Haven Creek (16 page)

M
organ was relieved when Francine called to cancel their bike ride. She wanted to sleep in late. The Beauty Box’s summer hours were now in effect, so the unisex salon and spa was closed on Sundays and Mondays. Most of the businesses on the island kept summer hours, too, because of the extreme heat, and were closed between the hours of twelve and two.

Sitting at the makeup table in a corner of her bedroom and wielding a sable makeup brush, Morgan applied a light dusting of powder to her face. Adjusting the light coming from the tiny bulbs circling the mirror, she looked closely at her handiwork. Eyeliner and mascara brought out her eyes, and a coral lip gloss accentuated her mouth. Using her fingertips, she fluffed up her short curls. Standing, she walked over to the walk-in closet, selecting a long, loose-fitting slip dress in coral and a pair of straw-colored espadrilles. When she’d gotten up earlier that morning and turned on the television, the meteorologist had predicted temperatures in the midnineties. Morgan decided not to wear her usual office attire, which consisted of a pencil skirt or tailored slacks with her ubiquitous stilettos. She added a pair of silver hoop earrings and three matching bracelets, completing her bohemian look for her breakfast meeting with Kara.

Rasputin lounged near the closet, staring at her feet. “Yes, baby, I’m going out.” Whenever she put on her shoes, the cat would eye her with what Morgan interpreted as contempt because she was leaving him alone. The cat meowed softly. “When Mama comes home for lunch she’ll play with you for a while.” Instead of eating in the office, she would come home for the two-hour island-wide siesta.

Picking up a straw tote, Morgan checked to see if she had her keys. Rasputin followed her to the door, his plaintive meows continuing even after she’d closed and locked it. In that instant she wondered if she should get another cat to keep her pet company. Then she thought about what Nate had said about his sister’s cat. Maybe she would ask Sharon if Rasputin could visit with her cat so she could see if he was able to get along with another of his species.

Getting into her truck, she backed out from under the carport and headed for Sanctuary Cove.

Punching a button, she increased the cool air flowing through the Cadillac’s vents. It wasn’t officially summer, but the temperature didn’t reflect that. The numbers on the dashboard displayed an outside temperature of eighty-eight degrees, and it was only 7:40 in the morning. There were days when as a child she would spend most of the day at the beach, cooling off in the water. She smiled. The beach was the perfect place to relax after she closed the office.

Morgan and Kara had agreed to meet at least once a month to confer about the progress of the restoration. Kara and Jeff had gone up to Myrtle Beach for what they called a mini-honeymoon. Jeff wanted to wait until after the fall elections before he took his bride away on an extended honeymoon to somewhere exotic. The newlyweds divided their time between Jeff’s grandmother’s house and a guesthouse at Angels Landing. This morning she would meet Kara at Corrine Hamilton’s house.

She drove along the road connecting Haven Creek to Angels Landing, then maneuvered onto the new two-lane road connecting the Landing with the Cove. Morgan and practically everyone else on Cavanaugh Island had breathed a collective sigh of relief once the county had built the road connecting the two towns. Very few were brave or foolish enough to travel on the foot trails, which were surrounded by swamps filled with poisonous snakes, alligators, and quicksand.

Local environmentalists opposed the draining of the swamp because it would upset the ecological balance, yet after years of debate they were willing to compromise. The South Carolina Department of Transportation drained enough to build the road without disturbing the wildlife’s natural habitat. It had taken Morgan a good three months after the road was paved to get over her fear of seeing a snake or a gator.

She entered the town of Sanctuary Cove. Many of the businesses along Main Street were closed, with the exception of the supermarket. She drove past the bookstore and the Muffin Corner, slowing and rolling down the window. She waved to Lester, who was hosing down the sidewalk outside the bakeshop. “Good morning, Lester,” she called out. He glanced up, smiling.

“Mornin’, Mo,” the pastry chef called back.

