‘If only Pharis could see me now. He'd be cringing with embarrassment,’ laughed Pamela, as she bumped hips with Christine.
‘Thank goodness I decided on hiring a band who played folkmusic and not a disco is all I can say,’ howled Morgan.
Pamela gave her a mock offended look and started dancing even more foolishly. ‘Hey, what are you trying to say about my dance moves?’
Christine began to mimic Pamela’s dancing and soon Morgan and Katherine were holding their sides as they laughed.
Nobody noticed the barn door open or saw Hayley and Pharis walk in.
‘Oh mum. Please...I hope you don’t intend to dance like that at Morgan’s party.’
The four women squealed with laughter.
‘I think it’s kind of funky,’ chuckled Hayley.
Morgan was tickled when she saw Pharis’s mouth dropped open as he shook his head and stared at Hayley. ‘Not you as well Hayley?’
Hayley suddenly started moving her body to the beat and danced over to Pamela and Christine, mimicking their dance moves.
Pharis shook his head, and his hands flew up to his face to cover his eyes, before he dropped them, showing a toothy grin. He danced over to his girlfriend and his mum. ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’
Everyone was laughing. Pamela gestured towards Katherine and Morgan. ‘Come and join us.’
Katherine unlinked her arm and stood up holding out her hand for Morgan. ‘Come on. If I’m willing to dance being the oldest in the group, then you can too.’
Morgan shook her head. She’d love nothing more than to have fun dancing with her friends, especially as they’d worked so hard helping her decorate the barn, and were pledging their help again, but since she’d had her cane, she’d lost all confidence in herself. She shook her head. ‘I’d love to Katherine, but I’ve done too much physically today. I’ll save myself for my party.’
Katherine nodded and smiled warmly, a look of understanding washing over her face. She walked over to the others and joined in. Morgan watched them with envy, a knot of regret forming in her stomach.
Chapter nine
Morgan stood by the window in her bedroom and watched the wind blow across the surface of the sea, causing white foaming waves to dance on top of the dark icy water.
Increased wind speed meant there was another chance of a storm again. She hadn’t listened to the weather report, but she’d presumed the bad weather from earlier in the week was behind them now. Apparently not.
Climbing into bed she sat upright with her hands clasped together while she said her nightly prayers.
‘God bless Pippa and baby. Keep them both safe throughout this pregnancy. God bless Nile. Keep him safe in his army job. God bless Oliver. Thank you for bringing him and Pippa back together. God bless Brett. Please keep his mind active and healthy for as long as you possibly can. God bless Bren and Marie. I hope they are resting peacefully up in heaven. God bless all my friends. Keep them all healthy and happy. And finally, please try to help all those in the world who need it who have no one to pray for them.’
The wind rattled against the window, as if it was God’s way of answering, and Morgan smiled and slipped down under the covers, glad she’d remembered to put her electric blanket on for an hour before coming to bed.
She was on her side and in between being awake and asleep when she felt a soft caress on her cheek. So soft, it almost felt as if a feather were tickling her. She flicked at the tickle, expectingit to be a loose hair, but her hand made contact with something solid.
She immediately sat bolt upright in bed and switched on her bedside lamp. Her eyes blinked as she tried to take in the figure before her.
‘Marie?’
Marie smiled. ‘Yes sis, it’s me, but only in dream form.’
‘Dream form? I-I'm dreamingagain?’
‘Yes, you are. But unlike Bren who showed you your past, I’m here to show you your present.’
‘Can I at least hug you?’
Marie sat down on the bed next to Morgan and Morgan wrapped her arms around the sister she’d lost only a few years ago. ‘Oh my goodness, you feel so real. My darling, darling sister. I’ve missed you so very much. There’s so much to tell you, I don’t know where to begin.’
Morgan felt a hand gently stroking her hair and she rested her head against her sister’s shoulder and closed her eyes. ‘You don’t have to tell me anything sis, I know it all. But I don’t think you do.’
