The truth was she still didn’t know. She’d talked it out with her mother who’d given her wonderful advice. None of which she’d taken because times had changed since her parents were dating. Besides, she and Shaun weren’t dating. They weren’t anything. And that’s the problem. We’re in this limbo. I think I’d rather have him barking orders at me and giving me a cold stare than this lack of emotion. This sucks. Why can’t he be the miserable one instead of me?
She finished the email she was working on and checked it for errors. What the hell? The first line said, “Sorry for your incontinence,” instead of “Sorry for your inconvenience.” She hit delete on the email. And this is a good indication that nothing productive is going to get done right now.
Instead of trying to refocus, she decided to ride out the remaining time. When she looked at the clock, it was much later than she’d thought. Smiling, she sat back and began watching the second hand on the wall clock tick away. Why is it the last five minutes on Friday seem to drag? Her mother always told her a watched pot never boils. Must apply to clocks too.
As soon as it was five, she shut down her laptop and rushed home. Thankfully, she beat all the traffic and before she knew it, she was pulling into the driveway. Her mother came rushing out with Tyler by her side. There was a grin on her face that said trouble.
“Oh, Morgan. I can’t wait till you see it.”
She was tired and didn’t want to play the game. “See what, Mom?”
Elisabeth grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side of the garage. There she saw a silver and green bike. Okay, nice. So they got a new bike. She couldn’t understand why so much drama for a bike. It’s not like they don’t each have one already. “Whose bike? Yours or Dad’s?”
“Yours.”
“Mine? I have a bike, Mom. You know that. What do I need with another one? Besides, I never ride alone. Only with Tyler.”
“I know that. And I think someone else does too.” Elisabeth was almost dancing with excitement. “Go see it.”
Someone gave me a bike they know I don’t need? Well, that’s just special. Morgan knew her mother wasn’t going to let her inside the house until she went and did the official oh, wow. As she walked closer to the bike, her mother was all bubbly. This wasn’t just any bike, but one built for three. Who the hell would get me something like this?
The neighbors all knew Tyler and she rode each Saturday. Maybe one of them or a bunch of them got together to get her this. She didn’t know much about bikes, but she knew this one was very expensive, as she’d looked at it so she could go riding with Tyler and her mother. “Who? Why?”
Elisabeth nudged her from behind. “Go read the card and find out.”
Mom, you know very well that you’ve already done that. At thirty-six, I think I’ve figured a few things out by now. “Mom. I’m exhausted. Can’t you just tell me what it says?”
“Oh I could, but I won’t.”
And we’re friends why? Oh yeah, because you’re awesome, most of the time. Morgan went to where the bow was and saw a white envelope. It wasn’t sealed, but that wouldn’t have stopped her mother. Slowly she pulled out the note.
“See you Saturday at ten a.m. I’d like to get to know Tyler better. Looking forward to spending the day with you both.”
It wasn’t signed, and the handwriting wasn’t familiar. I have no idea who’s coming. Could it be Walter has changed his mind and now wants to see Tyler? No, even if he had, he’d never do something so publicly as to ride a bike through the streets with him. He’s made it very clear what an embarrassment Tyler is to him. So if not Walter, then who?
When she turned around holding the card, her mother said, “Can you believe it? When I told him about your weekly bike ride I never thought he’d want to join in. But I guess he does.”
“Who does?”
“Shaun, silly.”
Shaun? Did he send this bike? Is he coming tomorrow? What does he want? Didn’t we just do this last week and I kicked him out? Why’s he coming back for more of the same?
She brushed past her mother and started toward the house.
“Are you running off to call and thank him?” Elisabeth teased.
Not hardly, I’m calling the bike shop to get this thing out of my yard. She dialed the number and received voice mail saying the store was closed for the weekend and they’d open again on Monday morning. Great. Just great.
“Now what am I supposed to do?”
Her mother, who’d followed her inside, replied, “Simple. Go for the ride with him tomorrow.”
She turned and gave her mother a warning look. Morgan didn’t play around when it came to Tyler. Going for a ride with the two of them could end badly. Shaun didn’t understand anything about Tyler. It wasn’t so much about the ride as much as following a routine. They left at the same time and always took the same path. What’s Tyler going to do when he sees a different bike? Even a slight change like that can trigger a meltdown in him. Tomorrow is too late to try to explain that to Shaun. Damn it.
“Mom, can you please watch Tyler for a few minutes? I want to go upstairs and call Shaun.” Not for the reason you think, so don’t get your hopes up.
“Take your time. I’ll finish dinner while the two of you chat.”
Once inside her apartment, she pulled her cell phone out and dialed his business cell as that was all she had. She wasn’t sure if he’d answer after hours, but he struck her as the type of man who never wanted to miss a business opportunity.
“Henderson here.”
Part of her was hoping she’d get voice mail and get away with leaving a message. “Hi, Shaun, it’s Morgan.”
“How are you?”
Stressed to the max thanks to you. But that seems to be the pattern with you now, doesn’t it? “Concerned. Confused.”
There was a pause then he asked, “Why concerned?”
