Page 56 of Heal You (The Study You #3)

Finn smiled as she lifted her head again. “I’m glad we’re okay now. Thanks for texting and inviting us over.”

“You know the score. I’ll knock seven shades of shite out of you if you ever get involved in my relationship again!” Morgan winked and moved along the bar. Eric was situated in his usual place, his walking stick hanging precariously on the edge of the counter. “Another Guinness?”

“Oh, go on. Why not? No place else to be.”

Morgan grinned and got to work on Eric’s drink. As she watched the dark liquid fill half of the glass, the door opened. Morgan briefly looked in the direction of it, and then her heart sank. Phil was glaring back at her. “Can I help you?”

He hiked a thumb over his shoulder, the vein at the side of his head visible from across the room and throbbing. “Outside. Now .”

The moment Finn heard Phil’s voice, she spun around on her stool. Morgan didn’t know what was going to happen in the next few minutes, but she wouldn’t have anyone causing a scene in here. Finn shot down from her stool and approached Phil. “The fuck are you doing in here?”

“I’m here to see your mate .” He sneered at Finn and focused back on Morgan.

“I don’t know when you decided you could speak to me like that, but you can turn around and fuck off, Phil.” Finn stood toe-to-toe with him, her chin jutted. “You’re not welcome in here.”

“No, but my wife is, isn’t she?”

“Ex-wife,” Finn corrected with a sarcastic smile.

Morgan quickly set Eric’s Guinness down in front of him and rushed from behind the bar.

She knew what Jan meant to Gillian and Finn, and she didn’t know what Finn was going to do the longer Phil stood in the middle of the bar.

She cleared her throat and lay a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Sit down. I’ve got this.”

“You sure?” Finn turned to Morgan with fury in her eyes.

“I’m sure.” Breathing a sigh of relief when Finn nodded and walked away, Morgan focused her attention on Phil. “If you want to talk, we can talk. But we do it outside.”

“Why? So your customers don’t know you’ve been fucking a married woman?!”

Morgan took Phil by the elbow, turned him around, and shoved him out the door. He almost lost his footing as he landed outside on the pavement, but he quickly gathered himself and faced Morgan.

“The fuck are you doing, Morgan?”

“Well, I’m trying to run a business.” She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and stood tall. Phil wouldn’t intimidate her, no matter how hard he tried. “As for my relationship with Jan, I don’t believe that’s got anything to do with you.”

“How long has it been going on?”

“Why? She’s not your wife anymore, and that’s nobody’s fault but your own.” Morgan studied Phil’s face. Was he…accusing Morgan of sleeping with Jan while they were still together? Fuck. “Hang on, you think this started before you knocked up your employee?”

“Jan wouldn’t meet anyone so soon. That’s not who she is. She doesn’t spend her time in bars, fucking random bartenders!”

Morgan stepped forward, almost forehead to forehead with Phil. “Have some fucking respect for your ex-wife.”

“She’s worth ten of you!” Phil’s eyes bulged as he roared that in Morgan’s face. “You’re fucking nobody!”

While that hurt, Morgan wouldn’t show it.

“That may be true, but at least I actually give her attention and show her affection. At least I care that she’s in my life.

But you? You’ve no idea what you’ve lost. Or maybe you do, and that’s exactly why you’re here trying to put me down.

” Morgan turned her back, hoping Phil got the message.

“Go home, Phil. You’re making a fool of yourself. ”

As Morgan stepped back inside the bar, the weight of what Phil had just said pressing down on her, she cleared her throat and swallowed down the emotion lodged in it. Finn, Gillian, and Jan stared back at her from across the room, but it didn’t need to be discussed. What was the point?

“Another round?”

Jan sighed as Morgan bypassed her and chose not to take the hand she held out. It wasn’t something anyone needed to dwell on. Morgan just wanted to get on with running this place.

Finn stepped up to the bar and lowered her voice. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Morgan—”

“I’m fine, Finn.” She braced her hands against the counter and exhaled a deep breath. “I just wish people would stop telling me I’m not good enough for Jan. I know I’m not, but I don’t know how to change that.”

“H-he said that to you?” Finn clenched her hands into fists. “That piece of shit had the fucking audacity to say that to you?”

Morgan pushed off the counter and held up a hand. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m sick of not being able to go more than a few days without someone fucking it all up.”

Finn dipped her head and found Morgan’s eyes. “You are good enough for her. No matter what anyone says. She fucking loves you, and that’s what matters.”

As Morgan shook her head and got back to work, Jan and Gillian came from the other side of the room. Morgan briefly made eye contact with Jan, swallowing down the lump in her throat as she offered her the smallest smile.

Jan’s brows drew together. “What’s wrong?”

