Chapter 10 Another Day, Another Dollar
Another Day, Another Dollar
The light rail whisked Heidi closer to work and in less time than taking the bus from the hostel. She was ten minutes early at the Fly Inn. Robert leaned on the bar, scrolling on his phone, and Arnie was humming in the kitchen. A burger and fries rested in the servery.
Heidi continued on to the lockers and left her pack, shed her jacket, and finger combed her hair. When she returned to the bar five minutes later, Robert hadn’t moved and the burger was getting cold. Without a word, Heidi picked it up, glanced at the ticket, and took it over to table five.
When she returned to the bar, Robert had gone. She passed over the space, collecting dirty glasses, returning bottles to their rightful place, wiping the counter, and turning on the glass washer.
Another day, another dollar. At least the tips were improving now that the regulars knew her. Arturo tapped his empty glass on the bar and nodded her way. She poured him another and delivered it with a smile. Another dollar went into her tip jar.
As usual, Robert left the bar to her, and the shift went quickly, especially when the after-work construction crews arrived. Arnie slipped her a serve of chicken wings, and Heidi stood at the far end of the bar to eat them between customers. She licked ranch dressing from her fingers.
Denver was a long way from southern California, light-years from the life she’d thought she’d be having with Serena.
Sunshine, a shared apartment with her girlfriend, and the financial buffer of that twenty grand to start her course at San Diego State University was a long way from whirling snow, an altitude that still made her breathless, and rooming with a stranger.
At least Morgan seemed pleasant. Somewhat stilted, tense, as if she still had to decide whether Heidi was going to make off with her laptop in the middle of the night.
But pleasant nonetheless. And the house was great.
She wasn’t sure what Morgan did other than something financial.
Her laptop had shown a spreadsheet with figures, but Heidi had averted her eyes. She was no Serena.
As long as she was respectful to Morgan’s home, she hoped it would work out—at least until she either found a better job or managed to track Serena down and get her money back.
~ ~ ~
Heidi came downstairs at ten the next morning.
A WhatsApp chat with Fiona had kept her snuggled up in the extremely comfortable bed until after nine, then she’d had a shower in the modern bathroom.
She’d spent a couple of minutes wiping over the shower to keep it as sparkling and streak-free as she’d found it.
So different from the shared hostel bathrooms with chipped tiles and permanent soap scum.
Morgan was once again at her laptop, but she closed the lid as Heidi passed, then followed her into the kitchen.
“Morning, roomie. I hope I didn’t wake you coming in last night,” Heidi said.
“You didn’t—I was reading. But thank you for being quiet.” Morgan blinked owlishly. “I made a pot of coffee—I realize you haven’t had a chance to grocery shop yet.”
“Thanks. Want one?” Heidi pulled out two mugs from the cabinet and held them up.
“Er, thanks. That would be good.”
“I don’t want to interrupt your work, though.” Heidi poured two coffees, then took the half-and-half from the fridge. “Do you always work from home?”
“Mostly,” Morgan said. “I have an easy day today.”
“I never asked what exactly you do. You said you work for Mattingley. Is that financial planning?”
Morgan’s gaze skittered away to a corner of the ceiling.
“Financial planning, portfolio management, that sort of thing. It’s pretty dull stuff.
” She went over to a cabinet. “I’ve got some cookies here somewhere.
” She pulled out a packet of chocolate chip.
“These are my favorite.” She used scissors to open the pack and offered it to Heidi.
“Thanks. Are you a contractor that you can work from home, or do you have your own clients? That’s probably a stupid question—I obviously know nothing about the finance world.”
Morgan visibly hesitated. “My own clients, mainly.”
Maybe she was worried Heidi would learn confidential information—that would account for her reluctance to discuss her job. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I get that you’re privy to a lot of confidential information. Is your job interesting or just a way to earn a buck?”
“I mostly like it. The hours are long, though. You have to keep up-to-date on financial trends. And, of course, some people aren’t…pleasant to deal with.”
Heidi nodded. “I get that. My job too. Oh, not the confidential information. The biggest secret where I work is how our boss gets away with all the workplace transgressions that he does. Oh, nothing too illegal—no drugs or guns—but I caught him watering down the spirit bottles the other day. Not by much. But he was doing it.”
“You should report him.” Morgan pushed a strand of fine blond hair behind her ear.
Heidi tried not to stare as it sprang free again, Morgan’s hair brushing the side of her pale cheek.
“Then I’d be out of a job. My mate Lula says it’s not an unusual practice.
I’ll stick it out until I find something better.
That doesn’t sound like your problem, though.
I bet financial planning is all super-polite people and Zoom calls. ”
“You’re not so far off.” Morgan slid off the chair. Her pale-blue sweater was thin enough to cling in all the right places.
Heidi looked down at her own loose shirt. But Morgan obviously dressed to impress, and she didn’t.
“Do you want some toast?” Morgan said. “I’m about to make some.”
“If you don’t mind, that would be great.” Heidi bit her lip. “I promise I’ll grocery shop later this morning.”
“There’s a Whole Organics store a few blocks to the south. That’s where I usually go.”
Lula called that chain “Whole Paycheck.” She’d have to find the nearest King Soopers. Hopefully, it was within walking distance.
Morgan opened a cabinet and took out a gleaming-white toaster and put four slices of dark bread on. “I have peanut butter or grape jelly. Or both, of course.”
“Peanut butter sounds good.” It had been a long time since the chicken wings last night. She really should have gotten up earlier. She found the plates and knives as Morgan took the spreads from the pantry.
The toast popped, and Heidi’s mouth watered worse than Pavlov’s dogs. Toast at the hostel was sliced, white, and tissue thin. Morgan’s toast could probably reshingle the roof.
The peanut butter was the natural sort with no sugar or salt and stuck to the roof of Heidi’s mouth, but she’d still finished hers while Morgan was nibbling at the first slice. Heidi gulped her coffee, then put both plate and mug in the dishwasher.
“Um, please, can you rinse them first?” Morgan said.
“Sorry.” She took them out again and rinsed them under the tap, filing that away in her mind so she remembered next time. “Do you want anything from the grocery store?”
“I’m good.” Morgan was staring at the counter.
Heidi followed her gaze. A smattering of crumbs and a smear of jelly adorned the white counter. She found the cloth and wiped.
“Disinfectant spray is under the sink,” Morgan said.
Really? That seemed extreme, but whatever. She found the spray and wiped the counter. “Thanks for the toast. I’ll catch you shortly.”
“I should get back to work.” Morgan didn’t move, and her gaze drilled into Heidi’s shoulder blades as she headed for the stairs.