Chapter 40 The Best of Plans
The Best of Plans
Heidi tried to concentrate on the TV, but her ears were more attuned to listening for Morgan coming home.
She was already later than she’d said; hopefully that meant the meeting had gone well, and not that Morgan was drowning her sorrows in a bar somewhere, afraid to come home and admit she’d failed.
The scrape of the key in the back door sent Heidi rocketing to her feet, but she forced herself to wander into the kitchen. “Hi.” She greeted Morgan with a kiss on the mouth. A welcome-home-I-missed-you kiss rather than a come-to-bed kiss.
“Hi.” Morgan returned the kiss with enthusiasm, all but sweeping Heidi up in her arms, holding her tightly. Her hair spilled over Heidi’s shoulder, and she tasted of wine and suppressed excitement.
Heidi melted into the kiss as tingles of arousal spiraled down her body.
When they eased apart, Heidi took her hand and led her over to the couch. “I want to hear all about it.”
“Only if I can have a glass of that wine.” Morgan pointed to Heidi’s glass.
Heidi returned with the wine and some of Morgan’s favorite dark chocolate and set them down on the low table by the couch.
Morgan pulled her down to tuck her into her side. She picked up Heidi’s hand and walked her fingers over the palm.
Heidi shuddered. The slow tickle of fingers brought back memories of those same deliberate fingers on other parts of her body. “So, talk.”
“I was so nervous.” Morgan took a mouthful of wine.
“Walking into a room full of people who were likely to ignore me or silently judge me was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
You told me to look for Manuela, but she wasn’t there.
I talked to Jerry, who I was sort of friendly with, and it went from there. ”
“So, no awkward questions?”
Morgan shrugged. “A couple of pointed ones, but I did as you suggested: smile, deflect, change the subject.”
“It sounds like a good evening.”
“It was. But I haven’t told you the best part yet.”
Heidi listened as Morgan related her chat with Sally Acuna.
“She’s astute. Knows more than she lets on, I think,” Morgan said.
“She already knew I’d been fired from Mattingley and wanted to see how I handled talking about it.
I hope my honesty will pay off. No spin.
Just facts. She gave me her card and suggested we meet for coffee in a couple of days.
If she opens an office in Cherry Creek that would be so easy to get to from here. ”
“It would be.” Heidi trailed a hand around the waistband of Morgan’s skirt. “It’s all coming together for you—as you deserve.” She kissed Morgan, and her mind spun away to the big bed upstairs.
Morgan kissed her back, her hand sliding up Heidi’s leg to cup between her thighs. “I know how I’d like to celebrate—between your legs.”
Heidi’s clit pulsed, and she squeezed her legs together, trapping Morgan’s hand. “I think that can be arranged.”
Things were on the up for Morgan. Heidi heaved a breath. And the happy dust was also sprinkling her way, what with the acceptance from DU. Maybe a new job for her would also be on the cards.
But the one thing she wanted above all also seemed to be falling into place. Morgan was opening to her, to the idea of them together.
~ ~ ~
The run-up to Christmas meant Heidi was busy at work.
Robert hadn’t increased her pay despite her extra workload, and he still gave Luis the evening shifts with the better tips—unless Luis suddenly wanted a night off, in which case Heidi would be asked to pull a double shift or cover at the last moment.
She’d dropped her résumé into several bars, and received quite a few calls, but most of them were only offering casual shifts during the busier holiday season. At least the Fly Inn was steady work.
There came the day when Morgan went to meet Sally in a coffee shop in Cherry Cheek.
Rather than worry about the outcome, Heidi distracted herself while Morgan was gone by making a lasagna for dinner and then her first attempt at banana muffins. She was spooning the mixture into muffin cases when she heard the front door.
Swiftly, Heidi wiped the splatters from the counter and subdued the flicker of excitement. Please let this be good.
Morgan burst through the door into her kitchen and set down her briefcase. Her smartest business suit was still unwrinkled, although her hair was working loose from its professional pleat.
“She offered me a senior advisor position!” Morgan caught Heidi around the waist and kissed her hard.
“She apparently called Mattingley and spoke with my ex-boss, David, who admitted that his hands had been tied—Mattingley’s desire to retain their biggest client trumped keeping one of their best senior advisors.
Sally says she encourages a healthy work-life balance in her company.
Weekly working hours are capped at forty-five, and if you go over that two weeks in a row, you have to take the time back the next week. There’s four weeks’ vacation time too.”
“Pretty standard in Australia.” Heidi grinned. “Not so much here. Robert told me today I don’t get paid vacation until I’ve lasted a year—and I really hope that doesn’t happen.”
“It’s slightly less money, but that’s okay. It’s still in my range. The position won’t start until the second week of January, though.” Morgan kissed Heidi again, trapping her against the counter and sweeping her tongue around her mouth. “That’s fine with me. More time for kisses.”
