Page 61 of The Reluctant Roommate

“Yes.” Morgan skidded in the snow but regained her footing.

Heidi tightened her grip. “‘Have you found,’ Manuela said before you invented the call with Fiona. What was she going to say that had you nervous? Something you didn’t want me to hear?”

“Like I said: It was work. Even though we don’t work together anymore, we still share a lot of contacts, sometimes tips on good investments.”

“I would have thought you’d keep them guarded. Get your clients the good deals, not share them with other firms.”

“Not always.” They reached the corner. A single streetlight flickered, and all the surrounding houses had lights on. There was no traffic.

“They’ll start plowing the streets tonight,” Morgan said.

Heidi stared straight ahead, picking her footing along the sidewalk. “Was she going to ask if you’d found another job yet?”

Silence. Morgan kept walking. “What makes you say that?” she said eventually.

“You only seemed uncomfortable with Manuela after I appeared. Before that, you seemed guarded, but not oh-my-God-get-me-out-of-here. What were you afraid I’d hear?” She took a breath. “Are you not working anywhere, Morgan?”

Morgan’s steps slowed, and she dropped Heidi’s hand, jamming her fists into her jacket pockets. “That’s quite a leap, when you see me working from home most days.”

“Are you?” Heidi said in a soft voice. “Are you really? I don’t know what’s on that spreadsheet, but every time I come past, it looks to be the same one. Same heading, same size of columns. One might think it was a nonsense sheet, the sort people display when they want to pretend they’re working.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Morgan’s voice was as crisp as the night air. “Why would I pretend that?”

“Because you’re embarrassed you’re not working?”

“So rather than tell you I’m unemployed, I waste hours a day sitting in front of a junk spreadsheet. Is that what you’re saying?”

Heidi stared at her feet beating time on the icy sidewalk. It did sound bonkers when Morgan put it like that. The final piece clicked into place. “Is that why you need a roommate? Because you’re not working, and the money isn’t coming in to pay for things you’ve always had. Like a mortgage. Car payments maybe?” She sucked a breath. “Morgan, are you sick? Have you lost health insurance? If so, maybe we can—”

“I’m perfectly healthy.” Morgan’s voice sliced like an ice shard.

“But your aunt Linda isn’t, is she? You’re offering to fund her surgery, but you’re not working.”

Morgan sped up so that she pushed ahead of Heidi. “It’s none of your business, Heidi. Please, can we drop this?”

“It’s not my business,” Heidi agreed. She caught up to Morgan and matched her, even though it meant she was trudgingthrough the deeper snow outside the beaten path. “But we are friends.” She mentally pushed aside the kisses. Kisses didn’t necessarily mean they were more than friends. “Friends trust each other, and I share the goodandthe bad with my friends. Making yourself vulnerable makes you human. Friendship isn’t just sharing the good times. It’s being there for each other, no matter what.”

Had she gone too far? She glanced across. Morgan’s face was set in stony lines, her brows lowered, and she stared straight ahead as she marched at a fierce pace.

Heidi scurried alongside. “Can you at least slow down a little? I’m not as fit as you.”

Morgan didn’t answer, but her pace slowed.

“Thank you.” Heidi gripped Morgan’s arm, forcing her to come to a halt. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but if I know, I can—”

“Can what?” Morgan swung around. Her cheeks and eyes were red. Was that from the cold, or was she upset? “So you can pity me? Make allowances for me? Tell Lula?”

“None of that. So that we can work together, knowing the facts, and maybe come up with something practical. Cheaper health insurance. The state program. Maybe renegotiate my rent. It’s more than reasonable—I can pay a bit more.”

“I’m not impoverished, Heidi. Please stop treating me like a charity case.”

“Sorry.” She held her hands up, palms out, and took a step back. “But, even if you want nothing else to change, if you at least tell me you’re not working, you can stop pretending whenever I’m around in business hours.”

Morgan held her stone face for long seconds. Then her mask crumbled, and she seemed younger, more vulnerable, a little scared. “Okay, you win. I lost my job just before you moved in. I was fired. Does it make you happy knowing that?”

“No. But I am happy you’re not pretending anymore. Are you looking for another job?”

“I was. But I’ve applied for everything suitable that’s come up, and I haven’t got any interviews. Most of the time, I don’t even get a rejection email. Just…nothing. I’m a pariah in the financial world now.”