“Fucking Phil!” Finn clenched her jaw as she lifted herself onto her stool again. “He’s got some balls coming here after what he’s done.”

Jan looked between Morgan and Finn, her face draining of all colour. “He’s been here?”

“Yeah. He’s not happy, which I guess is understandable.” Morgan cleared her throat and wiped down the counter. “He made sure I knew what he thought of me, that’s for sure.”

“When did he leave?” Jan set her handbag down on the bar and moved towards the door. “Will I catch up with him?”

“Just leave it, babe. He’s not worth the hassle.”

Instead of taking her seat beside Gillian, Jan turned for the exit.

Great. More drama.

* * *

Rushing out the door, Jan looked down the street, spotting Phil before he rounded the corner.

She didn’t know what had just happened between him and Morgan, but she knew it wasn’t anything good.

When Morgan had stepped back inside the bar only moments ago, she looked as though she was going to burst into tears.

If Phil had been responsible for that, Jan was about to lose her rag very quickly.

She strode down the road as fast as her heels would allow, catching up with Phil and his slumped shoulders outside a local bakery. “Hey, Phil!”

Phil glanced over his shoulder but continued walking.

Jan reached out and gripped onto his arm. “ Don’t walk away from me!”

He spun around, his face red as he glared at Jan. “Are you for real? Fucking a woman? You’re pathetic.”

Jan studied his face, searching his eyes for the person she’d once known.

But all she saw staring back at her was a sad, pathetic man she didn’t recognise anymore.

Which was a shame really because Jan didn’t want life to be this way.

If Phil was happy with Anais, then good luck to him.

But Jan would also find her own happiness, and Phil couldn’t do anything about it.

“Did that make you feel better back there?” She threw a thumb over her shoulder. “Did it feel good coming into the bar trying to assert some kind of dominance over Morgan?”

“I don’t give a fuck about Morgan! But you …you’re ridiculous! Anything to get back at me, right?” He scoffed as he pointed his finger in Jan’s face. “You need to be very careful, Jan. Don’t fucking rile me up because you won’t win!”

“Point your finger in my face one more time , and I’ll rip it from its fucking socket!” Jan stepped closer to Phil, regarding him with a look of complete disgust. “I may no longer be your wife, but don’t you dare scream and shout at me in the street.”

“You’re not even gay! What the hell are you doing?” He threw up his hands. “Is this some tactic to try to make me feel small and incapable?”

Jan laughed and shook her head. “Oh, no. You did that all by yourself.”

“I can’t change what happened with Anais. It’s done and I can’t take it back. But you don’t need to humiliate me at work and give everyone a show while you’ve got your tongue down some fucking dyke’s throat.”

Taken aback by Phil’s awful attitude, Jan stepped away and held up her hands. “I’m done with you. I don’t even know who you are anymore. You’re disgusting.” Jan turned on her heel and slowly made her way back to the bar, taking stock of what had just happened.

“You didn’t even give me a chance to make it right.” Phil’s voice bypassed the noise of the traffic and reached Jan. “You just…left.”

Jan turned slowly and frowned. “Y-you wanted me to stay with you while you fathered a child with another woman?”

“W-we could have made it work, Jan. If you’d given me the chance to figure everything out, I would have given you anything you wanted.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his suit pants and sighed. “I never wanted to lose you.”

“I don’t know if this will ever register in your brain, but I don’t love you anymore, Phil.

I won’t fall back in love with you. You’ve been seeing another woman, got her pregnant, and quite frankly…

I don’t ever want to look at you again.” Aware that this would be the last time she saw Phil outside of a business relationship, she stepped closer and said, “If you never wanted to lose me, you shouldn’t have fucked her for the best part of a year.

” She took a breath. “I’m in love with Morgan and I’m happy.

If you care about me at all, you’ll accept that and let me live my life however I want to live it. ”

Calmly making her way down the road, Jan pulled her shoulders back and swallowed. Gillian was standing outside the bar, but she wasn’t looking at Jan. No, she was glaring at Phil and probably plotting his demise.

“Are you okay?” Gillian took Jan’s hand as she stopped in front of her. “Love?”

“I’m fine. I’ve said what I need to say. I’m done with him.”

Gillian smiled and guided Jan back inside the bar. “ Large glass of red please, Morgan.”

Jan looked up and met Morgan’s eyes. She still seemed haunted by whatever Phil had said to her.

Jan cleared her throat and strode behind the bar.

“Hey.” She held onto Morgan’s hand and pulled their bodies together.

“I don’t know what he said to you, but I love you and that’s the only thing you need to remember, okay? ”

Morgan smiled as she drew Jan into a gentle kiss. “I love you, too.”