Chapter 18

Morgan checked the garage and breezeway one final time to make sure she had all the decorations she'd purchased for Locke Pointe's fall transformation. She ran back inside to grab an old pair of sneakers when she heard the back door slam.

She grabbed the shoes from her closet and traipsed toward the front of the house, nearly colliding with Quinn, who was heading in the opposite direction.

They both jumped back.

"Quinn."

"Hello, Morgan," Quinn coolly replied.

"I sent you an email earlier today. Did you get it?"

"I did."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. You are family. You're my family. I've talked to Brett. We've worked things out. I'm taking on more Easton Holdings' responsibilities and he's reconsidering partnering with Mr. Wynn and me."

"Congrats."

"Look. I don't blame you for being angry. However, you weren't very nice either. You all but called me selfish, which is the farthest thing from the truth."

"You're a very generous person. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"And I appreciate everything you've done for me . You've been by my side through some of the roughest times in my life. In fact, if not for you pestering me, I wouldn't be standing here right now. We would probably both still be working at Captiva Café," Morgan said.

"Thank you for apologizing. I'm sorry too. Let's…let it go."

"I would like nothing more." Morgan pressed her hand to her chest, relieved they were moving past the argument. "I miss having you here. The cottage is way too quiet."

Chester muscled his way in between them and pawed at Quinn's leg. "Chester misses you too."

"Hey, buddy." Quinn patted his head. "I miss being here, being home."

"Good. Let's never fight like this again," Morgan said.

Quinn lifted her hand. They slapped palms and hugged. "It was a terrible night last night."

"I barely slept."

"Ditto. I am sorry."

"Me too," Morgan said. "So…do you need me to help you bring your stuff back in?"

"Actually, I came to grab a few more things."

Morgan's brows furrowed. "Grab a few more things?"

"I booked a flight to Florida. I've been giving it some thought and think it will be good for me to take a break from Easton Island. As you pointed out, I got too caught up in everything. You're right. I'm not an Easton, and I think I've unintentionally overstepped my boundaries."

Tears filled Morgan's eyes. "You don't have to leave."

"I'm not moving away. I'm going to reassess where I'm at. Maybe it's because things have moved fast with Brett. You know how I always insisted dating my besties' boyfriend was a recipe for disaster. I value our friendship and think perhaps I became too involved."

Quinn had a point. Things had moved fast between the couple. Obviously, she was becoming emotionally involved and perhaps her perspective was out of whack.

"As long as you plan on coming back."

"Easton Island is my home."

"And so is Looking Glass Cottage," Morgan said. "What does Brett think?"

"He understands. He also agrees perhaps a break is best. Although he made me promise not to be gone for too long."

"How long? A day? A week? A month?"

"At least a couple of days." Quinn told Morgan her parents were getting ready to put the family home up for sale. "They want me to clean out my junk."

"Do you need a ride to the dock?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all." Morgan helped her friend finish packing. Although her heart was still heavy, the more she thought about it, the more she agreed time away might be best for everyone involved.

During the drive, the friends chatted about fall and how excited Morgan was to host planned events at Locke Pointe. Reaching the ferryboat's parking lot, she parked and grabbed Quinn's backpack while she ran around back to get her carry-on.

They made it with only minutes to spare. In fact, the dockworkers were getting ready to drop the ropes when they arrived.

With one final hug goodbye, Morgan and Chester stood on the dock watching Quinn board. Two more passengers made their way down the gangway. Moments later, the boat drifted from shore. It circled around and picked up speed, cruising across the water.

A wisp of sadness tugged at Morgan's heart as she watched the ferry quickly disappear from sight. "Quinn will be back." She said it as much to Chester as she did to herself. Hopefully, her friend wouldn't decide to throw in the towel and leave for good.

*****

Morgan texted her grandmother to let her know she'd dropped Quinn off at the dock.

Her grandmother texted back, telling Morgan to hang in there. All would sort itself out and suggested maybe a break was for the best.

The more Morgan thought about it, the more she agreed. Perhaps stepping back and reassessing the complicated relationship dynamics was in order.

Dreading the thought of driving home to an empty house, Morgan and Chester went straight to Locke Pointe. Ronni caught up with her in the driveway and helped unload the boxes from the back of her SUV.

