likes every now and again. And she’s given up smoking.”
Cooper opened his mouth to interject, but Maverick held up his hands.
“Yes. That means regular old cigarettes as well as the funky ones.”
Cooper glanced back at the door. “Huh.”
The boys didn’t get a chance to discuss their mother further. Charlie arrived, a little out of breath and a whole lot hungry. Cooper and Rick set the table while she cleaned up, and by five thirty, the five of them dug into a feast. There was the usual family talk, and Cooper settled in for a listen as he cracked open his lobster.
Charlie wanted to know if Rick had found anyone besides Lenny to come and fix the dishwasher.
No.
Rick asked Charlie if she needed him to come to her next doctor’s appointment on account he had to fly to Nashville after Easter.
Another no. Charlie was perfectly fine going to her ob-gyn on her own.
Charlie then wanted to know why Rick had to go to Nashville, and when he said he was recording with Donovan James, Connor asked if he could tag along.
That was another no.
It didn’t seem to bother the kid all that much, because, fast as you please, he switched gears and asked Rick when Stanley could come home. Rick looked at their mother, but Isabel just shrugged.
Huh. Looked like her stay could be extended.
Cooper was just reaching for a lobster tail when Charlie sat back in her chair and turned to him.
“My God, Cooper, how’s Morgan doing?”
Cooper’s hand froze midair, just for a second, and then he dropped the tail onto his plate and reached for his cracker. “She’s fine?”
“She is?” Charlie seemed relieved. “I’ve been meaning to call her, but I’ve been so busy at the shop. Saturday wasn’t easy for her.”
“I could tell.” Cooper sat back in his chair. “What got her so spooked?”
“Who’s Morgan?” Isabel piped up, dabbing at the corner of her mouth, focusing on Cooper.
“She’s a friend of Charlie’s,” he replied.
Isabel’s eyebrows rose. “And…”
Cooper sighed and sat back in his chair. He knew the look in his mother’s eye. He also knew he needed to shut her down right away.
“There is no and. She’s doing some work for me. Nothing more, Mother.”
“What kind of work?”
“Just work.” He didn’t want to talk about Morgan’s job. He wanted to know who the hell Martha and Nathan and Christy were. “You going to elaborate, Charlie?”
Charlie frowned. “Well, what did she tell you?”
He shook his head. “Just that she needed to leave, and I took her home.”
Charlie frowned. “So you haven’t talked to her since Saturday night?”
“Not really.” And not for lack of trying, although he wasn’t about to volunteer that information. He’d never met a female so immune to his charm. Not even Mrs. Wilson, an old Sunday school teacher of his. When he was six, she was the scariest lady any of the kids knew. On a dare, it had taken him nearly six months to get her to crack a smile. It was like winning the grand prize at the local fair.
“Well then, how do you know she’s fine?” Charlie looked concerned, and a sliver of unease hit Cooper square in the chest.
“What happened on Saturday night?” Isabel looked from Cooper to Charlie, and when neither one of them answered, she turned to Maverick. “Can someone please tell me who this Morgan person is and what happened Saturday night?”
Maverick hesitated, and then Charlie cut in. “Sorry, Isabel. Morgan is an old friend of mine, and I’ve known her since I was five. We used to figure skate and play hockey. Run track. She was the most gifted athlete I’ve ever known.” A wistful, sad sort of smile touched Charlie’s lips. “Life hasn’t exactly treated her kindly, so I was real excited to hear she was coming back to Fisherman’s Landing. Even if it was only for a few months, but…” She reached for her glass of water. “I don’t know if she’ll stay. And she should stay. This is where her family is. But now…”
“Now?” Cooper leaned forward, anxious to hear the rest.
Charlie’s eyes widened, and for a moment, Cooper thought she would change the subject. Such was the way of it here in Fisherman’s Landing. At least where Morgan Campbell was concerned.
“Now that Nathan and Christy are moving back, I’m not sure what she’s going to do.”
Silence followed her words, but only for a few seconds, because Cooper couldn’t help himself. He had to ask.
“I’m taking it Nathan and Christy have a past with Morgan.”
Charlie