Worth the Effort Ch. 05

"Yeah, Casey says some people need to complain to be happy, and Brianna has decided to complain about me. No matter what I do."

"That is the problem," he agreed. "No matter what you do to solve the problem, or remove the reason to complain, they'll find something else."

"How did you deal with it?" Morgan asked.

Shane thought. "Well, definitely some therapy." They both laughed. "There was a point where I realized--no, accepted, that I had to stop doing that. At least, I did if I wanted to have some semblance of sanity in my life."

"How did it go over?"

"My parents had fits at first when I first held my ground. It was hard, but my brother and sister were behind me a hundred percent, so that made it easier. They had realized the same thing, but way earlier than I did."

Morgan nodded. "It always helps when you have support. I know I temper a lot of what I do and say because I don't want to upset Jenna or my parents. I have Casey, and that's great, but she's not usually there in the moment, which is when I could use the support."

Shane smiled. "If you need any support tonight, I'll do my best."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later they pulled into the driveway, and Shane took her hand as they walked up to the house.

"You came, finally," Brianna said as Morgan entered.

"Hi, Brianna. I'm good, how are you?"

Shane hid a smile as he realized this was how Morgan began all her encounters with Brianna, recalling she'd done the same thing at the ill-fated dinner.

"Hello. At least you're not late. I'm sure I can thank Shane for that."

"Hello, Brianna," said Shane.

"I apologize for her holding you up. Come in. We're almost all here." Brianna rolled her eyes. "Jenna's late. She says she got stuck at the salon."

Shane saw Morgan tense as Brianna turned and indicated they should follow. He squeezed her hand. She looked at him, startled, then smiled as they followed Brianna.

Everyone had settled in the den, and Shane and Morgan found room to sit on a sofa after exchanging some greetings with the others around the room. Jenna came just as they were sitting, making a bee-line to Morgan. There wasn't room on the couch, but Jenna took a spot on the floor.

"Jenna, don't be a child," said Brianna.

"There aren't any seats, Brianna," said Jenna. "I don't mind. I'm just glad to get off my feet."

"Spare me," said Brianna. "Never mind. We don't have time to deal with this. I assume at the wedding you'll manage to use a chair."

"I'll give it my best shot."

Morgan coughed to cover a laugh, but Shane saw her lean forward and squeeze Jenna's shoulder.

"Anyway." Brianna glared at Jenna. "We have a little over eight weeks. We need to start taking care of things. Shane, did you plan the bachelor's party?"

"Yes, we are set to go to a baseball game next month. It'll be an afternoon game and we'll grab some dinner afterwards at a great barbecue place."

"Baseball and barbecue?" Brianna asked. "Seriously?"

"It sounds great, Brianna," said Evan. "It'll be a great way to chill out and have some fun."

"I hate baseball," she said.

"I discussed it with the other groomsmen," said Shane. He made himself be calm, as he'd often had to be when his parents were obstinate. "This is something we'll all enjoy, and it's what Evan wants, so that's what we're doing." He wanted to add that since Brianna wasn't going, it shouldn't matter, but he knew better.

"Ugh. Fine. Whatever." Brianna waved a hand. "For the bachelorette party, I want to go to Miami, or maybe Vegas, for a long weekend. I'm good to go about three weeks before the wedding."

Silence greeted her announcement. Shane watched the women exchange glances.

"What?" asked Brianna. "What's the problem?"

"I'm not sure I can do that, Brianna," said Katelyn, the maid of honor.

"What? Why not?"

"It's my grandmother's eightieth birthday and we're planning a combination party-family reunion."

"Are you kidding me, Katelyn? You're going to mess up my plans for some birthday party?"

"I can't go either," said Morgan.

"Of course you can't." Brianna's eyes shot daggers at her sister. "Because if it isn't about you, you don't want to go."

"I didn't say that. If you'd like to have it in Miami, or Vegas, that's fine, but I can't go because I can't afford it, nor do I have the time since I'm already taking several days for the wedding."

"Aren't you the boss?" Brianna asked. "You own your own business. How hard is it to sell comic books? Jesus, Morgan. It's not like it's a real job, and Mom and Dad are already paying for your tickets."

Shane covered one of Morgan's hands with one of his as she started making a fist again.

"I don't mean to pile on," said Jenna, her voice tentative, "but I don't think I could do that either."

"Oh my god! What is the problem? Why are you against me?" Brianna looked genuinely upset. "This is my wedding and you all want to just--ruin it!"