Raising the window, she turned onto the road leading to Waccamaw Road. A few of the older residents were sitting on rockers on their porches, catching the morning air before the heat chased them indoors. When her grandfather was alive, a lot of the older folks were reluctant to install air-conditioning units in their homes. Ceiling or box fans were enough for them. That all changed when eight elderly residents died from dehydration after a heat wave that lasted more than a month. An island-wide fund-raiser produced enough money to purchase air-con
ditioni
ng units for any island resident over the age of seventy who couldn’t afford to buy one. The electricity in a few of the homes had to be updated to accommodate the additional wattage.

Morgan parked in front of a house with white vinyl siding and dark green shutters. Corrine Hamilton sat on the front porch reading a newspaper. She set the newspaper on a side table and rose to her feet with Morgan’s approach.

“Good morning, Miss Corrine,” Morgan said. The seventysomething former school principal was still a very attractive woman. She was tall and slender, with smooth skin the color of café au lait and short silver curls. The Yorkshire terrier sharing the rocker with Corrine raised his head briefly, stared at Morgan, and then rested his muzzle on his front paws.

“Good morning to you, too,” Corrine said with a warm smile. “Look at you.” She patted her own curls. “We have the same hairdo.”

Morgan nodded before leaning forward to hug Jeff’s grandmother and kiss her soft cheek. “How have you been?”

Corrine met a pair of eyes as dark as her own. “Can’t complain. Jeffrey’s married and Kara is the granddaughter I always prayed for. Go on in. You’ll find her in the kitchen.”

Morgan opened the screen door and walked into the house, where everything appeared to be in its place. Throw pillows were positioned at the correct angle, tabletops and wood floors were spotless, and mouthwatering aromas wafted in from the kitchen.

She stood at the entrance to the modern kitchen, watching Kara as she cracked eggs with one hand. The newlywed’s usual tawny complexion was several shades darker. “I’m impressed.”

Kara turned, her hazel eyes shimmering with amusement. She’d pulled her shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. Light from a hanging fixture reflected off the diamonds in the engagement ring and wedding band on her left hand. “I learned that trick from watching the cooking shows.” Wiping her hands on a towel, Kara came over and hugged Morgan. “You look so cool in that dress.”

“If you don’t have to go out, then don’t. The weather’s brutal.”

Kara pulled the oversized T-shirt she was wearing away from her chest. “I’ve been wearing Jeff’s tees because my shorts and slacks are too tight. Please sit down.” Waiting until Morgan pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, she went back to cracking eggs.

Morgan noticed a mysterious smile playing at the corners of the former New York City social worker’s mouth. Kara had come to Cavanaugh Island after the reading of her late father’s will and never left. She’d been as shocked as everyone to discover she was the biological daughter of Taylor Patton. The late owner of Angels Landing Plantation had left his secret love child the historic house, two thousand acres of prime property, money, and worldly goods worth millions. However, Kara’s unexpected fortune had come with a proviso: She was required to make Angels Landing her legal residence for five years and restore the property to its original condition. Not only had Kara stayed, she fell in love with the island’s sheriff and married him after a whirlwind courtship.

“What aren’t you saying, Kara?”

“Jeff and I are expecting our first baby early next year. We decided to start trying before the wedding because we’re both getting older and want to have another child soon.”

Morgan nodded. So that’s why Kara had mentioned her too-tight slacks and shorts. “Congratulations to the both of you.”

Kara shared Morgan’s smile. “Thank you.”

“Jeff disappointed a lot of the single women around here when he announced he was marrying you.”

“I’m sorry about that. But not really,” Kara said quickly, grinning from ear to ear. “He grew up here, went away, and then came back to live. What’s the expression? ‘When you’re slow you blow’? It’s apparent they were slow, so when I realized that he was one of those special men you don’t meet every day, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“He’s one of the good guys. Even though we didn’t grow up in the same town, I’ve never heard anything bad about him. His high school record of sacking opposing teams’ quarterbacks still hasn’t been broken to this day.”

“He rarely talks about that. If I have to be jealous of anything, then it’s the Marine Corps. Hardly a day goes by when one or two of his buddies don’t call him. They were planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend until I told him about the baby. I insisted he go, but he claims he doesn’t want to leave me alone until after I give birth.” Kara shook her head. “I don’t understand men, Morgan. I’m going to need him more
after
the baby than before.”

“You’re lucky you have Miss Corrine.”

