Page 23 of The Reluctant Roommate

Morgan poured and then held up her glass for Heidi to clink. “Cheers. Here’s to this living arrangement working out for both of us.”

“Yes. I’m cool with it so far. You?” A knot of doubt twined around Heidi’s throat. What was there to not work so far?

“Same.”

The knot dissolved. Hopefully, in another couple of weeks, she’d be on a more permanent footing with Morgan. She pushed the dinner ingredients to one side and found the bag of chips she’d thrown into the cart at the last moment and held it up. “You. Me. Wine. Chips. The patio. The sunset.” She raised an eyebrow. Did Morgan eat junk food?

“Sure,” Morgan said after a moment.

The sun was nearly gone, painting the white-tipped mountains with an ethereal glow. Heidi pulled the outside chairs closer together and set the chips on the table between them.“Thank you for today. Hands down my best day in Denver so far. I hope it didn’t mess with your plans too much.”

“It’s okay.” Morgan took a handful of chips and ate one. “What flavor is this? It’s rather gross.”

Heidi turned the packet. “Fried pickle. I wanted to try them.” She ate one. “And now that I have, I never will again. It’s back to good old salt and vinegar for me.” She took a sip of wine. “This, though. This is rather fine.”

“It was a gift from my boss. He has an actual cellar, so it’s not surprising it’s good.”

“Nice. The only thing Robert’s ever given me is a tip for the football. The team lost. Lucky I didn’t actually place a bet.”

She rested her feet on the low table and tipped her head back. “Talk to me, Morgan. You’re a bit of an enigma. Woman of mystery and all that.”

“There’s not much to know.” Morgan’s gaze shifted to the mountains. “My parents live in New Jersey where I grew up. I’m an only child. I moved to Denver for college and loved it, so I never left.”

“That sounds like something you’d put on a résumé. Or in the medical history part of your chart.”

Morgan shifted in the chair. “Really, there’s not much to me.”

“I think there is.” Heidi turned to face her so she could see Morgan’s expression. “I don’t know you well, but I already know that you’re very neat and tidy. You’re protective of your space—your home—and you’re not entirely comfortable with having a roommate. I’m sure you’ve got your reasons for having one, and I’m not going to pry. You have a high-powered job, and you’re conscientious in your hours. I’m willing to bet you’re very good at what you do. That’s probably a safer bet than Robert’s tip for the Green Bay Packers. Going by your home décor, your favorite color is a blue gray, and you’re diligent about using your home gym—you’re obviously very fit. I haven’t met any of yourfriends yet, but I think you prefer a few close friends to a pack of acquaintances to get drunk with.” She sipped her wine again. “That’s all I know about you.”

“That’s more than most people. You’re very observant.”

“That’s the bartender’s eye. If I get into DU, I want to major in psychology. I don’t know much about it so far, but I guess being open and observant could be the difference between a good therapist and a crappy one.”

“You want to do clinical psychology or research?”

“You’re good at changing the subject when you don’t want to talk about something. That’s okay, Morgan. I don’t want to intrude. I’m just trying to get to know you a bit better, given that we’re living together and all. And yes, clinical psychology. Therapy. Helping people. Or trying to, anyway.”

“You’ll be good at it. Did you have a positive experience with your own therapist?”

“I’ve never had therapy. It’s not as common in Australia—and the waiting lists are longer, with more roadblocks than the president’s speeches.” She flashed a smile. “Not the case here, from what I gather.”

“The waiting lists or the president’s speeches?”

“The wait times.”

“Depends on how good your insurance is.”

“Right.” Heidi worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Insurance. Just another thing to think about. Her traveler’s policy would expire in a few months—and she’d hoped to have insurance through a job by then. “I guess you have insurance through your company.”

Morgan’s hand froze for a second as she lifted her glass. “Yes. It’s a good policy.” The glass continued to her lips.

Heidi looked away, back to the last of the glow on the Rockies. So Morgan didn’t appreciate personal questions. So silly nonprobing ones, then. “First concert you ever went to?”

Morgan’s lips quirked up. “Is this twenty questions?”

“Maybe. You get to ask one next.”

“Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. RedRocks. 2010. What can I say? I was a late developer in the concert stakes.”