"Brianna, if I take time off, it's time I don't get paid," said Jenna. "I don't mind taking off for the wedding, but I just can't take any more."

"Hey, Bri, let's just think about it," said Evan. "I'm sure there's something fun to do closer to home."

"Like a baseball game?" she asked sourly.

"No, I know you don't like baseball, but maybe you all could go to a spa or something. An overnight trip, even, just closer. Maybe somewhere you can drive."

Shane was glad to see Evan try to be proactive, but didn't think it would matter.

"I don't want to go somewhere closer," she said. "This is my bachelorette party and I want to do something big, something memorable."

"We'll figure something out, Brianna," said Katelyn. "Maybe we just need to find another weekend. Or even during the week; it would be cheaper and less crowded."

"Fine." Brianna made a show of resigning herself to the change in plans. "We need to talk about the bridesmaid stuff. Evan, you and the guys should go to another room. It's girl talk."

"Okay." Evan stood. "C'mon, guys."

Shane stood and gave Morgan a sympathetic look. She smiled and nodded to let him know she understood. He managed not to run out of the room.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Jenna took Shane's seat on the couch and covered a yawn.

"Long day?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah." Jenna curled her legs under her. "The salon was short-staffed and over-booked. We were trying to juggle people and it was one of those days where the customers didn't want to cut us a break." She sighed. "So goes the beauty biz."

"Jenna," said Katelyn, "I meant to ask if you might have time to cut my hair? I can come to the salon, or you could come to my place. Just let me know."

"Sure, Katelyn." Jenna smiled. "I'd love--"

"Katelyn, you don't have to ask Jenna just because she's my sister. It won't hurt my feelings if you go somewhere else." Brianna sipped at her wine.

Morgan felt the fury rising, but took a deep breath. No one had said anything to her. This was Jenna's fight, and as much as she wanted to step in, Jenna had to learn to handle it.

Jenna swallowed before speaking again. "It's fine, Katelyn. I'm happy to help but I understand if you want to go to someone else."

"I don't," said Katelyn. To Morgan's surprise, Katelyn cleared her throat and turned to face Jenna. "The stylist I was seeing has moved, and I like what you've done with Morgan's hair. I'll give you my number before I go and we can work out a time."

"Sure." Jenna's eyes darted from Katelyn to Brianna and back. "That'd be great."

"As long as we're talking about hair, let's move on," Brianna said. "I found a hairstyle I want you all to wear at the wedding. Morgan, you'll need to wear extensions. Katelyn, don't get it cut too short or it won't work. Trina, Liv, I think you guys are both okay." She glared at Jenna. "Don't mess Katelyn's hair up."

Morgan said nothing. Her gut reaction was to reject the idea, but she took a minute. Why not? She let Jenna play with her hair, and she did herself with hair chalks and whatnot. Extensions might be fun; she hadn't had long hair in ages. She decided she'd think about it some more, and it wasn't worth arguing at this point anyway. She just wanted this to be over so she could spend more time with Shane.

Trina, Liv and Katelyn murmured assents to Brianna's hair comments. Brianna nodded. "Ok. Now, since we're going to be in the tropics, we all want to look the part. We should get tans before we go. Katelyn, I need you to book some time at a tanning salon."

"I can't do it, Brianna," said Trina.

Morgan was more astonished at this than she had been with Katelyn's pushback. Had Brianna pushed people too far? She didn't know the other women too well, but in her experience, they'd always given in to Brianna.

"What do you mean?" Brianna demanded.

"I just had a basal skin cancer spot removed on my arm," said Trina. "I can't go to a tanning salon. My dermatologist has advised against it, especially now."

"Just cover the spot up," Brianna said. "Wait. Will it be very visible? The dresses are strapless."

"I can cover it up," said Trina. "But that's not the point. I don't want it to happen in another location. I'm sorry, but I am not going to a tanning salon." Trina pushed her dark hair back and crossed her arms.

"I cannot believe this." Brianna threw her hands up. "This is my wedding, my special day, and every single thing I bring up, someone objects." She narrowed her eyes and looked at Morgan. "Did you do this? Is this all your idea? Some kind of practical joke?"

"Christ, Brianna, no, it is not." Morgan shook her head. "You're asking a lot of people, and not everyone can do everything." Also, she thought, not every fucking thing in my life centers on you.

"Fine." Brianna whirled on Liv, who'd been quiet the whole time. "What about you, Liv? What can't you do?"