At least, you understand why I’m confused. We’re halfway there. “I received a bike today. I take it that was from you?”
“Yes.”
“Although it was a nice gesture, I cannot accept it.”
“Why not?”
A long sigh had escaped before she continued, “You don’t understand anything about autism do you?”
“No, enlighten me.”
“This isn’t something I can talk to you about over the phone. You can google it. Take a class on it. But talking to you about Tyler and how something like this might affect him on the phone won’t really make the point I’m trying to get at.”
“Easy to remedy. Have dinner with me.”
What? That’s not the point I was trying to make either. “We’re going to be eating at six. Once again, it’s about routine.”
“Fine. Eat light, and I can pick you up once he goes to bed.”
You are so not getting it. How can someone so brilliant be so damn dumb. “Shaun, you don’t seem to understand me.”
“I do. But I want to see you. If you don’t want to have dinner, then we can have drinks.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see you. And because I want to learn what to do when I’m around Tyler, so I don’t mess with the routine you’re talking about.”
Why do you need to be so logical? Don’t you know my thoughts of you are not logical at all? Not even appropriate if you ask anyone in HR. Oh, that would be me. No matter what her brain was telling her, her heart screamed yes. Which seemed to be ruling her lips as she heard her voice agreeing and even setting a time.
“Pick me up at ten.”
When she ended the call she knew she now had to face the second person she didn’t want to tonight. Mom, I don’t want you making this anything more than what it is. We’re only meeting to talk about Tyler. Nothing more.
Part of her was disappointed even as she thought it. But this was needed so he could understand why he needed to back off. Why he couldn’t be part of their lives. He doesn’t fit. And I need to show him that. No matter how much I wish he did, he doesn’t and
never will.
Chapter Ten
She had no idea why she let her mother talk her into wearing a dress. And one that was form fitting. After all her talk about how this wasn’t a date, she sure looked like she was on one now.
He was prompt and picked her up at exactly ten. They were polite the entire ride to the restaurant. Right now this isn’t feeling like a date either. Maybe I have nothing to worry about. Maybe this is exactly what he said; he wants to learn about Tyler.
Over dinner, she told him everything she knew from years of raising a child with autism. How there is a vast autism spectrum, from very high functioning cases who work and raise families, to very low functioning cases who will never be able to live on their own unsupervised. Most of the information she gave him was based around Tyler specifically, but she added some general information he could use if he met anyone else with autism.
“I am very fortunate to have my mother watch him for me when he’s not in school. I don’t know how I would do it without her and my dad.”
She regretted saying it and closed her eyes, hoping that didn’t open the door for him to ask about Walter. For a moment she was sure he was going to because his expression changed so quickly. He opened his mouth, but closed it again. Being a gentleman? I like that. I’m far from ready to tell you about him, and I might not ever be.
“So that’s a crash course of what I know from my personal experience. There is much more. But hopefully you understand why I was so concerned about the bike. And, we cannot accept such an expensive gift.”
To him money was no object, but she lived much differently. Things would be easier since she had an office job again, but she couldn’t count on that lasting forever. Shaun had already questioned her about her old job. Once he found out she walked off without any notice at all, he wouldn’t want her on staff for very long.
Shaun ignored her last comment. “I never realized how simple changes could affect him so much. I hope you know that was not my intention when I sent the bike.”
There was so much she didn’t know about Shaun, but she did know he’d never hurt her son intentionally. Actually, she couldn’t picture him hurting any child or elderly person. He might not admit it, but he was a softy. He remembered what Tyler liked and then went out of his way to find something he believed would make him happy. He hadn’t said it, but she wanted to hear it. So she used one of her mother’s lines and asked a question that she already knew the answer to.
“Why did you buy it, Shaun?”
He looked into her eyes and said, “I told you. I wanted to get to know both of you better. The only thing I knew about Tyler was you two went on a ride together each Saturday. I thought it might be a good place to start.”
Oh, my God. That’s so sweet, so touching. I could kiss you. But I won’t because we’re not out on a date. This is about Tyler only. Remember that. Tyler only. Not a date.
“You didn’t need to buy a bike for that. You could’ve just asked, and I would’ve told you.”
Shaun reached out across the table and touched her hand. A chill ran up her, and her body reacted more than she could hide. She felt flushed and not from embarrassment. Not what I want in a public restaurant. Why is your timing always off, Shaun? First at the office and now here. Didn’t you ever read the dating manual? You pick up the girl, take her out, kiss her goodnight on her door stoop in the moonlight.
Morgan almost laughed out loud at her own thoughts. I think I should read that manual; I’m so out of practice. It’s been six years. Six very long years. Up until now she had never given it a thought. Her life was full, not lacking. But being with him made her feel differently. She wanted to be in his arms. Kiss him and so much more. However, that wasn’t reality. They were not dating each other. This was dinner. When they left here, she would go home to her cold bed. Cold and empty. Thanks, Shaun, for making me want what I can’t have.
She pulled her hand back. This wasn’t a date, yet he was beginning to act as though it was. If she misunderstood, this would be a good time for him to let her know. “Shaun, I thought you wanted to talk about autism.”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk about other things. Like you for instance.”
