Page 42

Morgan groaned and reached for her watch on the bedside cabinet. Almost eleven. She threw the cover back and swung her legs out of bed. Grabbing the dressing gown, shepulled it on and tied it tightly before opening the door and stepping out.

There was no sign of Alex.

“If you want breakfast, you’ll have to be quick,” Francine said. “I told Alex to wake you, and she insisted you should decide when you want to wake up, but we’re on a schedule so…” She shrugged.

“Where is Alex?”

“She’s gone for a walk in the grounds.”

Morgan picked up the jug of orange juice and poured a tall glassful. She picked it up and sipped as she wandered to the window and looked out. There was no sign of Alex.

“I’ll be ready in thirty minutes,” she said, turning to Francine. “I just need a shower.”

“Alright, I’ll be downstairs.”

“Sure, I’ll be down ASAP.” She didn’t wait for anything further. Leaving Francine behind, she went back to her room, closed the door behind her and swigged the orange juice down.

She tried to shake off the disappointment, understanding that her expectation of what this morning would look like wasn’t the version of events she was experiencing. But that was okay, wasn’t it? She wasn’t a needy lover.

Sighing deeply, she allowed the disappointment to leave her body, untied the robe and strode naked into the bathroom and the shower.

Hair piled up to avoid getting wet, she scrubbed herself clean and stepped out. Pulling a towel around herself, she walked back into the bedroom and opened the wardrobe. Hersuitcase was at the bottom, and she yanked it out onto the bed, opening it.

While her body dried, she opened drawers and took out underwear and a neatly folded t-shirt. She left it all on the bed and wandered back into the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she returned, there was another knock on the door, this time lighter.

“Yes,” she called out, turning to face the door as it began to open.

Alex appeared. “Hey, I just wanted to—” She bit her lip before taking the final step inside the room and closing the door behind her, leaning against it, her hand still wrapped around the knob. “Hi, I just…can we talk?”

Morgan felt a prickle of disappointment wash over her again, and she pulled the towel tighter around herself. “Sure, what’s up?” she said as brightly as she could manage.

Pushing off from the door, Alex stepped towards her, but kept a safe distance away. “The thing is I…” She paused to think before smiling sadly. “Last night was—”

“A one-off?” Morgan gave her the out.

“It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, I very much did, and under different circumstances—” Alex looked away from the intensity of that stare. “I like you a lot, Morgan, and last night was—”

“Magical?”

“Yes.” Alex nodded quickly. “Yes, it was exactly that, and that’s why we can’t do that again.”

Now it was Morgan’s turn to nod, but this time, slowly, methodically, an understanding setting in. “Alright.” The thin-lipped smile was anything but happy, but she wouldn’t make this into any bigger deal than it needed to be.

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“Please don’t apologise. We had sex, I was a willing partner. I don’t want to feel like it was a mistake that you’re sorry for—”

“Oh god, no, that’s not…” Alex rubbed her face. “No, I didn’t mean it like that at all. I’m sorry that I can’t continue this, I’m sad about it if I’m honest, but right now, it’s such an important time and I need to be focused. I need to—”

Morgan sat down on the edge of the bed. “You don’t need to explain. I’m a big girl. We had fun and I really enjoyed it and would be open to it happening again, but I can accept that’s not the same for you.”

“That makes it sound as though you cared, and I didn’t and that’s not a fair representation of what happened between us.” She dared to step closer. “I took a walk in the gardens and thought it all through and I just can’t get into something right now.”

“Okay,” Morgan said gently.

“So, are we alright? Can we go back to a working relationship?”

“Where we just pretend that we’re fucking?” Morgan’s head tilted to the right as she continued to stare at Alex.