"I'm good," said Liv. She glanced up at Brianna but then away again.

"At least one person understands how important this is to me," said Brianna. "All right, fine. We'll deal with this later. Last thing: Morgan, when are you getting your tattoos removed?"

"What?" Morgan blinked.

"Your tattoos, dopey," said her sister. "I've told you. You need to get rid of them."

"We've been through this, Brianna." Morgan took a breath. "I am not getting rid of my tattoos."

"You have too! You'll ruin everything!"

"I'm not doing this again." Morgan stood. "I'm leaving. Bye, everyone." She left, intent on finding Shane and going.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Shane was chatting with one of the other groomsmen when Morgan strode in, followed closely by Brianna. He could almost see the tension between them and his instinct to protect rose with a vengeance.

"I can't believe you," said Brianna.

"Okay, fine, don't believe me." Morgan looked around and he caught her eye. She looked relieved and walked over. "Hey," she said. "I'm ready to go if you are."

He glanced past her to Brianna, who looked furious, and then back to Morgan. "Are you okay?"

She gave a quick nod. "Yeah. I just need to go."

"Morgan, you are not leaving yet," said Brianna. "We are not finished with this conversation." She grabbed Morgan's arm and spun her around.

"Yes, we fucking are," said Morgan. She yanked her arm back and Shane saw her calm façade crack. "I have told you: I will wear a jacket. I will wear a shawl. I will bow out of being a bridesmaid all together. But I will not get my tattoos removed. You can either have me as a bridesmaid with a cover, or not. It's that fucking simple."

Shane and the others, including the women who had followed Brianna and Morgan, watched with wide eyes and morbid fascination as they argued.

"You are so goddamn selfish," said Brianna.

"Yeah, okay, I'm selfish. Fine. Whatever."

"I just want my wedding to be nice, to look nice, and you are fighting me every step of the way. You are so jealous of me, and you always have been, and so you do these things all the time, just to embarrass us."

"Us?"

"What, you think Mom and Dad are so proud of you for opening a store for geeks? Christ, Morgan, you got a business degree, you can do better than that. And Casey? How old is she and dresses like she raided a Hot Topic?"

Jesus, thought Shane, that's uncalled for. He was starting to get angry himself, both at Brianna's behavior in general and the fact that she was upsetting Morgan. He stepped over and put a hand on Morgan's shoulder.

"Leave Casey out of this," Morgan said. "I am sorry that your plans are not working out as you'd hoped, but you can stop insulting me and my friends now."

"And your tattoos?" Brianna went on, undeterred. "I tried to tell you, they just look stupid and they'll look worse. But you did it anyway, just to spite me, and now you're ruining everything."

Shane had to make an effort so that his jaw didn't drop. He hadn't known Brianna could be so self-centered. Morgan didn't need to deal with this. He glanced around the room; everyone was staring at the sisters.

"Let's head out." Shane broke the silence. "Maybe you can talk about this tomorrow, after everyone's had time to cool off."

"Oh my god, she's got you too." Brianna shook her head. "I should have known. God, Morgan, you can't stop competing. I got Evan, so you got his friend. It's pathetic."

That was too much. "All right, that's--" Shane began.

"You do realize," Brianna said to Shane as though he hadn't spoken, "that Morgan hasn't grown up. And she probably won't."

"That's enough," Shane said. "I don't appreciate you treating Morgan, or me, like this. It's safe to say she's not the one who should be embarrassed."

Brianna stared at him, open-mouthed. He'd seen that expression a lot when he'd finally held his line with his parents.

"One last thing." Morgan looked at Brianna. "I think it's best that I withdraw from being a bridesmaid. It's obvious there's no compromise here, and so you should find someone else."

Brianna paled and Shane could tell from her body language she was about to explode. He took Morgan's hand. "Come on, babe, let's go." He nodded to Evan, who looked stunned by everything, and led Morgan outside.

Morgan didn't say anything as they walked to the car. After they had belted in, Shane put a hand on hers.

"You can breathe, now, you know," he said.

Morgan nodded and took a deep breath, then another. "Oh god, Shane, I am so sorry," she said in a rush, then covered her face with her hands.

He started the car and backed out of the driveway. "For what? You don't owe anyone an apology."

"What Brianna said--it was awful." Morgan dragged her hands through her hair. "I've been her punching bag before and usually I can just let it go but tonight was just--I don't know. It was another level."