I’m not that interesting. And you probably won’t like me if you knew me. She needed to get back on the topic she thought they were there to discuss. “I didn’t notice any company match programs in place.”
“Excuse me?” Shaun looked puzzled.
“You know. A company match program where employees can donate to a non-profit organization and the company matches their donation. If you’d like, I can prepare a presentation for you to review next week on how it would work.”
“Morgan, I would love to hear about it, but not tonight. Prepare whatever you’d like, but we’re not talking work. Right now it’s about you and me.”
Her heart skipped not just one beat but several. There was no way she heard correctly. Did she miss something? She didn’t remember there being a Shaun and Morgan. Okay, we shared a kiss. A very hot kiss that haunts my every thought. She wanted it to be true, that he might honestly want something more with her. But I’m a package deal. He’s trying, but he’s not ready. He has no idea what type of commitment it is. He may want to hear and learn now, but there is no way he’d want that forever. And I don’t need someone to come into our lives for a week or two. It’s not fair to me and most definitely not to Tyler. She needed to make him understand. But how, when she had no clue what was going on between them. She was even battling herself, and she couldn’t afford to let her desires win.
“And Tyler,” Morgan added in a flat tone.
He smiled and nodded. “And Tyler.”
Stop smiling. Stop agreeing. You’re not making this any easier. Don’t you get it? I don’t want to like you. It will only make it hurt later.
“Tell me about yourself, Morgan.”
“I’m an only child. I have a small apartment above my parents. I have a nine-year-old son.”
He laughed. “Okay, and you also work at Poly-Shyn in HR. Is there anything else you would like to tell me that I already know?”
She blushed and shook her head. There was no way she was going to ask him what he wanted to know because that would give him the power. “I went to Boston University?”
“I know. You graduated with a 4.0 GPA.”
She was shocked. “How do you know that?” Was he having me investigated?
Shaun smiled. “Your mother enjoyed bragging about all your achievements.”
“I hope she didn’t pull out the photo album too.”
“I’ll have to ask about that next time.” He winked at her teasingly. Yet, she didn’t doubt for a minute he would ask. And knowing her mother, she’d have him sitting there for hours going over each picture.
“Don’t you dare.” Morgan laughed. She was enjoying herself. It shouldn’t surprise her. He’d taken her to a fine restaurant, but it wasn’t the food that was making the night. It was his company. He was charming and handsome as hell. But he also made her laugh, and she liked that most of all.
“So you seem to have already gotten the jump on me, thanks to my mother. Why don’t you tell me about you?”
“I grew up in the Boston area, and I have four brothers and a sister.”
Yes, Zoey, the one you led me to believe was a girlfriend. I still have no idea why you did that. “I have met Dean and Zoey.” Morgan winked at him this time to let him know she hadn’t forgotten their first meeting. “If I didn’t know you three were siblings, I never would’ve guessed it. All three of you look so different.”
“I’ve heard that all my life. We have a few similar traits, but that’s all.”
You want to know about me, but it’s like pulling teeth to get you to talk about yourself. What gives? She wasn’t going to give up so easily. But asking deeply personal questions wasn’t her thing, so she kept it light. “Where do you fall in line?”
“Brice is the oldest. He’s married
to Lena, and they have a son, Nicholas, and are expecting their second child anytime. Then there’s Logan, Alex, Zoey, me, and then the youngest, Dean, who is marrying Tessa, your boss.”
“Wow! I would’ve loved to have grown up in a large family like that, and with the family growing, it must make the holidays even more special.”
“Things are changing.”
That’s not saying much. Maybe they’re not close. But one of six, you can’t fight with them all, can you? “What about your parents?”
She saw his eyes darken, and his light and easygoing mood disappeared. Morgan had tried to stay on things that, for most people, were easy topics. The look said it was as bad as if he’d wanted to talk about Tyler’s father. No more questions from me unless it’s to ask about the weather.
Morgan thought he’d change the subject as she would’ve, but instead, he answered, though reluctantly and briefly.
“My father passed away last year, and I never knew my mother.”
How could I have forgotten? It was all over the news; they’d had a private funeral. The late Mr. Henderson was one of the most powerful men in the US. Stupid Morgan. Real insensitive.
Morgan reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “I’m sorry.”
He lifted his eyes to meet hers, and she saw no pain as she would have expected, but they were filled with anger. At first, she thought it was at her. Yet, when he spoke, she realized it was deep-rooted pain that was speaking. She understood such things as she carried some herself.
“Don’t be. He was far from pleasant, and he’s not missed. Not by his family or anyone who knew him.”
She was lucky to have both her parents and loved them both very much. Shaun’s cold remark about his father shocked her. She thought he’d grown up in a home that most people envied. But his words said otherwise. All the money in the world can’t buy a loving home or happiness. Her heart hurt for him. He might act as though the pain was in the past, but she saw differently. It was a wound running very deep and not a topic for tonight. Maybe never. Some things aren’t meant to be shared.
You & Me Make Three: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Three Page 10
