Worth the Effort Ch. 02

Shane watched, equal parts enthralled and aghast, as the drama played out, a step up from the engagement party. It reminded him of the soap operas his grandmother used to watch. Or the fights his parents would have. All they needed was someone to throw some food and that would be everything.

Morgan fumed in her chair, and he decided he was on her side. It may not have been the best etiquette, but he'd been worried about doing something similar himself so he couldn't fault her.

After the exchange everyone was uncomfortable. It wasn't long before people began making their excuses and leaving. Morgan got up and stalked over to the restroom, followed by Jenna, leaving Shane at the table with Brianna and Evan and a few others who were in the process of leaving. He was debating whether to try talking to Evan when his phone rang.

"Excuse me," said Shane. Any other night he'd ignore his phone while he was out, but jumped at the opportunity to step away. He took a deep breath, letting the cool night air work to calm him down.

The call was from his sister, Chloe, and he was glad to hear from her. He vented about the dinner so far, and she teased him into a better mood. After ten or so minutes Shane felt calm enough to go back in.

The calm didn't last. As he walked back inside and made his way to their table, he saw Morgan drop into a chair as a distraught-looking waitress stood next to her.

"Hey, what's going on?" He slid into the seat next to her.

"They left and stuck me with the bill." Morgan dropped her head into her hands. "Fuck me. I can't believe she did that."

It sounded so crazy Shane wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. "They did what?"

Morgan drew in a long breath. "Apparently while I was in the restroom, they made their escape and told management I would pay."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry." The server, a young girl probably still in high school, looked upset. "Let me get the manager and we'll see what we can work out."

"It's all right. Alicia, is it?" The girl nodded. Morgan gave her a tired smile. "Look, it's not your fault. I would like to speak to the manager, though, and I will pay the bill." She patted the girl's arm. "Go on, it's okay."

Shane watched Alicia walk back towards the kitchen, then put a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I will be. Thanks." She pressed her fingers to her eyes. "I really can't fucking believe this."

"Where's your other sister?" Shane asked.

"Oh, I, ah, I mean, she left. I told her I was okay, and I know dealing with Brianna stresses her out. I told her to go." Morgan shook her head, then looked at him curiously. "Why are you still here? I thought you'd left too."

"I just stepped out to take a phone call. I came back in to see about, well, paying the bill."

"It's nice someone did," she said.

x-x-x-x-x-x

At that point the manager came over. "I'm told there's a misunderstanding about the bill?" she said.

"Sort of." Morgan explained that her sister had organized the dinner and left before settling the bill. "It's not anyone's fault, certainly not the server's." She wanted to be clear on that. She'd been a server herself and knew it could be a tough job. "I'll pay the bill, that's not the issue. I just wanted to make sure you knew what had happened.

"Oh, my. I'm sorry." The manager considered a moment. "Tell you what. I will comp your meal and the drinks."

"That's generous, thank you." Morgan gave a wry smile. "Now I wish I'd had a chance to eat."

"Excuse me," said Shane. "I'd like to pay half. Really." He raised a hand as Morgan made to protest. "Look, it's not fair for you to have to pay for all this. It must come to two or three hundred dollars even without the drinks. Let's split it and next time I see Evan, I'll put him in a headlock until he agrees to pay us back."

Morgan laughed. "How can I refuse?"

Shane nodded. "Exactly."

The manager chuckled. "I wish I could do more. I'll take off two meals and the drinks, and I'd be happy to get you any entrée you'd like, on the house. And dessert."

"That sounds great, thank you," said Morgan.

"Please, follow me. I'll show you to a new table."

"Can Alicia be our server?" Morgan asked. "She was so good about everything, and she's doing a great job. I know it's probably not her section, but I'd appreciate it."

"Certainly, and thank you so much for the feedback. I do think she's done excellent work."

Morgan stood and followed the manager to a small two-top in a quiet corner, and was pleased when Shane sat down opposite her. She'd almost forgotten her crush on him; nothing like a crisis to make a person focus. "You didn't have to stay," she told him. "And you already ate."

"I know, but after that, I'd like a beer or two." He huffed out a breath. "Or maybe a bottle of whiskey. Straight up."

She laughed. "It's that kind of night, isn't it?"

Alicia came over with two glasses of water, looking both pleased and nervous. Morgan reassured her and ordered the chicken parmesan. Shane went for coffee.