Shane took a moment before responding. "I'm not going to tell you that she's just upset, that you should let it go, or anything like that. She said terrible things, and you have every right to be angry. To be honest, I'm pretty pissed myself."

"I am angry, but I also feel blindsided, and stupid, and embarrassed." Frustrated, she wiped at her eyes. "I tried, you know. I tried to be quiet, to be calm, and it just--damn it. Like I said, it's a game I cannot win. "

"You did fine," he said. "You don't have to win. You don't even have to play." He thought for a moment. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you for the way you handled it."

Morgan nodded her thanks and fell silent.

Shane tried to sort through his feelings as he drove. He was angry, he was upset, and he felt terrible for Morgan. Part of him wanted to go back and let Brianna have it, but a bigger part just wanted to take Morgan home and make her feel better.

"I wanted to thank you," Morgan said, then paused. She let out a long, slow breath and made herself relax. "No one's ever taken my side against Brianna in a situation like that. It means a lot."

"You're welcome." He reached over and took her hand. "I know what it's like."

"I realized I've been so out of it, I don't know where we're going." Morgan wiped at her eyes again with the edge of her shawl and his anger at Brianna rose up again. He took a deep breath and changed his focus.

"I was thinking my place?"

"That would be great," she said. "No place I'd rather be."

"Good." He squeezed her hand. "No place I'd rather have you."

She gave him a small smile and then stared out the window. Shane could see in her reflection that she was still troubled, but he didn't make her talk about it. Not yet, anyway. He knew what it was like to need time to gather yourself after an unexpected emotional ambush.

He also knew it was better to have someone help you pick yourself up, and he wanted to be that person for Morgan.

Whoa, he thought. I'm in deeper than I thought.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"I still can't believe it," said Casey as she unpacked cards. "I can't believe she fucking did that and I can't believe you waited two whole days to tell me."

"It took me that long to get my head around it," Morgan said. She took the cards and arranged them on the shelf.

"You would have waited longer if Jenna hadn't said something." Casey gave her friend a pointed look.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just--I don't know. This was really bad. It was more than the usual." Morgan shook her head in frustration. "I couldn't believe what she said, and it was awful enough that it was in front of just fucking everyone, but then she dragged Shane into it and honestly, Casey, I almost lost it."

"You really like him, hmm?" Casey said. "Maybe more?"

"I do, and yes, probably more." Morgan took a deep breath. "But one thing at a time. The only thing that kept me from totally going off on her was Shane. He stuck up for me, Case. He confronted her, he took my side. No one else has done that except you."

"Well, I am a rare gem," Casey said.

Morgan laughed. "That you are. But still." She sighed. "I've been thinking, and I think I know what to do, but it's going to mean nuclear-level fallout. Although we're halfway there already I guess, since I pulled out of bring a bridesmaid."

Casey's jaw dropped but before she could ask for details, the bell chimed. "You are going to tell me fucking everything," said Casey quietly, "as soon as we get the chance."

The day passed pleasantly and Morgan put thoughts of Brianna and the wedding and her own plans out of her head for at least a few hours. She concentrated instead on seeing Shane later. There was a fairly steady flow of customers, which was often the case on Saturdays.

"Hey, guys."

"Vincent!" Morgan hurried over to give her friend a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay," he said. His hand went to his face, where the bruise was almost gone. "Casey and Astrid have been fantastic."

"They are, but don't say it too loudly." She jerked her head in Casey's direction. "Some people might let it go to their heads." She laughed as Casey looked aggrieved.

"How are you doing?" Vincent asked as he started going through some comics. "What's up with the book signing?"

"The signing? Oh, my god. I forgot." Morgan pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jesus, I can't believe I forgot."

Vincent laughed. "You forgot? What else is going on in your life that you forgot something like that?"

"Morgan's got a boyfriend," Casey said in a sing-song.

"Yeah?" Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Shane?"

"Sexy Shane," Casey clarified.

"He was good-looking," Vincent agreed.

"Stop, stop, the both of you," Morgan said, but smiled as she did. "Yes, I am seeing Shane and Casey's right." She winked at Casey. "He's definitely sexy."

"He's so sexy you forgot about your book signing?" Vincent teased.

"If only," said Morgan. "No, it's more to do with Brianna and the wedding."

"Let it go for now," Casey advised. "She's taking up too much of your mental space. You worked fucking hard on that book and you deserve this."

"You're right, you're right," said Morgan. "We agreed on the eighteenth?"