Page 26 of The Ex Effect (Meet Cute in Minnesota #1)

FOURTEEN

MORGAN

Every part of my body ached with fatigue.

I rolled out of bed burrito-style because my ab muscles hurt too bad to sit upright and sniffed the lingering peppermint in the air from the muscle-relaxing lotion I applied last night.

T-minus seventy-six days until the wedding and I needed this day off from manual labor.

But Frankie and I had kicked butt and taken names.

Frankie was an absolute workhorse and had shown up five minutes early every day since our blowup the other week.

It was clear she was pushing herself to the limit, also.

When she started limping yesterday and finally told me that she’d torn her ACL a few years back and it sometimes flared up, I ordered her to sit in a chair with her leg propped up, applied ice, then cut the evening short so we could go home.

These last ten days, with the help of Sam and the crew, we’d almost completely emptied the barn.

A few piles lingered that needed to be moved into the large machine shed as well as the two full extra-large dumpsters.

But I could see past that. Somewhere between the cracked windows and janky doors and special smells, I knew we’d transform it into something beautiful .

Beautiful…but potentially very, very hot.

The barn had electricity but no air-conditioning, and in Minnesota, that was a risk.

Olivia’s parents were generous, but no way would they spring for air-conditioning installation.

So, we’d open windows, fill the space with fans, and have one portable air conditioner at the bride and groom’s table while praying it didn’t top a hundred degrees with massive humidity.

In the shower, I leaned my head against the wall.

I hurt, I was tired, but I was still making it.

And one amazing thing had happened yesterday—I booked a New Year’s Eve party, which was normally not my thing as I typically did weddings only.

But the caller seemed frantic and paid a deposit, and at this point I couldn’t be choosy.

The hot water beat against my shoulders.

I tried so hard to let my mind go blank, and yet it reverted to Frankie.

It felt like a barrier had broken between us, which was great for a working partnership.

But these feelings were not going away. They were dangerous, stupid, damn near self-flagellating at this point since I knew Frankie was going to return to New York.

Last time, she’d blindsided me. This time, I recognized the inevitable heartache if I gave in, even for a moment.

Thankfully, Frankie didn’t seem interested in anything but rebuilding a friendship.

God, those muscles, though. What did she have to do to get arms like that? The ones with the dip at the bicep where you could see the actual shoulder curve and a shadow? Yesterday in the sun, when Frankie whipped off her shirt to just a tank to haul piles of wood, I almost choked.

I dug a thumb into my neck and rubbed, but dipped my hand lower to my center. Right after I started circling myself, I stopped. I was not going to start the day by jacking off to a vision of my ex, no matter how much I craved relief.

After the shower, I slipped on a sundress and put on my face.

Damn, it felt good, for the first time in a while, to not look scrappy.

I bolted out of the house, grabbed coffee at Connie’s place, popped into Zoey’s to double-check about the cake tasting next Tuesday, and made it to the courthouse for the daily liquor license appeal by ten.

By eleven, an hour early, I pulled up to my alma mater, University of Minnesota Duluth.

Over the years, I’d visited campus to see a speaker, attend a concert, or watch a play. But a good five years had passed since I’d stepped foot here, and it all felt the same and yet totally different.

Back then, my freshman year looked nothing as I imagined.

Frankie had crushed me to the deepest part of my soul when she left me and broke the promise of attending UMD with me.

Fueled by the heartache, I focused all my energy on studies.

When classmates were doing keg stands and beer pong, I was in the library reading about the Civil War.

When they went to football games, I was at home debating which extra course credits I should take to graduate early.

The campus still held the magic I felt back then, the promise of financial independence, a future in business, an independent life.

Stepping onto the grounds, surrounded by the gold-and-maroon emblem flying on the flags, I still felt that touch of school spirit, the drive to succeed.

My chin lifted as the sun beat against my bare shoulders, and I strolled around until it was time to meet Olivia and Tommy.

At the Old Main Park, I flipped through emails.

Boring, boring, boring… Oh, thank God! The electrician confirmed he could come to the barn on Friday to do a preliminary check on what might need to be upgraded to get a day event permit.

I exhaled. This just bought us a little bit of time.