After Alicia had gone, he said, "So. Is your sister—has she always been—I mean—"

"Domineering? Overbearing?" Morgan sipped at her water.

"I was looking for something a little...nicer."

Morgan scoffed. "Brianna has never been exactly nice. She decides what she wants, and then does what she can to get it. Our parents basically settled on an appeasement strategy, which has not done any of us any favors, let me tell you. It got worse as we grew up and she wanted bigger things, and now with this wedding." She slumped back in the chair. "I can't stand it. I can't believe she expects our parents to pay for all this."

Shane squeezed her hand in sympathy and she found she didn't mind at all. "I am sorry. I know families are hard sometimes. Mine certainly sucks a lot of the time."

"I'm sorry." Morgan smiled. "I don't mean to dump all this on you. You don't need it."

"I think maybe I do. I need to know what I'm dealing with. Evan hasn't been himself since getting engaged."

Alicia brought her entrée and Morgan dug in, famished. She was several bites in before she realized she was likely making a fool of herself. She glanced up to see Shane grinning at her.

She swallowed. "Um, sorry. I was really hungry. Want a bite?"

He laughed. "No, thanks, I'm good. I guess you must really like chicken parmesan. You all but attacked it."

"It is one of my favorites," she admitted. "But mostly it's because I haven't eaten since an early lunch and I'm starved."

"I bet. Don't let me stop you."

"Tell me about Evan. He seems nice enough but I don't know him very well." Morgan continued eating, but at a more measured pace.

"We've been friends for years, and he's a kind of introverted guy. Not anti-social or anything, you know, just quiet and a little on the shy side. He's not one for confrontation, but he's a solid friend. I have to say, I'm not sure he's totally on board with the Fiji idea."

Morgan pushed her plate back. "I don't blame him. I knew Brianna wanted to go big, but not like this. I know if someone can't make it, she'll take it as a personal affront."

Alicia came back to see if she wanted dessert. Morgan thought for a moment, then asked for a slice of cheesecake to take home.

"I'm stuffed," she told Shane, "but I can't pass up a free dessert."

"Of course not," he agreed.

The cheesecake came, along with the bill. With a sigh, Morgan pulled out a credit card and inwardly cringed at the thought of her balance going up. Shane again insisted on paying half, and put his card next to hers.

"Thanks so much," Morgan said after Alicia took the cards. "I really appreciate it. I'm going to call Brianna on it, but I think I'd better wait a day or two."

"Probably best," said Shane. "I should do the same with Evan."

"I appreciate you keeping me company, too." Morgan took the receipt, added a tip, signed the paper and slid her card back in her wallet.

"I enjoyed it." Shane signed his receipt. "In fact, I'd like to keep you company again sometime, where we don't have to talk about Evan and Brianna and weddings."

"Really?"

He laughed. "Is there a reason I shouldn't want to?"

"I'm sure Brianna could give you a list."

"I think I'd take anything on that list as a point in your favor."

"I can hardly resist that." Morgan smiled. "I'd like very much if you kept me company sometime."

"Let's try it," said Shane. "What do you do?"

"I own a bookstore with a friend of mine." True enough, she thought, relieved when he didn't ask for details. "How about you?"

"Cool. Me, I'm just an office drone. Financial data analysis." He smiled. "There, we did it. A conversation without mentioning ... you know. Think we can do it again?"

Morgan nodded and laughed. "I think we can manage."

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Fiji." Casey said as they worked on Saturday.

"Fiji," Morgan confirmed.

Casey opened her mouth, closed it, and then crossed her arms. "Fiji? Fucking island-in-the-Pacific Fiji?"

"That's the one."

Casey ran a hand through her short, spiky hair. "Where did that come from?"

Morgan shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Are you going?"

"I doubt it. Besides, she stuck me with the check, so I can't afford it." Morgan snickered. "She pranked me out of her own wedding."

"She did what?" Casey gaped.

"Oh, yeah. I went to the restroom, and when I came back, they were all gone. The manager was really nice, though." Morgan caught her up on what had happened. "Best part is, she told me that Brianna and Evan will not be welcome there in the future."

"They're banned?" Casey hooted in approval. "Do they know?"

"Couldn't tell you, but I do wish I could be there when she finds out." Morgan sighed. "I do feel bad for Evan, though. I can't think he would have gone along with dumping the bill on me if he'd known."

"So tell me about this new guy," Casey said. "The one who kept you company."

