Page 87

Morgan

Morgan hated being late.She rushed up to Carla’s front door, breathing heavily as if she had run from the airport.Unaware that Abby was opening the door, Morgan pushed it hard.Abby jumped back to avoid getting hit in the face.

“Jeez, Morgan,” Abby said.

“I’m sorry,” Morgan said, dragging her suitcase inside the house.“My flight sat on the tarmac for three hours in Oregon.Some idiot locked himself in the bathroom and kept saying he wouldn’t come out until he was bumped up to first class.I don’t get why he didn’t tell the gate agent that it was his birthday, so if they have an extra seat, he’d appreciate getting upgraded.”

Abby hugged her and said, “Well, you’re here now.

“Morgan, does that tactic work?”Charlie asked as she wrapped a vase in bubble wrap.

“Yes, I’ve had three birthdays this year.”Morgan pulled her suitcase into the corner of the living room and then took in the sea of moving boxes.“Thanks for getting started on all this.”

“No problem,” Abby said.“But we’ve still got a lot more to pack.”

“And we don’t much time before the painters come.”Charlie said.

Abby took a framed print ofStarry Nightoff the wall.“Does anyone want the pretend Van Gogh?”she asked.

“I don’t, but I’ll take the pretend Monet.I loveWater Lilies,” Charlie said, pulling a different painting off the wall.

Morgan surveyed all the empty wall space.“This is depressing,” she said.

Charlie picked up three bronzed baby shoes off the side table.“I can’t believe Mom kept these.”

“I don’t get why she had them made in the first place,” Morgan said.“I doubt we’d get anything for them at our garage sale.”

“You never know,” Abby said, putting a few candles in a box “The last time I had a yard sale, some woman wanted only one of my garden gloves.Then another woman heard her and asked if she could buy the other one.I made seventy-five cents apiece.”

“How do you think Mom would feel about us selling so many of the things she worked hard for?”Morgan said.

“I doubt she thought about it when she killed herself,” Charlie said.

Morgan’s throat constricted as if a piece of food had gotten lodged inside.“I just want to get all this behind us,” she said, taking two table lamps to the garage.Abby and Charlie followed her, carrying a box filled with once-treasured knick-knacks.

“Charlie, what is Collin up to while you’re here?”Abby asked as they headed back inside to pack more boxes.

“Collin?What’s a Collin?”Morgan asked.

“A guy I’ve been seeing,” Charlie said.

“You’re dating someone, and I haven’t heard anything about him,” Morgan said.

“I told Abby before you got here,” Charlie said.“If you weren’t late, you would’ve heard the whole story.”

“Early bird gets the gossip,” Abby said.“Charlie thinks he’s the one.”

“Don’t you think you’re buying the food before getting the refrigerator, Charlie?”Morgan asked.

“When you know, you know,” Charlie said.

“Then how do you explain the eleven years you spent with Rick?”Morgan asked, heading to the kitchen.Charlie and Abby grabbed empty boxes and followed her.Morgan pulled out the blender, a food processor, and some pots and pans and placed them on the counter.

“I’m a slow learner,” Charlie said.

“I knew right away with Alex,” Abby said, grabbing some crackers from the cabinet.

“Hey, hand me some of those,” Charlie said.“I’m starving.”Abby held the box out to Charlie, who stuffed a few in her mouth, the crumbs escaping and falling onto the floor.