Morgan woke that morning for the second time. The first, Shawn woke her before she left for work, giving her a lingering soft kiss that continued to speak of the lovemaking from the night before. Now, Morgan was flying high, taken there by Shawn’s hands and mouth. She’d never felt like that, been made love to so sweetly as she’d been by Shawn. Morgan felt her walls around her heart crumbling down. In all honesty, Shawn had been chipping away at those bricks since they’d started becoming friends. When Morgan made the trek up to Lake Tahoe a week and a half ago, she didn’t have any designs on meeting someone, let alone start to fall for someone. She’d come to the mountains for self-discovery, self-betterment, and self-love, and along with achieving that, she’d also met a woman she could see having a relationship with, maybe even a happily ever after. The walls around her heart were starting to crumble.
Morgan liked the woman she was becoming, and she loved the woman she was when she was with Shawn. Morgan wasn’t religious, but she’d found her spiritual home in this small town with her new friends, and she knew she was a changed woman. She’d discovered there was more to life than working too-long hours and allowing toxic people into her life. That was going to change when she returned to Sacramento. Jane and Annie might not even recognize her. Morgan chuckled at the thought. Morgan missed them so much and couldn’t wait to see them again, to tell them everything, especially about her and Shawn. She was already thinking about asking Shawn if Morgan could bring Jane and Annie with her one weekend so they could all meet, three of the most important people in her life.
Morgan got out of bed and got ready. She wanted to have breakfast at the diner then she had an errand to run. When they’d been in Marcy’s shop the day before, Morgan had seen some pieces of jewelry and art she wanted to buy. One of the art pieces she wanted to give to Shawn to hang in her room. It was a painting of a Tahoe sunset from Sand Harbor, almost identical to the scene they’d witnessed. It was the night she realized she was falling for Shawn.
On the drive over to the diner, Morgan’s body tingled with each mile in anticipation of seeing Shawn. When she pulled into the parking lot, she couldn’t get out of her car fast enough. She walked through the door, the charming little bell announcing her arrival, and her first look at Shawn made every person, every noise in the diner disappear. Their eyes locked, and the smile on Shawn’s face was bright enough to light the darkest night. That smile was for Morgan, and Morgan’s was for Shawn.
“Hi.” Only the counter separated Morgan and Shawn.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
God, just the sound of Shawn’s voice stirred arousal deep in Morgan.
“I missed you this morning.”
“Same. I would’ve loved to stay in bed with you all day, but we can do that tomorrow. I’m taking the next two days off to spend with you before you go home.”
The thought of leaving this magical place made Morgan want to cry. Sure, her house, job, best friends were in Sacramento, but Morgan could envision Tahoe being her home.
“Then I better get some breakfast so I can be ready for you.”
Morgan decided to sit at the counter and eat so she could be closer to Shawn. She needed as much time as she could get to soak in all of her.
“What’s on your agenda for today?”
“Just running a couple of errands. There were some things in Marcy’s shop that I wanted to get, then I thought I’d do a little grocery shopping so I can make you a special dinner.” Morgan thought of the idea on the way to the diner. She’d buy something to fix for dinner, something nice, but she hadn’t decided on what yet. She wanted to have a candlelit dinner and romantic evening with her new love, Shawn. She envisioned listening to soft music in front of a fire, maybe slow dancing, then continuing their dance in the bedroom. Since Shawn wasn’t working tomorrow, there would be no need for sleep. They could make love all night long, and Morgan would find a way to show Shawn how deeply she cared for her.
“Aw, babe. You don’t have to do that. I can make dinner or we can go out.”
“Don’t argue with me, baby. I want to do something special for you.”
The blush that engulfed Shawn’s cheeks warmed Morgan’s entire body, and it earned Shawn a kiss. When Morgan finished eating and Shawn refused to charge her for her meal, Morgan pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her wallet and left it on the counter for a tip. She kissed Shawn once more.
“I’ll see you later, baby.”