“Gram is a gem. I think she was more excited than Jeff when I told her about the baby. Enough about me. What about you, Morgan? Are you still seeing David?”

Morgan gave Kara a prolonged stare. “Why does everyone think I’m going with David?”

Kara returned the stare, her gold-green eyes appearing lighter in her sun-browned face. “Didn’t you guys come to my wedding together?”

“Yes, but we’re just friends. Don’t get me wrong, Kara. David is a wonderful catch, but he’s still hung up on his ex.”

“I thought he was over her.”

“No; he’s still hurt by the situation. Besides, I’m just not interested in him in that way.”

“What if you saw each other as friends?”

Morgan already had a male friend: Nathaniel Shaw. “I don’t think that would work.”

“You don’t want to get married?”

“I’m not saying I don’t want to be married or have children.”

“What
are
you saying?” Kara asked.

“It can’t be now,” she replied after a pregnant pause. Morgan thought about her wish list. “I have too many things I’d like to accomplish before becoming a wife and mother.”

“I’m going to say what you just told me about Jeff. David is one of the good guys. And I’m not saying that because he’s Jeff’s cousin.”

“When are you and Jeff going to tell everyone about the baby?” Morgan asked, smoothly changing the topic.

“We’re waiting until the Island Fair, and then we’ll make the announcement.”

The annual island-wide celebration began July 1 and ended with a spectacular fireworks show at midnight on July 4. The carnival-like events included amusement park rides, picnics, and fun and games for all ages.

“How are you feeling?” Morgan asked Kara.

“Other than having a rapidly expanding waistline and feeling hungry twenty-four seven, I’m okay. Jeff has threatened to handcuff me to the bed because I get up in the middle of the night to raid the refrigerator. One night he came home during his dinner break to find me sitting in front of the fridge with the doors open, eating leftovers.”

Morgan laughed until she had to hold her ribs. “You’re worse than my sister Rachel. Her doctor told her to stop eating ice cream sundaes because there’s no more room for the baby to grow and that’s why she’s so uncomfortable.”

“Some women crave pickles and ice cream, but I crave watermelon. If there’s no watermelon in the fridge, I literally have a meltdown.”

“How is Jeff taking impending fatherhood?”

“I believe he’s going to be certifiably crazy by the time I give birth. He went to the Parlor Bookstore and bought every book on pregnancy and babies Deborah Monroe had in stock. He rolled his eyes at me when I asked him if he planned to deliver his own son or daughter.”

“What do you want? A girl or a boy?”

Kara turned on the cold water faucet as she diced onions. “It doesn’t matter. Personally, I would love to have twins.”

“Do twins run in your family?”

“I don’t remember my mother talking about twins on her side of the family. I know you mentioned researching the shared histories of the black and white Pattons. Did you find any evidence of twins on either side?” she asked Morgan.

“Not yet. I’m still collecting slave bills of sale, records of property ownership, and estate inventories. It will take a while before I get around to checking birth and census records.”

Over a leisurely breakfast of spinach omelets, fresh melon, and corn muffins, Morgan and Kara chatted comfortably about Angels Landing. She told her Nate had agreed to re-create the slave village, including the winnowing barns and blacksmith workshop. She also gave her an update on the problem she’d had with the discontinued wallpaper patterns.

“I’m going to stop by Angels Landing after I leave here to check with the project manager. He says it’s going to take time stripping the paper because he doesn’t want to damage the walls. Even though I’m looking to complete the restoration in three to five years, I still don’t want him to milk us with cost overruns.”

Peering at Morgan over the rim of a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, Kara took a deep swallow. “Didn’t you tell me he came highly recommended?”

“Yes, I did. But when people see dollar signs, the greedy gene takes over. I’m glad David suggested you include the termination-at-will clause in his contract. If his workers are slacking off, then he’s at risk for losing his job.” Morgan dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “Maybe Bobby Nugent needs a little shake-up. I’m going to ask Nate if he would act as an inspector.”

Kara’s fork was poised in midair. “Isn’t he a carpenter?”

Morgan smiled. “He’s more than a carpenter.” She told Kara about the barn. “I’ll call and ask him if he’s willing to meet me at Angels Landing tomorrow morning.”