Page 5 of The Reluctant Roommate

To her knowledge, this had only happened two or three times in the seven years she’d been working at Mattingley.

Savannah must have been waiting for David’s call; only a minute later, she arrived along with a security guard.

“The cards are there.” Morgan pointed to where they lay on David’s desk.

“Thank you, Ms.Favola.” Savannah handed her a sealed envelope. “This contains your final paycheck. You are paid up until the end of today, along with the three weeks of annual leave you accrued.”

Three weeks. She’d barely taken much annual leave in her time with Mattingley, not wanting to leave her clients in the care of another advisor for too long. A few days here and there in seven years. Never longer than one week at any one time. She’d never had three weeks at once. Well, it looked like she was getting it now.

She schooled her face to an impassive mask and held out her hand to David. “Goodbye, David. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

His palm glanced off hers. “You too, Morgan. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it ended like this.”

She nodded, then turned for the door and strode to her desk, trailed by Savannah and the security guard. Ignoring the curious stares from the surrounding desks, she took the archive box Savannah proffered and systematically went through her desk drawers, taking only her personal items: keys, purse, a desk calendar, the fountain pen her parents had given her when she’d gotten the job at Mattingley. She didn’t touch as much as a pen or pad of Post-It notes. She didn’t want a charge of theft on top of her firing.

She picked up the frame containing photos of her last vacation—five days in Paris in the springtime. How clichéd was that. Well, she wouldn’t be going back to Europe anytime soon.

“That’s everything.” She faced Savannah. “Let’s go.”

With Savannah ahead and the security guard behind, Morgan raised her chin and strode through the office. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few shocked faces—but even more calculating ones, no doubt wondering if they could position themselves to take over her accounts.

Manuela stepped forward and put her hand on Morgan’s arm. “Morgan, I don’t know what happened, but I’m so sorry. Call me.”

She managed a smile. “I will.” Whether she actually would was up in the air. First, though, she had to get out of the office with her dignity intact.

Chapter 4

Who Fucks You Over

Heidi sat on her bunk with Lula, the curtains closed around them for privacy.

“So, six hours at eleven bucks an hour is sixty-six dollars,” Heidi said. “I got twenty-one dollars in tips yesterday. Better than I expected when we walked in. Guess Robert was right when he said it would get busy around five when the construction workers finished.”

Lula dumped a handful of crumpled notes and silver on the bed and counted it. “Twenty-eight dollars. So, ninety-two total for me.”

“Just about enough for tonight’s bed.” Heidi scooped her money into her hand and shoulder-bumped Lula. “And we’re working eight hours tomorrow. I hope there’s no hassle getting our wages at the end of the week.” If so, she’d have to dig out her Australian credit card. But with the exchange rate and fees, it was a last resort. Jake had said he’d bail her out if she ever had to use it, but she couldn’t keep begging off her oldest brother. It had been a bit of a joke between them when Jake was single and they’d shared an apartment, but now that he had Helena and little Darcy, he needed his money.

Her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen. Raine. She gave a little shoulder wiggle. Maybe Raine was calling to say where Foxies had moved to. Maybe they were indeed hiring and she and Lula would have better jobs by tomorrow.

“Heidi!” Raine’s upbeat voice echoed loudly down the line. Everything she said ended in an upward inflection andshimmered like a sunbeam. “How’s life in Colorado? Has it snowed yet?”

“It’s October, Rainey. It’s barely snowing yet. Not enough to snowboard.” And there was the small matter of no money, but she wasn’t about to mention that.

“But you’ll go, right? Learn to snowboard without falling on your ass all the time, slice down those mountains trailing a line of starstruck hot chicks in your wake.”

“Dream on.” Heidi snorted. “I’m more likely to slide down the bunny run on my butt as those hot chicks laugh their tits off.”

“I’m calling about Foxies,” Raine said. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“Let’s go with the good news.” She raised her eyebrows at Lula. “Has she found new premises?”

“I called Kali. She has new premises, and she’s looking for staff.”

Heidi frowned. Raine’s voice had turned less sparkling sunshine. It was now cloud-covered. “And the bad?”

“If you can get to Maine, you’ve got a job.”

Right. That was the catch right there. Maine was what, a four-hour plane ride? A three-day bus trip? And a whole pile of dollars she didn’t have, thanks to Serena.