Christmas Haven Read Free Page B

prevent anyone from following her, so she’d spend a day or two here, crack her brightest smile and enjoy time spent with Mom, Lana…and Morgan.
    No, being with Morgan wasn’t enjoyable. It was torture.
    She closed her eyes, remembering the first part of her nightmare, the feel of his hand warming hers, the kiss…
    “Stop,” she hushed, trying to wipe the image, the feel of their kiss out of her mind.
    It did no good to remember the feeling when it wasn’t real. Well, it had been real ten years ago, but she was pretty sure Morgan felt anything but love toward her right now.
    Of course not. She’d broken his heart to follow her own dream. Fine, that’s what she’d use as her shield. She’d talk about her fulfilling work as a counselor, but not mention how dangerous it could be. That would only worry her mom and bring out Morgan’s protective instincts.
    She didn’t want Morgan getting involved in her life, caring too much. The nightmare drove home the consequences of that possibility.
    She brushed out her long, blond hair, applied lipgloss, only because her lips were dry, and headed downstairs.
    Voices drifted into the hallway as she headed for the kitchen.
    “No, she hasn’t mentioned anything unusually stressful at work. Why?” Mom said.

    “Her nightmare made her cry out in her sleep. I’m wondering if something’s troubling her.”
    Julie stepped into the kitchen. “Which tea did you pick?” she asked, changing the subject.
    “I brewed us a white-pomegranate blend I’ve been wanting to try,” Mom said.
    “Sounds great.” Julie didn’t look at Morgan. Couldn’t look at him for fear the image of a dead Morgan would send a shudder down her spine.
    “I was asking your mother about your job,” Morgan said.
    “I work at Teen Life. It’s great. Helping kids who really need it is so fulfilling,” she said, driving home that kids around Port Whisper had no worries compared to the homeless kids she counseled in the city.
    “I’ll bet,” he said.
    She didn’t expect that response. She figured he’d argue that kids in Port Whisper needed help, too. A memory of him confessing his home situation filled her with guilt. He’d opened up to her, told her that after his mom left, the revered police chief of Port Whisper had occasionally hit Morgan out of grief or frustration, and somehow Morgan felt as if it was his fault.
    Julie pulled out the teacups and set them on the counter.
    “What are some of your recent cases?” Morgan pressed.
    Julie hesitated as she poured tea. He was fishing, trying to figure out what made her cry out in her sleep.
    “Here, I’ll do that,” Mom said. “You sit with Morgan and catch up.”
    Mom kissed Julie’s forehead and smiled. Mom had never given up on Morgan and Julie, especially since Morgan had never married. Julie heard he was engaged once, but it didn’t work out. She wondered why.
    Julie sat down across from Morgan and forced a smile. He quirked a brow. Ugh. He knew her too well.
    “Well,” she started, “we just had a kid placed in a really good foster home. That’s always exciting.”
    “What about her parents?”

    “His. They’re drug addicts. Gave up their rights to their two sons.”
    “How sad,” Mom said.
    Julie didn’t talk much about her work with her mom. She didn’t want to upset her. Or scare her. Julie had found herself in threatening situations from time to time, but she was prepared.
    Except for what she saw earlier this week.
    Mom served the tea and slid a plate of cookies between Julie and Morgan. She joined them at the table.
    “Drug addicts,” Morgan said. “You deal with some pretty dangerous people.”
    “Says the police chief,” Julie quipped.
    “Police chief of a small, sleepy town.”
    A small, sleepy town. Her words spoken to him during one of their last fights.
    “So, Morgan, how’s your dad?” Mom interrupted the awkward moment.
    “As well as can be expected,” he said. “He’s probably got only a few