Chapter 133: The Morgan Zone
The dining room was massive like the rest of the house. We sat at one end of the table that could have seated at least twenty-five. Mrs. Morgan sat on the end while Alison and I were seated across from each other. There were so many forks and spoons and knives and even glasses I had no idea what I was doing.
This was shaping up to be a disaster.
But Mrs. Morgan was on the bottom of her second glass of wine by the time the appetizers arrived so she was in a much more forgiving state of mind. In fact, she actually smiled and laughed a little which helped me relax, but made Alison all the more tense for some reason.
I sat there, eating course after course as Mrs. Morgan told me all about her life as first a beauty queen then a model, traveling all over Europe and the US before meeting Roger.
"He wasn't much to look at, I'll admit," Mrs. Morgan slurred slightly as she leaned toward me, her refreshed glass of red sloshing to the rim of her glass. "But I could tell he was going to be rich."
Alison's face scrunched up in anger, her fingers tapping on the table.
"Wow," I said, wracking my brain for something to diffuse the situation, but coming up empty and relying on my big mouth as usual. "Sounds like an easy choice."
Alison made a face at me while I winced, but Mrs. Morgan nodded, eyes overly bright. "Exactly." She sat back and glared at her daughter. "Remember that lesson," she took another sip of her wine before finishing. "You'll thank me for it someday. At least you'll thank me for something."
I wanted to crawl under the table. Alison was right. I'd take my mom any time, hands down. I felt fascinated too, in a creeped out kind of way. I was so used to powerful women, surrounded by my mother and Erica. Celeste. Even my crazy grandmother seemed stronger than Alison's mom, and she was one scoop shy of a hot fudge sundae. It was amazing to me that a gorgeous woman who had everything she could ever want could be so shallow.
"Sydlynn, dear," Mrs. Morgan said. "Alison tells me you're dating Bradley."
"Not anymore," I said. "He decided he wanted the summer to himself. Before college."
Sounded weak to me, saying it like that.
But Mrs. Morgan nodded. "Men, they're all the same, putting their freedom first. You have to snare them, girls. Make sure they can't leave you. That's the only way you'll make sure you're there when they hit it big."
"Like you did, Mother?" Alison's voice cut like a knife. Mrs. Morgan was by now so tipsy she barely noticed.
"That's right," she said, gesturing with her glass. "Just like I did with your father." She turned her attention back to me. "Just as well about Bradley, dear," she said. "Professional athletes are never the ones you want to marry. Go for a nice banker. Or a broker. Someone like that." She hiccupped softly and drained her glass. "The uglier ones are always in the market for a pretty girl to show off."
I was horrified and amused all at the same time. "I'll remember that," I said, wondering what Mom would make of this tragic woman and her ideals.
Alison obviously disagreed with my assessment of the situation. She stayed silent through the rest of that very informative and eye-opening dinner as Mrs. Morgan's pronouncements grew grander and more embarrassing.
By the time I choked down dessert to her sharing a story about a young male model she met in Milan, Alison was so red in the face I thought her head might explode.
"That's enough, Mother." She lunged to her feet, her chair scraping on the marble so loudly the sound echoed around the room.
Mrs. Morgan looked up with a mildly shocked expression through her drunken haze.
"You don't speak to me like that, young lady." At least, that's what I think she said. Most of the words were slurred so it was hard to tell.
"Whatever." Alison looked at me then away very quickly. "Coming, Syd?"
I got to my feet instantly. "Thanks for dinner," I said to Mrs. Morgan.
She smiled at me like nothing was wrong, her glass swinging in her hand. "Such a pleasure to have you, dear," she managed. "Oh!" One manicured hand went to her mouth, eyes enormous. "Alison, sweetie, I just had a great idea." Her pronunciation was in and out, but this part I caught, no problem.
So did Alison. "What is it now?"
"You should bring Syd with you on the last day of school," Mrs. Morgan gushed, "to the lake house."
Lake house? I had no idea Alison went away for the summer. The idea of her going away made me sad all of a sudden.
Alison hesitated and looked at me, her blue eyes full of anxiety. "We'll see," she said.
