Page 45 of Pierced Pages
“No, it’s just me and Felicia,” Morgan said. “How about you?”
“No siblings. It was just me and my mom. And my grandmother. They both died a few years ago. That’s when I moved here. I just didn’t want to be there without them anymore. So, Lila and I got a fresh start in Oakview.”
“I’m sorry about your mom and grandma,” Morgan said.
“Thanks. We’ve settled in here pretty well. And I have Melanie and Kim and Gerri now.”
“I’m glad you have them at least. I don’t know what I would do without Jen.”
Morgan shifted on the bench, and her hand grazed the side of Danielle’s hand. The touch sent electric shocks up her arm, and the rest of her body craved more.
She pulled her arm away and stood quickly. “I should get going. I need to be at work soon.”
“Oh, right.”
Morgan wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking, but she thought she was picking up a hint of disappointment in Danielle’s voice. But that couldn’t be.
Could it?
Danielle had been the one to pull away from that kiss. Morgan should have never been so impulsive, and Danielle had made it clear she wasn’t on board.
So why was she picking up on disappointment?
Because they were friends now, Morgan reminded herself. Nothing more than that.
“I’ll leave you to your work,” she said, backing away from the bench. The exact opposite direction her body wanted to go.
Danielle looked up at her, eyes widened with the abrupt turn of the conversation. “Thank you so much for the earrings.”
“No problem,” Morgan said. “Thanks again for agreeing to come with me. Actually looking forward to the wedding now.”
And she was. A couple of weeks ago she couldn’t imagine looking forward to her sister’s wedding, but now she couldn’t wait for the day to come.
Chapter 20
Danielle
Danielle stood just inside the doorway, scanning the room full of faces she didn’t recognize and books waiting to be read. The tiny bookstore was bustling, as expected for a Saturday afternoon, and the aromas of freshly ground coffee and sweet cream filled the air, compliments of the small coffee counter against a side wall. A nice place to clear her head from her meeting with Morgan that morning.
She’d been surprised to get the call to meet her and even more surprised to get another thoughtful gift. Morgan gave the impression that it wasn’t a big deal, but itwasa big deal. She’d thought about her andmadesomething for her.
Danielle wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that.
A long brown arm waved in the air from the back of the room, and Danielle weaved through the chairs and tables until she and her tote bag reached her friend.
“We’re in here.” Gerri gestured to a small room beside her. “Isn’t this great?”
A meeting room in a bookstore really was great. And much needed. Danielle now believed that all bookstores should have coffee stands and book club rooms.
Inside it, a circle of chairs sat in the center with three armchairs lined along one wall and a couple of folding tables leaned against another wall.
Melanie stood from one chair, with Kim standing just a beat behind her.
“You made it!” Melanie leaned in for a hug.
“Yeah, sorry about that. There was an accident a couple of blocks away. Couldn’t get around it.”
“No worries,” said Kim, giving Danielle a hug, too. “Here, have a seat.”