I scrolled through a few more, when footsteps approached.

“Damn. You clean up nice.” Frankie set her helmet and backpack on the bench and flopped down on the bench next to me. “You’ve been wearing a bandanna for so many days I forgot you were blonde underneath there. ”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t even hear your death trap pull up. Where did you park?”

“Over on the east side. I’ve actually been here for an hour, walking around, taking pictures of the campus.” Frankie’s gaze traveled the grounds. “God, I forgot how beautiful this place was. I haven’t been to this campus since…”

I knew what Frankie was going to say before she finished.

Frankie hadn’t been here since we toured the campus together, back when we were seniors.

This would’ve normally lit a fury in me, but today I wasn’t going to let anything ruin my good mood.

Although it wasn’t a real day off, sitting on a bench basking in the warm sun with the quiet sounds of a summer campus was close enough.

“Super-cute dress, though. You look good.” Frankie shifted her focus to an approaching Olivia and Tommy.

Thank God . Because the blush that was working its way across my cheeks was mortifying. I really need to get out more often. One compliment from my ex should not push me to near giggles.

“Hey, guys.” I lifted myself from the bench and gave the couple each a quick hug. “Any updates since yesterday, or are we still on that one-hour deadline to nail this thing?”

“Sadly, exactly fifty-five minutes.” Olivia frowned and set her water bottle on the bench. “But we think if you can teach us the fundamentals, we’ll be able to practice on our own.”

“Got it.” I switched into focused mode and positioned the couple to learn the dance.

Frankie, the pro that she was, snapped pictures from a respectable distance, and soon I didn’t even realize she was there. These pics may or may not make it into any memorabilia package, but they’d be good to have to capture the pre-wedding days.

“Okay, Tommy, arms up.” I lifted my arms so he could mimic. “You’re the lead, so you will step forward into the box as I step back. Olivia, arms here. Let him take the lead, because if you push, it could knock you all off balance.”

I called out the instructions, which seemed simple enough. Step forward, right foot to the side, together. “On a count of one, two, three, okay? Right foot, step back for four, side five, and close six.”

Tommy stepped on Olivia’s toes at least twice, and Olivia nearly tripped over herself. “Wait, what? I’m not following.”

Oh boy . Fifty-five minutes would never be long enough. “This is a basic box step.” I air-sketched a box at the ground. “Literally, like you’re drawing a box.”

“But the box is drawn upside down for one of us,” Tommy said as he moved to step but froze before clanking into his fiancée.

He tried again and started chuckling. “I feel the need to call out that I am top of my class. I’m not getting this, but if we need to talk about the cardiovascular system, I’m game. ”

Olivia planted a fat kiss on his lips with a grin. “For the record, we could just rock side to side, and you’d still be the sexiest man alive.”

“God, I love you.” Tommy kissed her hand and took a step back.

Their love really was sweet to watch. Even though the couple was clearly under a tremendous amount of pressure, they made the time to laugh with each other. I’d bet good money that both of them would make excellent doctors, always cool under pressure.

I, on the other hand, was not nearly as calm on the inside.

Yes, this worked out today to meet them and give a lesson, but we had zero time to spare.

The urge to clap my hands and get them to focus burned through my arms, but I smiled instead.

“Now, bend your legs, down, up, up, down, up, up. Slide, stay smooth. Oh… Ouch… Try again.”

Frankie released the camera and inched closer to us. “Tommy, lower your elbow. You’re blocking Olivia’s face, which is fine for today, but you don’t want that on wedding day.”

Oh, good call. They kept trying, but dear God, Tommy had two left feet and two left hands. “Huh?” he kept asking, over and over until finally I called a time out.

They were never going to learn this in time. I could pull up a video and show them a demo, but my screen was small, and that might not be efficient. “You know, you guys don’t have to do the formal dance if you don’t want to.”

“Sure do.” Olivia grabbed the water from Tommy and gulped. “My mother had a long list of requirements, and this was one of them. I swear each minute that passes, the more this day becomes for other people and less about us.”

Frankie put down the camera and joined them at the bench. “Well, I say you should add some touches to make it your day. Spice up the old waltz. Add a dip, like a good one.”