“Girl, what have you done? Might this have somethin’ to do with Mister tall, dark, handsome, and new-in-town? You know nothin’s a secret around here.”
She took a deep breath and expelled it loudly in an attempt to steady her nerves. “Look. I need to get ready for my next appointment now, and there are too many ears in the shop. I’ve got Tammy from the diner on my book today, and you know she’s gonna be all about the latest gossip. I’ve gotta get my head on straight before she comes in, so I need some advice. And this is gonna take more than a few minutes. Let’s talk when we close down for lunch.”
At a quarter after twelve, Tegan turned the lock on the door and flipped the sign toclosedso there would be no interruptions.
“Okay, girl, spill it.”
Her smile lit up her face. “The new guy in town’s name is TJ, and he’s like no one I’ve ever met.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
Her bright smile went dim. “After spending the best weekend of my life with him and hoping for more, this morning I found out he’s my dad’s new foreman.”
“Why is that an issue?”
Her chin started quivering and tears threatened as she explained. “I just can’t believe this. Of all the guys to walk into Lucky’s, I end up with the one my father just hired. You know how my dad is. Apparently, he warned TJ not to mess with me or he would lose his job.” She paced back and forth across the break room. “This is screwed up on so many levels. I was already pissed at my dad for not being straight with me about something else, and then this happened.”
Tegan stopped her in mid-stride and drew her in for a hug. “Aww, honey, I’m sorry. What can I do to help?”
Morgan didn’t pull back from her friend, taking comfort in the embrace. “I don’t know. I guess I really just needed to vent, more than anything. And I don’t even want to think about the other thing with my dad right now. Figuring out what to do about TJ is the only thing I’m worried about at the moment.”
“Do you think you can break it off with TJ?”
She sniffled, still trying her hardest to keep the tears at bay. “I told him we have to, but I really don’t know! I don’t want him to lose the job, but I need to be happy, too. My dad can be such a jerk sometimes!” She drew back and gave her friend a bittersweet smile. “And TJ’s such a good kisser! He makes my toes curl and puts a smile on my face every time I think of him.” She decided to leave out the juicy details of their tumbles between the sheets, hoping the heat that crept into her cheeks at the thought of making out with TJ wouldn’t be noticed by Tegan.
“Then you can’t give him up. But you need to be careful. This could blow up in both of your faces.”
“I know. That’s what scares the crap out of me.”
“Maybe you should talk to your dad. Tell him how you feel. Let him know you’re serious about this guy, that it’s not just a fling.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. I can’t right now. That other thing going on between my dad and me is probably gonna end in a huge fight, and I just can’t throw this into the mix.”
She resumed her pacing, and the words continued to flow with every step. Even though she didn’t want to talk about what was going on between her and her father, she knew at the end of the day, she really couldn’t separate the two. They were intertwined, linked together as tightly as she and TJ whenever they were together.
“I really do need to move out on my own. Otherwise, he’ll always treat me like a kid, and act like he needs to shield me from everything. I’m not his little girl anymore. I can stand on my own two feet and he needs to let me live my own life.”`
“Speaking of standing on your own two feet…”
“What?” Morgan asked the question, even though she knew exactly what Tegan was about to bring up.
“We’ve talked about this. You know I love having you here with me, but you’ve got a bright future ahead. It’s time you opened your own salon. Heck, you should find a building that can serve as both a business and a residence. Then you could truly be out on your own.”
The tightness in her gut increased as she was reminded of the dream that seemed so far out of reach. “I want that so badly. I’ve been saving up all my money, but the bank still won’t give me the loan I need without a co-signer. And I can’t ask Dad to mortgage the farm to help me. Especially now, with the horse therapy ranch. I need to do this on my own. So I guess it won’t be happening anytime soon.”
8
TJ
As TJ went about his day, ticking off the list of chores Sean had given him and getting familiar with the workings of the farm, he couldn’t get his mind off Morgan. Since he could do this type of work with his eyes closed, it gave him lots of time to focus on his feelings about her. He’d fallen hard and fast, and now he faced a terrible predicament: the job or the girl. And what about the man who had given him the job opportunity, his boss, who just happened to be Morgan’s father?
After what should have been an enjoyable first day, his head was pounding as the conflicting emotions surrounding Morgan and her dad clashed in his brain. As he was getting the last horse settled into its stall for the evening, the man at the center of his confusion approached.
“Hey, TJ. Looks like you’ve got everything under control here. Why don’t you call it a day?”
Despite his headache, his chest swelled with pride. He couldn’t help but feel grateful at the compliment, especially on his first day. He couldn’t think of the last time he’d received a pleasant word, much less a pat on the back, from anyone in his own family. Sean seemed like a good man, kind. No wonder Morgan had turned out so great. But why was he so hard-assed about her dating? It seemed at odds with what he’d observed about Sean’s demeanor so far. What the hell was he gonna do? He didn’t want to let Sean down or violate his trust, but Morgan was the best thing to come his way in a long time.
“Thanks, Sean. I’m happy to be here.” He hoped his face didn’t give away the fact that his insides were churning and his heart was heavy.