"You weren't kidding when you said you bought a bunch of fall décor."

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love everything fall?" Morgan reached for the wooden wagon wedged in between her wheel well and the back of the driver's seat. "It's right up there with Christmas."

"I have to say I'm a huge fan of the season myself," Ronni said. "The smell of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, the crisp, clean air, leaves crunching under your feet. It brings on a whole new atmosphere."

The women got to work, setting the wagon on the porch and then filling it with pumpkins along with orange and yellow sunflowers, bursting with vivid color.

They strategically placed several of the larger pumpkins near the wagon and then a third batch along the edges of the front porch steps.

Using baling twine, they tied cornstalks to the porch posts and tucked yellow sunflowers in between. "Sammy the Scarecrow" posed near the railing, waving at visitors as they walked along the sidewalk.

A wreath of fall flowers was the last piece of outdoor décor. Morgan placed the hook on the door and hung the wreath, shifting it this way and that until she found the perfect position.

She and Ronni stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"It looks fantastic," Ronni said. "I love it."

"Me too." Morgan rubbed her palms together. "I'm ready to start on the inside."

"Hey!"

Morgan turned to find Grace hustling across the lawn.

The women waited for her to catch up.

"Your porch looks amazing."

"Thanks. We just finished."

"I need to start my fall decorating. It looks like I need to step up my game," Grace joked.

"I've seen your fall displays. They're equally fabulous," Morgan said.

Grace pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "Do you mind if I take a picture? This gives me some great ideas. I love the wagon. It's adorable."

"Snap away."

Grace took a few photos and slid her phone back in her pocket. "I brought my scavenger hunt list with me and was hoping you had time to go over it."

"I do," Morgan said. "I figured we could combine both lists. Because of the proximity, it will be an easy walk from the inn to Locke Pointe, and vice versa."

She ran inside, grabbed a copy of her scavenger items and compared them to Grace's list. Morgan rattled off the things she had found when she and Chester scouted out the property:

Pinecone Brown leaf Yellow leaf Bale of hay Pumpkin Acorn Something starting with the letter "s" Something soft Something hard

"I love it." Grace clapped her hands. "We'll have to pick up some extra pumpkins. I don't want the scavenger hunters to disassemble our displays."

"Already done." Ronni gave her a thumbs up. "I grabbed a bunch of mini pumpkins at a roadside stand yesterday. We're putting them in a metal bin near the mailbox. There's no way the hunters can miss them."

Grace rattled off the items on her list. "Remember the painted rock project I had a few months ago? I'm strategically placing them outdoors around the Lilac Inn and adding them to the list."

"I like it." Morgan took a copy of Grace's items, promising to combine them and then forward a copy before the end of the day.

"Thank you, ladies," Grace beamed. "If this is half as successful as I think it's going to be, we should plan on turning it into an annual event."

"Absolutely. Something tells me it's going to be a resounding success," Ronni said.

"On another note, I was wondering…is Quinn all right?" Grace's eyes slid toward Ronni and then back to Morgan.

"I can leave if you need to have a private conversation." Ronni made a move to head inside.

"No." Morgan stopped her. "It's all right. What is it?"

"Quinn stopped by yesterday, asking if I had a room she could book," Grace blurted out.

"A room?"

"To stay in. She had a suitcase and backpack with her. She seemed upset."

Ronni turned to Morgan. "Is Quinn okay?"

"She is now." Morgan briefly filled them in on what had transpired. "We worked it all out."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it." Grace made small talk and finally left.

Ronni waited until she was gone. "It appears I missed something."

"A little family drama. Like I said, it's over now. Quinn is on her way to Florida for a break."

Ronni made a choking sound. "She left?"

"She'll be back. At least she told me she was coming back."

"The dating Brett thing is causing some issues."

"Yep."

"And maybe even some concerns down the road?"

"Possibly," Morgan sighed.

"I'm sorry to hear this. Although, to be honest, I'm not surprised."

"Because best friends and family sometimes don't mix."

"Nope. I kind of wondered how long it was going to take before issues started popping up. Quinn is a good friend, a loyal friend. She is dating Brett and…" Ronni's voice trailed off.

"It shifted the dynamics of our relationship," Morgan said. "I hope we can put this behind us. Only time will tell."