Page 50 of The Reluctant Roommate

“Oh, Heidi.” Morgan shook her head. “Your snowball fight will also have to wait until warmer weather.”

Heidi glanced up at the sky. “It might snow again.”

“It might. Let’s go inside, light the fire, and open the best bottle of wine.”

“Now you’re talking.” Heidi’s eyes sparkled like sunlight. She stamped her way up the clear path, letting the snow fall from her boots before she kicked them off on the porch and padded inside in socked feet.

Morgan followed and went over to the open fireplace and the basket of kindling and logs. She kneeled and layered a small fire while Heidi watched.

“Lighting the fire is always my job at my parents’ place at Thanksgiving.” She fixed her gaze on the growing pile of logs. “One-Match Morgan, that’s what my dad calls me every year. I haven’t failed yet.” She struck a match and held it close to the edge of newspaper. The flame flickered along the edge before growing as it caught the kindling.

“What does everyone else do?”

“Mom’s chief cook—she does the turkey and sides, Dad handles cleanup. Mom delegates the rest of the meal. As well as the fire, it’s my job to make sure there are enough appetizers to stop people complaining that they’re starving but not too many that they won’t eat dinner. Aunt Linda does”—her voice caught, and, for a second, she couldn’t continue. “Aunt Linda and her kids normally do dessert.”

Heidi hunkered down next to her and wrapped her arms around Morgan’s shoulders. “Come here.” She pressed a kiss to Morgan’s hair.

“It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to feel helpless.” Heidi took a breath. “It’s natural to feel unwanted and excluded at times like this. But Linda is making her choice.”

“I know that.” Morgan’s throat closed over. “I just want her to get well.” She stayed like that for a few more moments until the smell of woodsmoke made her raise her head. The flamescrackled merrily in the grate. “I should check on the turkey.” She pushed herself to her feet and went into the kitchen.

The turkey was browning nicely. She took plates from the cabinet and started to set the table.

~ ~ ~

“That was amazing.” Heidi slumped back in her chair and let her arms dangle. “I want to loosen my jeans.”

“Be my guest.” Morgan had already undone the top of her jeans, but there was no need to admit that to Heidi.

Heidi flipped her shirt out of the way. Morgan swallowed hard at the strip of skin it revealed, and then again as Heidi undid her button and lowered an inch of zipper.

Heat blazed in Morgan’s chest. Heidi’s long fingers slipping the button, lowering the zipper, was painting her mind with similar scenarios that had nothing to do with overeating and everything to do with how Heidi might react if Morgan was the one unzipping her pants.

Heidi groaned and arched her hips. The zipper strained, and another few teeth unzipped. “Don’t even talk to me about pumpkin pie. Let’s sit comfortably and let this digest first.”

They took their wine over to the couch. Heidi set her glass down and fell back on the couch. “I have to work tomorrow. Although”—she glanced out of the window—“it’s snowing again. Maybe it will snow all night, and I won’t be able to get to work. How much snow is enough to get a snow day?”

“More than that.” Morgan, too, glanced out of the window. The snow was whirling in thick flakes, and a car crawled along the road, which was already covered in white.

“A snow week would be awesome, except I’d lose pay. And if it continued into next week, then I’d have to reconsider my road trip.”

“Road trip?” Morgan frowned. “Are you going somewhere?”

Heidi nudged her in the side. “I am. I’m off to Leadville to—oh no!” she groaned and covered her eyes. “Did I forget to tell you? About the investigator? About Serena? I’ve had it in my head for so bloody long, I must have dreamed I told you.”

“You haven’t said a word since you hired Brandon.” They were well-matched. Even if Heidi wasn’t deliberately keeping it secret from her, both of them were being less than forthcoming about their situations.

“Brandon found Serena. She’s in Leadville. Of all places in the United States, she’s less than four hours from here. I’ve got three days off next week and thought I’d drive down and pay her a visit. I have an address and a phone number, that’s all. Lula wants to come, if she can get the time off, but I’ll have to rent a car—Lula reckons her wreck won’t make it. I’d love it if you could come too, but I’ve probably blown that, seeing as I forgot to tell you.”

“What days?” Morgan bit her lip. Her calendar was as blank as a snowy field, but she couldn’t tell Heidi that.

“Tuesday to Thursday. Lula’s checking if she can get the time off.”

“I should be able to swing that.” Three days in one of Colorado’s cute mountain towns? The walls of her town house closed in on her. How long since she’d been in the mountains, gazed at the Collegiate Peaks, had a frosty beer on a patio in the winter sunshine, hiked mountain trails in the thin air? Of course, there was also confronting Heidi’s ex. With Lula.

Well, every silver lining had a cloud.

“That would be great!” Heidi’s grin broadened.