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“Sure, three days.” And with that, Francine Carlson swept out of the room with every set of eyes staring after her.

Chapter Eleven

Charity starts with chemistry.

Sitting in the back of the car, Alex fiddled with the hem of her designer dress. A charity gala was not something she had planned any time soon. It was not that she didn’t want to support a good cause, but it was a lot easier to just make a donation than actually take time out of her life to turn up and schmooze a bunch of people she had no real interest in getting to know.

“Stop fussing. You look great, doesn’t she, Mike?” Francine said.

Mike looked back through the rear-view mirror and grinned. “She sure does.”

“It’s not gone amiss that I pay both of you to be nice to me.” Alex smiled back.

“You pay me too much to lie to your face,” Francine joked and settled back in her seat. “So, we get there, we go in, you mingle for thirty minutes and then we skedaddle, alright?”

“Barely worth the effort,” Alex bemoaned. Her hair and make-up were done, she’d gotten a new dress, she was wearing heels again after a summer of flats. “Not that Nancy minded the extra days’ work.”

Turning to her, Francine grinned. “We can always stay longer if you want to.”

Someone at the hospital had obviously tipped the press, because the expected local news brigade was very much swamped by national papers and magazine paps all jostling for position when the car pulled up.

“Don’t sweat it, just smile and keep walking,” Francine said when Mike stepped out and opened the door.

Putting on her public persona, Sasha emerged from the car, leaving Alex in the background. She waved and stood still for a moment and let them get their photos.

Moving on, she was greeted by several reporters, all intent on asking her questions. She stopped and listened.

“Sasha, how excited are you to be supporting such a local event?” one asked, holding out a tape recorder.

“Of course, it’s always a wonderful opportunity to show support on a local level.”

“Who designed your dress?”

That was a question she always hated; would they ask about attire if she were Hans Von Speltz? She ignored the question and turned towards Francine, an unspokenget me out of here.

Stepping inside the building, she was quickly met by two women, the same two Francine recognised from the HR meeting.

“Ms Montgomery, it’s really an honour to meet you and have you attending the gala,” one said, before the other stepped forward.

“Absolutely, you wouldn’t believe the buzz your attending has created. I really think it will make all the difference in how much we raise tonight.”

“Thank you for the invitation. I’m looking forward to a wonderful evening,” Alex replied, not believing a word of what she’d just said. There was a sensation of eyes on her, and she turned just slightly to her left. The image caught her breath in her throat as her eyes landed upon Dr Kelly. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad an evening as she had thought. “If you’ll excuse me.” Turning to Francine, she said, “Can you get some drinks? I’m just going to say hello to Dr Kelly.”

Francine raised a brow and pursed her lips into an amused smirk. “Sure, probably an opportunity to start up a few rumours, huh?”

“Oh, stop it.” Alex slapped her arm gently. When Francine chuckled and walked away, Alex breathed deeply before turning and walking confidently towards the woman watching her every move.

Dressed in a simple black cocktail dress, hair piled up on her head, barely there make-up, Dr Morgan Kelly looked stunning.

“So, you made it through the throng,” she said, smiling at Alex when she was within earshot.

Alex glanced back over her shoulder at the two women watching her like a hawk. “Hm, I did. I even managed to slip my chaperone.”

“Is that what we’re calling Francine now?” Morgan laughed, but then said, “Do you need a chaperone?”

Now, it was Alex’s turn to laugh. “Possibly, I don’t get out much. I can be easily led astray.”

“Really, well, that sounds like a job for me.” Morgan shimmied her shoulders.