Page 14 of Valentines In The Presidential Suite

“I ate on the road, but pie and ice cream sound delicious,” said Jake. “I planned on staying overnight here. Is that okay, Grandpa?”

“Absolutely,” said Simon.

“I can’t stay here very long,” said Morgan. She went to the kitchen to prepare Jake’s dessert.

She couldn’t help overhearing Jake’s whispers.

“Has this so-called friendship been going on for any length of time?” he asked Simon.

“Just a couple of weeks. We met at the bookstore. She and I read books for the owner of the store and give him our reviews. It’s been a great opportunity for me to get out and meet people in town. I have Morgan to thank for that.”

“You know Mom will go crazy when she hears about it. I’m supposed to ask you for more money,” said Jake. “But all my fall expenses have already been paid.”

“Your mother thinks she’s owed funds when, truthfully, she’s already been given what was left to her. The fact that she hasn’t used them wisely is something I can’t undo for her.”

“I know she’s not good with money,” said Jake. “And I don’t expect you to pay for anything beyond my schooling, which you’ve told me for years you would do. I’m a teacher’s assistant, which gives me some spending dollars, so I’m okay.”

“Oh? Good for you.” Simon gazed at Morgan as she brought Jake’s dessert to him.

“I’m glad Morgan and I were too full of dinner to eat more than a sample of dessert.”

Jake grinned at the plate of pie and ice cream placed in front of him. “Me, too.”

Morgan remained standing. “I’m going to head home. I realize how special it is for the two of you to be together. Simon, I’ll see you next Saturday to take you to the bookstore. And please remember to call me for a ride whenever you need one. Have a great week.”

Simon got to his feet. “I’ll walk you out.”

At the front door, he stopped and patted her arm. “Thank you for another wonderful day. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Jake understands about our friendship, so Constance doesn’t bother us.”

“Okay,” Morgan said, but she knew the issue wouldn’t be easily resolved. Constance was no ordinary person.

###

After spending the rest of the weekend concerned about the woman who was making Simon’s life miserable, Morgan was glad to go into the office. She’d already seen enough cases to know that families were open to all kinds of issues. Most of the work Brad did was with families who didn’t have much money. But that didn’t mean that wealthier people had no problems. In Simon’s case, Constance would, she guessed, continue to be a problem, which was a shame. Simon was at a time in his life when he shouldn’t have to deal with someone more concerned about his money than his well-being.

When she entered the office, Rosalie waved her over. “I understand you’re seeing an older man. How’s that going?”

Taken aback, Morgan stared wide-eyed at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not ‘seeing’ any older man. I do have a friend who does book reviews with me for James Devlin at Pages.”

“Oh, but…” Rosalie began.

Morgan held up her hand to stop her. “I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but it’s wrong. All wrong.” Too angry to stay and talk to Rosalie, Morgan walked away from her.

When she got to her desk, she was surprised to see Brad already in his office.

“Hi,” she called to him, and sat at her desk to look over the schedule for the day. There were already notes from him on her desk to be typed up.

Brad stepped out of his office. “I’ll be in court today. We have a new case involving foster parents. Otherwise, I need you to review my calendar and let me know when I might be available to meet with Isabel. Go ahead and set something up with her.”

“Will do,” she said. “Late afternoon seems like the best time.”

“Yes, and if you want to join me, that would be very helpful,” he said, surprising her. “You don’t mind, do you? I want a second opinion.”

“I’m happy to help. I can’t wait to see what ideas Isabel has come up with,” Morgan said.

“I know you’ll be honest with me. That’s important,” Brad said, smiling as he waved goodbye.

Morgan thought about what he’d said and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Simon had also mentioned her honesty. In the past, her honesty with her husband had sometimes caused problems. And dealing with parents who refused to talk openly about anything outside their rigid rules had been a painful experience.