First In Series Sampler, Volume 1

Chapter 11

Morgan"s hand automatically reached for the doorknob. But as she started to lock the door, she chastised herself.

"I don"t know why you"re so nervy. The poor guy was probably just walking along the beach practicing his music."

Laughing at herself, Morgan stepped away from the door. But at the last second, she turned back and locked it, remembering that somebody had made their way into Meredith"s office.

Still feeling tensed and a little unnerved, Morgan made her way to the stairs and without thinking, up to the widow"s walk. Opening the door, she stepped out, the breeze billowing her hair as the smells of salt and sea engulfed her. She looked out over the ocean and felt her nerves settle. The sea had always had that effect on her. Glancing down at the shore, she watched as the mist disappeared, thinking how odd it was that it showed up and disappeared randomly.

Meredith had placed a glider up against the wall of the house, providing shade and protection from the winds. Morgan sat in the overstuffed cushions to relax. She remembered sitting with her aunt as a child while they read one of the many books in the library. Her eyes blurred at the memory, and she could picture the book and how much her aunt had treasured it.

Brushing away an unshed tear, Morgan stared out past the railing, taking in the sight of the boat lights coming and going from the harbor as the sky dimmed with the approach of dusk. She saw the ferryboat on its last daily run coming in from the opposite end of the island.

"I can see most of the island from here. No wonder Aunt Meredith loved this spot so much. That can"t be the same ferry from when I was a kid—it was old then." Talking out loud to herself, Morgan nestled deeper into the cushions, letting memories from her youth surface. She knew the ferryboat was the primary access to the commercial end of the island, and that it arrived at the island pier every four hours, weather permitting, during daylight. It could accommodate five cars at a time, which for the population of the island was perfect. Most tourists that visited the island came from the beachside, the same way Morgan had entered the island earlier.

A faint smile hovered over her lips as she remembered her childhood excursions with her aunt, taking the ferry the short distance from the island to the mainland for an afternoon of shopping or to catch the latest Disney movie in the theaters.

Morgan lost track of time, and it wasn"t until she heard a faint sound coming from downstairs that she realized how late it was. Opening the door, she walked back into her room and could clearly hear the doorbell this time. There was something haunting about the six notes the doorbell played. Morgan knew she"d heard the tune before, but she couldn"t figure out where; it was somewhere in the back of her mind, and it would come to her when she needed it. She thought it quaint that her aunt had picked a musical doorbell rather than the old-fashioned ding-dong doorbell.

Hurrying down the stairs, she rushed to the front door and opened it to find Dylan standing there. Behind him was a young man around her own age. His curly brown hair was windblown, and he had a warm smile on his face. Dylan held up packages of food for her to see and then nodded over his shoulder to the young man.

"I hope you don"t mind; my nephew was with me, and I thought I"d bring him along. He was a great friend of your aunt"s. Morgan, this is Gabriel."

Morgan smiled hesitantly but then held out her hand. After all, if he was a friend of her aunt"s, then surely, he would be welcomed in the house. Gabriel shuffled his hands, and it took a moment for Morgan to realize what he held. As he held his hand out to shake hers, she stared at the violin gripped in his other hand.

"Was it you I heard earlier?" she asked him.

"Yes, and I"m sorry if I startled you. You ran off so quickly, I didn"t have a chance to introduce myself. But I knew Dylan was coming back here for dinner, so I asked if I could join him. I can"t tell you how sorry I am about Meredith."

Gabriel"s tone was soft, and she could hear the sorrow in it. Yes, she was right; he had known and loved her aunt just as she and Dylan did.

"Of course, you"re both welcome. Come on in. Dylan, that smells heavenly. I don"t know what"s in that bag, but I sure am anxious to get to it."

Stepping aside, Morgan waved her hand to welcome her guests into the house. With years of experience of having taken the same path, Dylan led the group towards the kitchen. Then he pulled the food out of the bags, the smell of Italian spices tickling her nose from the local pizza shop, while Gabriel walked to the cupboard and found some plates and glasses. A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting at the kitchen table, sharing a meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, and pie that Morgan was sure had been freshly baked, while they shared memories of Meredith.

They lost track of time as they talked and reminisced, Dylan filling Morgan in on some of the things her aunt had been doing recently. Most of it Meredith had told Morgan in her letters, but it was nice to hear from the friends who had shared the most time with her. He made Morgan feel just a tiny bit closer to her aunt.

When there came the inevitable gap in conversation that always happens, Gabriel brought up the subject of Sirena and her accusations against Morgan.

"You"ll find out sooner or later, but there is a rift between the Seavers and a few other families on the island. It"s not really a feud, just an uneasiness between the families that goes back for generations. Sometimes it flares up, and other times it just lays dormant. I have a feeling it"s flaring up again; you and Sirena are the catalyst."

Morgan looked at Dylan, and he nodded his head in agreement. She had no idea what Gabriel meant, but she had felt the animosity from Sirena and knew it was more than just an accusation. It was deep-seated, something that couldn"t be explained. Something that made her fearful.

"You can"t possibly mean an old-fashioned feud like the Hatfields and McCoys?" Morgan tried to laugh at Gabriel"s words, but it fell flat.

"No, it"s darker than that,” Dylan said. “You"ll find out about everything as time goes on. But you"re going to have to find out a lot of this on your own. Gabriel and I will be here to help you; we"ll have your back."

Morgan shuddered at his words. Whether he meant to scare her or not, he had. Suddenly she had an urge to get away from the house and away from everyone.

Gabriel seemed to read her mind, and he pushed back his chair, holding his hand out to her. "Why don"t we go for a walk? Have you seen anything other than the shore since your arrival?"

Morgan shook her head in answer to his question, and she got to her feet, ready to take him up on his offer.

"Do you want to come with us?" She looked at Dylan, who shook his head.

"No, the two of you go on ahead, I"ll just clean up here and make a pot of coffee for when you get back. Gabriel, why don"t you show Morgan the gardens? It will be a nice change for her."

Gabriel nodded in agreement and walked to the kitchen door, waiting for Morgan to join him.