I nod."More or less.When I was on my 48-off, I'd cook dinner now and then, and she'd do the dishes."
Morgan's eyebrow lifts."You can cook?"
I roll my eyes."Yes, Morgan, I can cook.Everyone in the firehouse has to take a shift cooking, including me.I specialize in chili and pasta bakes."
"Specialize, is it?"Her smirk tells me she's teasing.
"My chili has won blue ribbons, I'll have you know."
"Let me guess, your secret ingredient is a bottle of stout?"She accompanies this by cracking open two more beers.
I tsk."So many assumptions, Morgan.This is starting to feel a little sexist."I laugh, shaking my head."No.My secret ingredient is not stout, although I do use that.There's actually no secret, just an old recipe handed down from my grandfather."
"You really, truly have a family heirloom recipe for chili?"
"I do.And I've tried other recipes, tried changing it, less of this and more of that, but it's always better if I follow the recipe exactly.I'm not chef enough to explain why, I just know it's true."
"The only family heirlooms I have are tiny tits and bad taste in men."Her eyes widen, and she claps a hand over her mouth.“Oh shit—forget I said that?”
Too late.My eyes go to her chest, and it’s true she's not especially large in that region.
She snorts when my eyes flick up to hers and then away guiltily."Not much to look at, huh?"
I tip my head to one side."All boobs are good boobs, Morgan.Speaking from a purely male point of view."
She rolls her eyes."Uh, huh."
"For real.I think if you took a poll, the majority of men would tell you something along the lines of 'the best boobs are the ones in front of me, especially if I get to touch them.'"
She looks away, cheeks red, blinking hard.
Shit, shit, shit,shit.
"Fuck."I rub my face with both hands."Morgan, I'm sorry.I'm an idiot with a big mouth.I'll …I should go."
She goes to the sink and braces both hands on it, head hanging."No, don't.Please.You have nothing to apologize for."
"Then…"
"I'm not upset at you or anything you said, Noah, I swear to god it’s not you."
"Okay."I lean against the counter beside her, facing away from the sink."Been told I'm a pretty okay listener."
She shakes her head.“Just me and my stupid insecurities.Nothing you want to hear about.”
"Can I take a wild stab in the dark?"
She nods, letting out a long, slow breath."Sure."
"You said shitty taste in men, which kinda leads me to believe some shitty ex said some cruel shit about your body."
Her sigh is shuddery, this time."Ding-ding-ding," she says."Got it in one."
"Whoever he was, he was an asshole, a loser, and a dumbfuck who didn't deserve to so much as look at you fully clothed.You're fuckin' gorgeous, Morgan.He should've been counting his lucky stars, not criticizing the gift he had in front of him."My blood is boiling for her, seeing how she's still affected by his words even now, what has to be years later.
I've seen Morgan Wheeler around town plenty.Watched her kid grow from a little sprout with a flopping backpack and light-up shoes to a mature young woman.Watched Morgan build a business and grow it from a handful of girls in hand-me-down skates to dozens of families and several students with national titles.
I haven’t seen a man in her life in all that time.
