier than I had expected. In fact, I told him I’d call him when the competition had finished to avoid this exact situation. But I’m guessing he has somewhere else to be, so it was now or never.
A car horn honks in the distance. I’ve been standing still for God knows how long, unable to properly register anything due to the amount of people streaming past me. But just as I start towards the black Volkswagen that is now flashing its headlights at me, a voice calls out.
“Morgan.”
I turn and see Paddy jogging my way. “Everything alright?” I ask him.
He comes to a stop in front of me. “Yeah. I just wondered where you’d got to, that’s all. Evie’s getting changed, then we’re going to take her to grab something greasy and bad for us. Her words, not mine.”
His face is still beaming from seeing Evie beat the little boy who wasn’t really little at all. Or maybe he’s smiling wide because he hadthe last laugh against the boy’s father who was goading him the entire fight. Either way, he looks so attractive.
I step back when Jerry beeps the horn, making me jump. “I’d love to. But my lift is here.” The horn sounds again, a little longer this time. “And clearly I’ve already taken too long.”
When the horn sounds again, Paddy’s head slants. “That Jerry?” he asks bitterly. When I nod, there’s a deep intensity to his features and a flash of annoyance graces his face. “He hasn’t changed at all, has he?”
“It would appear not, no.” I turn, embarrassed, and more so acutely aware that the drive home is now going to be even more awkward once my brother sees me out here talking to Paddy O’Keefe. I know they didn’t really see eye to eye when they were in school. There is literally no love lost between them.
“Morgan, wait,” Paddy says.
I wish my feet weren’t acting like slaves to this man, but they are. I stop and turn back around to face him.
“Let me take you home. I know Evie will want you there for dinner. After all, itwasyou who told her to use her signature move to beat that kid.”