A short while later, Morgan had entered Marcy’s shop, but there was a different woman behind the counter who Morgan didn’t know. She knew what she wanted to buy, but she wanted to look around a little more before making her purchases. She’d been looking through prints of Lake Tahoe to take back home when she heard a woman’s voice ask for Marcy, and she sounded angry. The woman at the counter informed her she was in the back. The woman strode with purpose through a doorway in what Morgan assumed was Marcy’s office. Uh-oh. This looks like drama.
“That fucking Shawn Evans!”
Morgan’s ears perked up and she couldn’t help but move a little closer to eavesdrop. Normally that wasn’t her style, but if this had to do with Shawn, Morgan wanted to know.
“Calm down, Paige. What’s going on?”
“I saw her yesterday holding hands with some other woman.”
Yeah, that was me, psycho.
“They walked right by my ice cream shop like Shawn wanted to flaunt her new fuck in front of me.”
“Okay.” Marcy sounded like she was trying to calm this Paige woman down.
“I can’t believe how quickly she moved on. I mean, she just broke up with me last week, and she already has a new sidepiece. She was probably already fucking her before she broke up with me.”
“I just met her yesterday. She’s only in town for a few more days is what Shawn told me.”
“Damn her. Shawn’s never going to change. She’ll never settle down. She’ll continue to go from one tourist to another, oblivious to the hearts she’s breaking.”
Hold on for just a damn minute!
“Shawn’s always been a player and always will be. She’s not interested in any kind of relationship or commitment. That woman she was with yesterday is a damn fool if she thinks she’s going to change Shawn’s wandering ways. But if all Shawn wants is a fuck buddy, I can be that for her. She’s fucking hot in the sack.”
“Paige, please. That’s my best friend you’re talking about.”
“Oh, shut it, Marcy. You’ve slept with her yourself so you know I’m right.”
“Oh, you’re right. She definitely knows what she’s doing, but I still don’t want to talk about it. It’s ancient history.”
“It’s all that practice, going from one woman to the next.”
Morgan felt the tears well in her eyes and her heart started to break. She thought Shawn was different. She thought Shawn cared about her. Shawn knew what Morgan went through with Jess, how betrayed she felt, and now she did the same damn thing to her and to other women. Morgan thought she was going to be sick. She managed to find the strength in her legs to carry her out of Marcy’s shop when all she wanted to do was collapse. She’d barely heard the woman behind the counter calling out for Morgan to have a nice day. Morgan made it to her car and sat behind the wheel stunned and numb. What was she going to do? She took a few more minutes to think before she finally came to a conclusion. She started the car and drove back to her cabin, trying not to let the tears flow or the hurt consume her or the anger rage through her. She couldn’t even look at Shawn’s home as she passed by.
Morgan went directly to the bedroom and packed her clothes and toiletries. She didn’t bother packing up her food, just threw it in the bear-proof cans along with the stupid book Shawn had given her just a few days after she arrived in Tahoe. She thought about going to Shawn’s to pick up the few pieces of clothes she’d left there, but she didn’t feel she had the strength to step foot in Shawn’s home. The place they’d had sex, talked, laughed. And Jameson. Oh, man, if she saw Jameson right now, she’d lose her shit. No, she’d let Shawn throw out what Morgan had left behind and get her house ready for the next woman she’d bring to her bed.
“Good-bye, Jameson. I’ll miss you,” Morgan whispered as she drove by Shawn’s house. She turned left on Highway 89 that would normally take her to the diner, but today, now, she’d pass it by, not taking another glance, and keep driving until she got to the interstate that would take her back to the city. Away from her new friends. Away from Shawn.
❖
Shawn had been looking forward to tonight since having seen Morgan earlier that morning. She loved that Morgan wanted to make her dinner although it was completely unnecessary. She just wanted to spend time alone with Morgan and make a plan for the next time they’d see each other. She was going to make the most of the next two days. She needed to get her fill of Morgan until the next time they’d see each other.
