Page 3

She's quiet for a beat. "No… but why the sudden need? You go to these things without a date all the time."

I grab a beer from the fridge. "I lied to an employee. I told him I have a fiancée. He's been circling for weeks, and he wouldn't back off." I sigh. "It was reflex, Hettie. It just slipped out."

"You're the boss, Florence. Fire his ass."

I shake my head. "No. We were alone. It would turn into a he-said, she-said mess." I think about Jason, how we properly documented his schedule changes through HR to prevent any accusations of favoritism. I should have done the same with Woodhouse's inappropriate behavior from the start. "Everything with him just started out so innocuous and grew so slowly." I groan. "He also makes my job a lot easier. It would be difficult to replace him."

"I cannot believe that just came out of your mouth." She makes a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. "Scratch that. I can." She's silent for a moment. "You know if he's talking to you like that, he's probably talking to other women like that."

"I've mentioned my concerns in passing to the rest of the C-suite. He hasn't approached any of them." I let out a breath. "So where can I find a fake fiancée, Hettie?"

She sighs. "Have you talked to Marin?" she asks.

"No. I wanted to talk to you first. There's nothing illegal if I hire someone, right?"

"As long as you're not paying her for sex, no." She sounds hesitant. "Illegal or not, Flor, it's risky. If this leaks, it'll be a PR nightmare."

"We'll put an NDA in the contract."

Hettie grumbles something under her breath. "Yes, we can do that. But for the record, it's a terrible idea."

I smile despite myself. "This is all off the record, but your objection is noted. I'll have Marin start searching."

After hanging up, I stare at my untouched beer. I've spent my entire career building a reputation on competence and honesty. Now I need to clean up my own mess because my defense mechanism against pushy men isstillto claim that I'm taken.

What's worse is that I'm dragging Hettie and Marin into it, too. And another woman—whoever she ends up being. All because I couldn't deal with him like an adult.

I sigh and pick up my phone. "Marin, I need your help with something confidential."

Twenty minutes later, she's in my home office with her tablet, already sorting through profiles.

"What exactly are we looking for?" she asks.

"Someone competent. Professional. No social media." I pace behind my desk. "Someone who can maintain appropriate boundaries and understand this is strictly business."

She raises an eyebrow. "The great Florence Pietra, who prides herself on never playing games, is going to hire a fake fiancée? Never thought I'd see the day." The corner of her mouth twitches.

"Do you have a better solution?" I snap. I immediately regret it. "I'm sorry. I hate this. But I can't let this damage the hospital's reputation."

"You meanyourreputation."

"Both." I stop pacing. "I've worked too hard to let someone like Woodhouse destroy what I've built. But letting someone into my life, even temporarily…" I trail off, the thought of losing control of my tightly contained world making my stomach clench.

"We'll find someone suitable," Marin assures me.

One small lie. A stupid lie.

One more complication I don't have time for.

2

Josie

I shove the door open, not bothering to knock. The kitchen floor softens my angry footsteps, but it doesn't hide them.

"Mom? Dad?" My voice echoes through the large house.

Dad appears in the doorway, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Honey? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"