Page 24

The morning after…

“What?” Alex said without looking up, after a full minute of Francine staring at her across the table, with a smirk on her face that didn’t go unnoticed.

Francine reached forward and picked up her coffee mug. Slowly bringing it to her lips, she sipped. “I don’t know what you mean,” she finally answered, placing the cup back onto the tabletop.

“You’ve been staring at me like that for—”

“Like what?” Francine tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

Alex sighed and decided not to play the game. “Why are you here this early anyway?”

“Just checking in. Last night was—” Her lip curled on one side. “Interesting.”

“Was it? How so?” She knew how so, but she wasn’t going to give Francine the satisfaction.

“Oh, come on, you didn’t enjoy it just a teeny-weeny little bit?”

“That would make me a terrible person, wouldn’t it?” Alex said, managing to keep a straight face as she picked up her cup of tea.

“Yeah, well, I’m all good with being a terrible person. Karma is a beautiful thing.”

Finally, Alex cracked, smiling over the rim of her cup. “I guess it is.”

“I mean, it couldn’t happen to a nicer person. Maybe she will think twice before necking that amount of alcohol next time.”

“The entire cake though, I mean, that was a waste. I wanted some of that cake,” Alex whined playfully.

They both burst into laughter.

“All I’m going to say is that woman, she pissed off a lot of people in that room, judging by the reaction afterwards. I mean, I knew it that day at the hospital, how she spoke to you. Wow, what a bitch.”

“I’m sure she has some good qualities,” Alex offered, pondering for a moment. “She’s a good kisser.”

Francine scoffed before changing subjects just slightly. “So, you and the doc are hitting it off.”

“Unlike Calista, Morgan is a very likeable person.”

“And is she a good kisser?” Francine winked.

Alex blushed a little at that. “I wouldn’t know. I thought it best to keep things on a professional level.”

“Hm, yes, probably a good idea. No distractions, right?”

“No distractions,” Alex agreed.

“Did you know Calista propositioned Morgan?” Francine said with a curious eyebrow raised.

That gave Alex pause for thought. The little jolt of jealousy that rippled through her in that moment didn’t gounnoticed and felt very unnerving. She had no hold on Morgan, did she? And hadn’t Morgan flirted with her all night, not Calista? She smiled to herself. No, she had no competition from Dr Calista Urquhart, should she want to enter any race for Morgan Kelly’s attention.

“Calista is a very—”

“Difficult, rude, an ungrateful individual?”

“All of that, yes.” Alex placed her cup down. It was a beautiful day, the sun glistening on a glasslike sea. There was that little boat again, just floating, nobody in sight. “I wonder what’s out there.”

“Huh?”

Alex jutted her chin out towards the boat. “Out there, that little boat. It’s been out there a few times over the last few weeks. I can never see anyone onboard, so I’m guessing they’re diving, but I didn’t realise there was anything interesting out there.”