"I insist!" Mrs. Morgan slammed her glass down on the table, shattering it. Glass flew everywhere. Rosetta was there immediately to clean it up while Mrs. Morgan muttered that she must find better quality glasses.
"Sydlynn," she said, blue eyes focused on me. "Tell me you'll come. Keep Alison company. It will be splendid."
Before I could catch myself, I found myself saying, "Thanks. I'll ask my mom."
Alison shot me a look that was half grateful and half accusing. "I'm taking Syd home now," she said.
Mrs. Morgan had already forgotten us. "Rosetta!" There was a shrieking edge to her voice. "Where's my refill?"
Alison stayed totally silent all the way to the car. She climbed in, hands immediately white-knuckling on the steering wheel. I didn't know if she was mad at me or just her mom and didn't want to screw anything up so I just stayed quiet.
She gunned the engine, squealing her tires as she took the corner of the circular driveway too fast. I'm sure we were doing over fifty by the time she hit the straightaway.
I held on and hoped she wasn't mad at me.
"I'm sorry," she finally blurted into the wind, voice full of tears. "Syd, I'm so sorry."
Okay, so not mad at me. "Don't be, Al," I said. "It's not your fault. You're Mom's just..."
"A total selfish bitch." Alison slammed both hands down, her anger shoving her sadness aside. "I can't believe she embarrassed me like that. Getting drunk..." Alison wiped viciously at the moisture on her cheeks with alternating hands. "She wouldn't have done that if Dad was home."
I guess therein lay the problem. "I'm sorry, too, Al," I said.
"For what?" Her eyes flickered to me and back to the road. Her speed slowed a little as she calmed. I was very grateful.
"For all the times I was mean to you," I said, feeling real regret. "You didn't need anyone else to hurt you."
Her lower lip trembled and one hand found mine. "You're the sister I always wished I had," she said. "And your mom is the mother I always wanted. Can I live with you?" She laughed around her tears. "Your mom would be okay with that, right?"
Funny thing was, Mom would take her in on a moment's notice, especially if she found out what Alison's mother was like.
"Sure," I said. "She'd probably be happy to have a girly daughter."
Alison fell quiet for another moment. "You don't have to come to the lake house," she said at last. "Mom probably won't even remember inviting you."
I knew it too. But Alison sounded almost hopeful.
"If my mom says it's okay," I told her, "I'll come with you. But only if you want me to."
She flashed me a smile. "It might be fun," she said. "Just the two of us. Mom will be busy with her socialite friends." She sighed deeply, sinking back into her seat as she pulled into my driveway. There were a ton of cars parked around, making my stomach tighten. I'd forgotten about the coven meeting in all the interesting interaction that was Alison's mother.
"You're parents having a party?" Alison checked out the driveway. I knew immediately she was looking for Quaid's motorcycle. Matter of fact, so was I.
Stupid head.
"Something like that." I scowled at the house as if that very act could make Mom feel the hurt I did. I felt the first drop of rain on my face as a flash of lightning lit everything followed by a bone-rattling roll of thunder.
I knew what it meant, now. The sudden rainfall, the rumble of unhappy nature.
The Wild Hunt was waking up and I couldn't do a thing about it.
Alison jumped and giggled, pressing the close button on her retractable roof. Just in time. The seals sighed closed just as the sky released its wet burden, the sound so loud it muffled Alison's voice.
"Are you okay?" Alison looked worried. I can only imagine the look on my face. I undid my seatbelt and hugged her. She didn't need my crap on top of hers. Not like I could tell her much anyway.
"I'll see you on Monday." School seemed a long way off. Only three days left and I was free for the summer. If there was a summer when the Wild Hunt was done. Or a world, for that matter.
"I'm excited about the trip." She smiled again and I almost retracted when I realized what I'd agreed to. What was I thinking? I couldn't leave the family now. I was such an idiot. But I didn't want to tell her yet. Not while she was feeling better about the whole Mom incident.
She smiled. "Text you the deets?"
The rain stopped as quickly as it started with one final clap of sound that shook me to the core. I got out, waved, watched her go.
Tried not to lose my mind as I shifted modes and headed into the house to have a face-off with my own mother.
***