“I guess over Christmas is a terrible time to open your doors.” Some of Heidi’s excitement deflated. Christmas. Her first Christmas away from home. First northern hemisphere Christmas, where she’d be in the snow rather than in the heat and humidity. First Christmas away from her family.
“It means, though”—Morgan settled her butt against the counter next to Heidi—“that I can go home for Christmas. For longer than the couple of days I normally take. I can see Linda—see how she’s doing, see my folks.”
Of course she would. Heidi’s excitement ran out of her socked feet and through the floor.
Not only would there be no family time for her but no Morgan either.
She’d be alone, no doubt working the hours Luis and Robert didn’t want at the Fly Inn.
She pasted on a smile. “That’s the icing on the cake. I’m really happy for you, Morgan.”
“I’m going to tell my parents about losing my job,” Morgan said.
“I’ll tell them face to face. And then I’ll tell them that I have a new, hopefully better, job.
I realize I should have shared the difficult news before now, but I wasn’t in the space where I felt ready for that.
At least now I’m trying to normalize sharing the bad as well as the good in my life.
Maybe then they will feel they can do the same. ”
“That’s a wonderful idea. When will you go?”
“That depends.” Morgan took Heidi’s hand. “On you.”
“I’ll be here. I can look after the house. Shovel the snow, take in the mail. I’m sure I’ll have to work some of the holidays, though.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
Then what?
Something in her expression must have warned Morgan.
“Oh, no. Nothing bad. At least, I hope you won’t think so.
I wondered if you’d like to come with me to New Jersey?
Meet my parents, Aunt Linda, and cousins.
Join our family lunch. Christmas isn’t as big a deal as Thanksgiving, but we still celebrate.
Roast ham and all the trimmings. A family Secret Santa.
So, if you wanted to come, when I go would depend on what time you can get off. ”
Warmth expanded in Heidi’s chest like the sun. “What would I be going as? Your friend? Would we share a room?”
Morgan bit her lip. “I thought I’d introduce you as my girlfriend. If that’s okay with you. If I’m not presuming. If you want.”
Morgan was doing all that for her? This was a giant step—for both of them.
“I don’t know what my parents will think about the whole sharing-a-room thing. I’ve never brought anyone home to stay before.”
“Are you sure you want to start with me?” Heid asked.
“I mean, I’m happy to be a test case, but I thought you might want to save the bring-home-the-girlfriend thing for someone who matters more to you.
” The thought of someone else as Morgan’s girlfriend shredded her heart, though. She forced a smile back on her face.
“And why do you assume you don’t matter?” Morgan’s voice was warm honey. “We matter to each other.”
“We do. That is, you do to me. But I didn’t want to assume you felt the same way.
We’ve never said the words. We’re just roommates who’ve fallen into this thing that’s now a bit more.
” Heidi puffed a breath. “I mean, just now was the first time you’ve mentioned me and ‘girlfriend’ in the same sentence. ”
“How would you describe us?”
“You’re asking me? The person who’s never around anyone long enough for the title ‘girlfriend’ to stick? Except for Serena, and we both know how that went.”
Morgan’s lips twitched. “You also said you’ve never stuck with anything. And look at you now—enrolled in a four-year college degree program.”
“That still gives me a nervous tic. But I’m totally committed and so very excited.
” She took a deep breath. “Nearly as excited as I am about us. I would love if you were my girlfriend. I want that commitment. I want to look forward to every day I’m with you.
I want that undergraduate degree. I want to keep living here with you.
I want a different job—a better one. Stability has never sounded so good.
And you’re part of that, Morgan. A huge part.
The biggest part. The part I want the most.”
Morgan’s kiss was sweet, soft like marshmallows, then spicy enough to leave them both gasping.
“So, Christmas?” Morgan asked when they broke for breath.
“I’ll have to check my hours.”
Morgan tapped her fingers on Heidi’s thigh. “Or you could give notice. Didn’t you get offers to work locally?”
“Fill-in shifts over the holidays. Not a permanent position.”
“I’m sure once they see how good you are, you’ll get more. Remember when we went to Oscar’s Tavern in the snow? The manager there said he’d hire you anytime they had an opening.”
“Yeah, and I applied to them first. But they don’t have anything right now. But maybe I could just take a punt that I’ll find work. And thanks to our Leadville road trip, my finances are less perilous.”
“So do it. No more dragging over to the Fly Inn. No more Robert increasing your workload without extra pay.”
“And I could come to New Jersey with you.”
“No pressure. But I would love it if you came.”
The warmth in Morgan’s voice soothed her worries. It would be okay. She wasn’t teetering on the edge of homelessness anymore. She had money in the bank, somewhere she loved living—and Morgan by her side.
“I’ll give notice after my shift later today.”