Shawn was disappointed that Morgan’s car wasn’t in her driveway. Maybe she was still out running errands or exploring. She threw the ball for Jameson in the backyard for a while after she’d texted Morgan that she was home. The sky was growing dark, and she still hadn’t heard from Morgan. She texted her again, and when she didn’t hear back, she called her. It went straight to voice mail.
“Hi, baby. I was just wondering when you were coming over. Should I turn on the oven for you? Anything I can do to help prep for dinner? Let me know. I can’t wait to see you.”
Another hour went by and no word from Morgan. Shawn was starting to freak out a little, so she hopped in her car and drove to Morgan’s. The cabin was dark and Morgan’s car wasn’t in the driveway. She looked in all the windows, and there were no signs that she’d been there. Shawn turned on the flashlight on her phone and looked in the garbage can. On the top, she found the book she’d given Morgan.
“What the hell is going on?”
Shawn called her again and it went straight to voice mail.
“Morgan? Where are you, baby? I’m getting worried. I’m at your cabin and it looks like you left. Please call me.”
Shawn ran her fingers through her hair and turned around in a circle as if she’d find Morgan standing behind her, playing a practical joke. But this shit wasn’t funny. Where the fuck was she?
She drove home and paced the living room, not knowing who to call. Then she thought of Marcy. She dialed her number.
“Hey. Did you see Morgan today? She had planned on buying some stuff from you, then we were going to have dinner together, but she’s not here, she’s not answering her phone or my texts. I’m freaking out here, Marce.”
“Calm down, Shawn. I haven’t seen her today, but I’ve been holed up in my office most of the day. Have you called the hospital?”
“Jesus, no! If anything happened to her, I don’t know what I’d do.” It wasn’t uncommon for car accidents to happen there, especially with the winding mountain roads or wild animals darting out, causing a driver to swerve. That wouldn’t explain, though, why Morgan’s stuff was gone from the cabin.
“Call the hospital then call me back. I’m sure she’s fine, honey.”
Shawn hung up without saying another word and called the local hospital. She had a friend that worked as a nurse so Shawn asked to be transferred to her department.
“Hey, Linda. I need a favor.”
“Shawn? Are you okay?”
“No, I’m freaking out. I was supposed to have dinner with a friend tonight, and I can’t get a hold of her. Can you check to see if she’s been admitted? Maybe she had an accident. Her name is Morgan Campbell.”
“Hang on.” Shawn heard the clicking of the keyboard. “No, nobody here by that name and no Jane Doe in the ER. Sorry.”
“Thanks, Linda. Let me know if you hear anything.”
Shawn hung up and sat on the couch, feeling like her legs were going to give out. She rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Should she go out and look for her? Shawn didn’t even know where to start. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Morgan since ten that morning, and now it was eight p.m. Morgan could be anywhere. Jameson sat at her feet and whined, making Shawn look up.
“I don’t know where she is, buddy. I can tell you that I’m really worried.”
Her phone dinged, alerting her to a text message. Shawn thought she’d cry when she saw it was from Morgan.
I’ve left Tahoe. Don’t call me. Don’t text me. I never want to hear from you again, Shawn Evans.
“What the hell?”
Morgan, what’s wrong? What happened? I’ve been so worried.
Save it, Shawn. You’ll forget all about me when the next notch on your headboard arrives in town.
What the hell was she talking about? What the fuck happened to bring this one-eighty turn?
Morgan, please tell me what happened?
Fuck this. Shawn dialed the phone and it went straight to voice mail. Shawn screamed in her empty house. “Morgan!” Jameson cowered and went immediately to the corner of the living room.
Morgan! Please talk to me. What did I do? I can’t fix it if you won’t talk to me.
Shawn held her phone in her hands like it was her lifeline to Morgan. Hell, it was. She was gone. Shawn couldn’t just show up at her house since she didn’t know where she lived. Shawn stared at the screen, willing another message, a call, anything from the woman who’d made her way into Shawn’s heart in such a short amount of time. But her phone remained silent. The house was quiet. Too quiet. And the silence allowed Shawn to hear the pieces of her heart shattering.