"We really should check inventory and get ready for the Magic draft tonight." Magic: The Gathering was one of their favorite collectible card games, and this weekend they were hosting an booster draft. They held Magic games every Friday night, and other nights were set aside for other games like Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll do that. First tell me about the guy."

"I met him at the engagement party. His name is Shane Hunter, he's a friend of Evan's, he seemed very nice, we exchanged numbers, and I haven't heard from him yet."

"Why haven't you texted him?" Casey demanded.

"I just haven't gotten there yet."

"Well, go ahead. Do it now."

"What?"

"Is there a reason for waiting? Are you scared?"

"No, I'm not scared. Just busy. Why do you care so much?"

"Because you need to get out more, and you haven't dated in a fucking long time. I've tried to fix you up with people and you always say no."

Morgan gave her a pointed look. "You always try to set me up with women, and while I appreciate the thought, I'm not gay."

"Oh, that's right. I am." Casey grinned.

"They do say you always get people what you want instead of what they want."

"Okay, you win. But text him. I'll wait. I want to meet him. Invite him to the store tonight."

"I don't know." Morgan had thought about it, but was reluctant. "I'm not sure. And we'll be busy."

"Come on, do it. You're allowed to make the first move. Plus I have to meet him and make sure he's okay."

"I don't know if he's into any of this." Morgan gestured at the store.

"You didn't ask?"

"It didn't come up. We were too blindsided by Fiji and the check incident to talk about much else."

"So invite him and find out if he's into it."

"I don't know. It's kind of overwhelming, especially for newbies."

"And?" Casey raised an eyebrow.

"And what?" Morgan busied herself straightening a comics display.

"And you're worried he won't like you when he finds out you are Queen of the Geeks."

"No, I'm not."

"Morgan."

"Okay, maybe a little." She sighed and put the comics down. "He was so nice. He was funny, and generous, and just—nice. But he wore a fancy suit and he's in finance. When he sees this—" Morgan raised her arms to display her tattoos "—he will probably run the other way."

"Come here," Casey said.

"Why?" Morgan looked at her warily.

"So I can smack you upside the goddamned head and hopefully knock some fucking sense into you."

"Casey—"

"Morgan, start walking the walk. We run a place where the point is not judging people. Not on what they look like, or who they want to sleep with, or what they identify as. But here you are, judging this guy." Casey cocked her head. "Or is Brianna rubbing off on you?"

"That's a low blow," Morgan said, but laughed. "Okay, you're right. I shouldn't. I'm just nervous I guess. Not like dating has gone well for me lately."

"It won't go anywhere if you don't talk to this guy."

"Stop making sense."

"Look, here's another thing to consider," Casey said. "This is you, here, right? With your comics and games and tattoos. The real you."

"Yes."

"Wouldn't it be better for him to see the real you right off? If he can't handle it, better to know sooner."

Morgan rested her elbows on the counter, dropped her head down and took a deep breath. Casey was right. They had started their store to be a place where people could indulge their interests free of judgment. She shouldn't judge Shane. She needed to step up, like so many of the heroes that lined their walls, and take a chance. If Shane didn't like her as she was, with her love of science fiction and her tattoos and everything else, she'd rather know up front.

"Go on, text him," Casey said. "Time's a-wastin'."

"All right, fine." Morgan shook her head and smiled. "God, you are incorrigible."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Casey stood up. "I'll head to the back and check on the inventory for tonight."

"Okay, thanks."

Morgan pulled out here phone. Well, here goes nothing, she thought. She found Shane in her contacts and typed a message.Hi. It's Morgan. I wondered if you were free tonight.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Shane reached for his phone when it chirped as he waited for Evan to arrive. They were meeting for a late lunch, and Shane hoped he might be able to talk Evan about the dinner. Morgan had been the target of Brianna's wrath, but Shane was still angry on her behalf, and confused about Evan's part in it all.

He was pleased to see Morgan's name on the screen. He'd planned on texting her later, but he could admit it stroked his ego that she'd made the first move.

"Okay, now I can eat," said Evan. He sat and pulled over a menu. "I'm starved. Didn't eat breakfast. Anything important?" He nodded at Shane's phone. "Need to take a call?"

"No, it's good." Shane paused, then went on, curious to see Evan's reaction. "It was a text from Morgan."

"Morgan? Brianna's sister?"

Shane nodded.

Evan puffed out his cheeks and let out a long breath. "How is she doing? I feel really bad about the other night."

