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“What would make you think that?” She swatted back the question again, intrigued at how quickly a rumour could start if you fanned the right flames.

“Sources say that you and a close friend spent several hours yesterday morning at a local boutique, where you bought said young lady a substantial amount of clothing.”

“Well, if sources say so, it must be true, right?”

“I think that will be all, Ms Swift. Thanks for coming, and we hope to see you tonight at the concert,” Francine said with just a hint of boredom to her voice.

“Sure, it was great to meet you. My mum’s a huge fan.”

Refusing to rise to the barbed comment that insinuated her music was for older people, Alex continued to smile. When the door closed, Francine seethed. “God, I hate these brats with their smarmy-assed faces and leading questions.”

“She’s just doing her job,” Alex argued calmly. “And didn’t you want them to shift focus?”

Francine glared at her. “Could you at least placate my shitty mood?” They both stared at one another until laughter bubbled up between them.

“Oh god, how many more?” Alex asked, already done with the hassle of it all.

“Another three, and then I need a drink, and you need to take the good doctor back to the hotel and rest that ankle before the big night.”

It was a whirlwind of activity, and Morgan found herself getting in the way of everyone. So, she’d taken herself for a wander around the building while Alex worked through the last of her interviews. It was impressive. She’d been before on a school trip years ago, but hadn’t really taken much interest then, other than grabbing Stacey Jones by the hand and heading off to explore without the teachers noticing them missing.

Several of the crew had smiled and nodded as she’d passed them by. Not once did anyone stop her and ask to look at the credentials that swung around her neck on a rainbow-coloured lanyard. She smiled to herself when she remembered Alex’s reaction to the photo.

Was she being ridiculous getting involved with someone like Alex Montgomery? Maybe she needed to view it as she would a holiday romance. Go all in for a limited time, knowing full well that it would come to an end, and they’d fizzle out once they both went back to their normal lives.

“Excuse me,” a man’s voice said, and she turned to find out if he was talking to her or not. He was a bear of a man,and he grinned at her through a huge bushy beard. “Sorry, I’ve been sent to round everyone up. You’re on the crew, the doctor, right?”

“Uh, yes, I guess I am.” She smiled back and flashed the ID card.

“Yeah, so, Ms Carlson has called a meeting, everyone is to attend.”

“Right now?”

“Yep. Don’t worry, its normal. I’ve worked on a Sasha concert before, and Francine always does impromptu stuff.” He turned and started to walk, and she had to speed up. “So, what do you do then?”

“I’m Sasha’s—”

“There you are.” Francine appeared out of nowhere and for once, Morgan couldn’t have been more thankful. This was a lot more stressful than any of them had first thought it would be, having to second guess every answer to every question. “I need you to head back to the hotel withSasha, while I finish up here. Can you manage that?”

“I can dissect a frog with a scalpel. I think I can get Her Highness into a car, driven by a chauffeur, back to her 5-star rated hotel room, yes,” she replied, feeling a little put out. She was a doctor, not a first aider out of their depth.

The man bear choked back a giggle.

Francine ignored her.

Turning to Man Bear, she said, “Jessie, I’ll be right there.”

Shoulders bouncing as he chuckled and walked away, Morgan couldn’t stop herself from smiling, until Francineturned back to face her. Now there was something different about Francine, and Morgan had to admit, she was intimidating. A steely look had replaced her usual wasp-chewing face.

“Let me be clear. You’re here to do a job, and that job entails not being an asshole when the crew are around. That’s my job. I’m the asshole.” She pointed a bony finger at herself.

“And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak to me like I am a child or the hired help.” Morgan stood her ground.

Francine took one step forward. “You,” the bony finger now poked her arm, “are the hired help. That is exactly what you are. Hired to help make Alex’s life less stressful.”

Morgan said nothing. Francine was right; just because she was sleeping with the boss behind everyone else’s back didn’t elevate her above her station.

“Nobody is asking much of you. So, if you could please make yourself available to takeHerHighnessback to the hotel and keep her company until curtain time, and then,” Francine leaned in closer and hissed, “make it fucking obvious to the press that you’re the reason she was visiting the hospital, I’d be grateful.”