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Chapter Six

August gets the ball rolling

Dr Morgan Kelly had been only too happy to hear from her.

“Oh, hi,” Morgan said cheerily, trying to sound casual and unbothered by a celebrity calling her up. Because it was the last thing she had expected, despite being brazen enough to give the woman her card and number. Working the way she did meant her social life was practically zilch. Handing out her number now and then at least made her feel like she was attempting to live a little.

She quickly followed up with, “How are you?”

“I’m much better, thank you,” Alex said, trying to remain as cool and calm as she spoke into the earpiece.

“So…what can I do for you then?” Morgan asked, with just a hint of flirty. She couldn’t help it; Alex was the kind of woman who brought that side out of her, and she enjoyed the way Alex’s breath hitched a little before she replied.

“Actually, I was wondering if maybe we could meet up. There’s something I wanted to ask you, to run by you, and I’d much prefer doing it face to face.”

“Sounds very intriguing, okay. When were you thinking?”

“I’m pretty flexible, I can fit in with—”

“How about this morning? I’m working but I could arrive early and meet you. There’s a staff bar that’s open twenty-four hours, it will be pretty empty.”

“A bar?”

Morgan chuckled. “They do coffee and tea.”

“Oh, well that sounds perfect, what time?” Alex asked.

“Can you make 10.15? I start my shift at 11 a.m.” There was a flutter of butterflies, the excitement of possibilities rippling through Morgan. This was crazy, wasn’t it?

“Yes, sure, I’ll be there,” Alex confirmed before she disconnected the call and replayed the conversation over in her head. Morgan’s voice was soothing, and she couldn’t deny how she liked the flirtatious nature the doctor had about her. Opening her wardrobe, she considered what she would wear, and asked herself, why did it feel like a date? Alex laughed at herself. Wishful thinking? Possibly. It didn’t matter, because this was a business proposition, she told herself.

Now though, as Alex drove into the car park, she was sure that it was ridiculous. It wasn’t often she drove anywhere nowadays, but she kept the car anyway for local trips. A gift to herself when Solar Flare’s first number-one album meant they actually started to earn some money.

She pulled her little sports car into a space in the corner and watched as a crying woman supported by a friend got into a car in front. That ominous feeling began to sink in again. Why had she agreed to meet at the hospital? She should just leave,reverse back out, message Morgan and arrange a different place to meet.

Twisting the key in the ignition, firing up the engine, prepared to reverse out and forget all about this silly idea of Francine’s, something stopped her. Not something, someone. Someone very attractive and looking at her with a mix of confusion and concern.

The figure in the rear-view mirror moved closer, right behind her, blocking her escape and staring with big eyes that then squinted as she tried to make out if she was seeing what she thought she was seeing.

“Bugger,” Alex muttered to herself. Turning the engine off, she climbed from the car and turned to find a smile aimed in her direction before the voice and face turned very serious.

“Is everything alright? You’re not having another panic attack, are you?”

God, the way those eyes stared at her made Alex feel weak and aroused in an instant. She couldn’t remember that happening with anyone else, not as intense as this. She shook it off. Now was not the time to start anything with anyone. She needed to focus.

“No,” Alex said slowly, taking in the full view of Dr Kelly in front of her: blue jeans and a white shirt, simple and classy. A raised heart rate had nothing to do with panic. “No, I’m fine actually, I just—” She slammed the door closed and stepped towards Morgan, feeling herself pulled like a magnet. “I just—” God this was awkward. “The thing is…I was going to leave,” she admitted. “Hospitals are difficult for me, but I wanted to see you—to speak to you, so...”

The smile returned, along with a little something else…something sexy and alluring, Alex thought. She wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or just part of her personality: disarming and yet, enticing.

“Well, I am eager to discover why you wanted to meet me.”

No, it was flirty. The doctor was definitely flirting, which probably made sense given the situation they were currently in.Gimme a call, she had said, and Alex had done just that, hadn’t she? Invited her to meet for coffee, of course, Morgan would be flirty.

“A proposal of sorts.” Alex felt herself blush. How did this woman do that so easily? Alexandra Montgomery was not someone who melted under someone’s gaze. If anything it would be the other way around, always. And she liked it that way, especially with women she was attracted to, and she couldn’t deny that Dr Kelly was someone in that bracket right now.

Morgan checked out their surroundings before she stepped closer, seemingly unaware of the reaction Alex was having to her. “Do you want to get that coffee then? I’ve got about forty minutes before I’m due on shift.”

Alex acquiesced. “Yes, that would probably make sense.” She held a finger up. “Hang on.” Opening the car door, she reached inside and found one of the baseball caps that Francine had bought in bulk. She had them everywhere: in her bags, cars, luggage when she travelled, always available to hide beneath should the need arise. With it firmly pulled down, she turned back to Morgan, who stood there assessing her with one brow raised and a comical expression on her face. “Okay, lead the way.”