"She's all right." Shane was relieved to find Evan remorseful. He wouldn't have expected otherwise, except that he seemed to be going along with whatever Brianna said. "She wasn't happy about it, obviously. What happened, man?"

Evan sighed. "Brianna was really upset with Morgan. She always seems to be. I mean, you've seen it; those two are like oil and water."

"To put it mildly."

"Anyway, Brianna was so mad that after Morgan left the table, she insisted we leave. I was going to pay the bill, but she said no, Morgan would do it. She said that after Morgan had almost ruined things, it was only fair that she pay the bill. I tried to talk her out of it, but—" Evan lifted his hands in a defeated gesture. "I figured it was easier to just let it go, and I'd pay Morgan back later."

"I paid half the bill," Shane said.

"Thanks, man." Evan gave him a grateful smile. "I appreciate that. I'll pay you both back. I really did feel bad. It seemed like such a stupid thing to do."

"That's because it was."

"Yeah, yeah, it was." Evan nodded. "I should have stopped it, but Brianna gets so stressed out about the wedding. I knew I couldn't reason with her at that point. I am really sorry, but I honestly thought it would be better to talk to Morgan later myself and pay her back."

At that point the server came over and they placed their orders. After they had a refill on drinks, Shane looked at Evan.

"Look, man, I'm just going to say this once, because we're friends, then I won't bring it up again. Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem quite yourself with all the wedding planning going on. Walking out on the bill isn't like you at all," Shane said.

"You think I shouldn't get married?" Evan looked puzzled.

"No, no, nothing like that. If you love Brianna, you should get married. I'm just concerned because like I said, you seem kind of upset and not like yourself."

"I do love her. I admit she's going a little nuts about the wedding, but a lot of women do."

"Yeah, but they don't all want to get married in Fiji. As I recall, you are not the biggest fan of flying, never mind everything else."

"I'll be okay," Evan said. "It's a splurge, sure, but a wedding is once-in-a-lifetime, right?"

Shane nodded, although his thoughts went to his parents and the half-dozen weddings between them.

The food came, and each took a few bites before saying anything more.

"So, what did you think of Morgan?" Evan asked.

"I like her," said Shane. "In fact, I'm going to see her tonight."

"Please, tell her I'm really sorry about the other night. See if she has Venmo, and both of you let me know what I owe you. "

"Okay, we'll work it out."

After lunch, Shane pulled out his phone as he walked home.

"Hi," he typed to Morgan. "Sorry, was at lunch. You need company tonight?"

I wouldn't mind some, she replied. But I'll be working kind of late.

Right, he remembered she owned a store. "Got a plan?"

Could you meet me at my store? I'll text the address.

"Sure, that's fine. Might not be there until close to 8 though."

Ok. There's an event at the store. We'll probably get some pizza.

"Pizza sounds great."

See you later then.

Shane smiled and put his phone in his pocket. The day was shaping up.

x-x-x-x-x

"God, I lost again." Astrid Hutchinson, Casey's girlfriend, huffed out a breath. "I don't know why I play this damn game. I always get shit hands and the lands get buried in my deck."

Morgan laughed. "I know the feeling."

"When I play at home, I'm fine!" Astrid threw her hands up. "But every time I come here for a draft night, nothing works. I get the worst cards, at the worst times."

"You're just here for the company anyway," Morgan teased.

"The things I do for love." Astrid looked fondly over at Casey. "But just once, I'd like to win a match. Just once." She turned back to Morgan. "Casey said you were having a romantic rendezvous."

"Oh, please." Morgan shook her head. "Nothing like that. It's a guy I met at my sister's engagement party. Not sure what he'll think of all this, but like Casey said, better to find out sooner than later."

"Casey can be annoyingly right."

"Yes, I can," said Casey. "I'm glad everyone recognizes and appreciates my talent." She gave Astrid a kiss.

"Always." Morgan smiled.

"Okay, enough of this chit chat," Casey said. "We're about done with this round, so we need to sort out the next matches."

Morgan worked on printing out the next set of matches while Casey went back to the game area to keep an eye on things. She was pleased it was going smoothly.

"Hi, Morgan."

She turned and smiled on seeing Vincent, a young trans man who had been coming in for a while.

"Hi, Vincent. How are you?"

"Pretty good, thanks." Despite his words, he frowned. "Listen, I just wanted to let you know that I saw some stuff online about some guys saying they were going to come here and break up the game night."