Page 28 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

"Because I’m not.The rest doesn’t help, either.The credentials, the professional barriers, the family history.Take your pick."

"And yet," Viktoria keeps going, "you're still planning to work closely with him, despite all those risks."

I meet her gaze."The MacTavish deal closes in five weeks.After that, he goes back to Scotland, I keep my job, and life returns to normal."

"And if you develop feelings for him in those five weeks?"Susanna asks.

"I won't."

My sisters exchange another look.

"Okay, enough heavy talk.”Susanna reaches for her laptop."You need to see the rest of this video."

Before I can protest, she hits play on "The Abernathy Fling" again, this time at full volume.

The exaggerated bagpipe music fills our blanket fort, and the instructor's overly enthusiastic voice booms: "And now, ladies, swing those hips like you're trying to catch the attention of a Highland chieftain!"

A bubble of laughter escapes me.

The dancers on screen execute a move that looks less like traditional Scottish dance and more like an audition for an adult entertainment venue.

"Oh my god," I gasp through emerging giggles."That's not even remotely authentic."

"Wait for the finale," Viktoria says, grinning.

The music reaches a crescendo as the male dancer suddenly rips away his velcro-fastened kilt (revealing shorts underneath, thankfully) and twirls it overhead while his partner pretends to swoon.

By now, all three of us are howling with laughter.Susanna actually falls over, knocking into one of the fort's structural supports.

The entire construction shudders, then collapses in slow motion, burying us in sheets and pillows.

"Structural integrity compromised!"Viktoria shouts from somewhere beneath a comforter.

I emerge from the fabric avalanche to find Susanna still cackling, her face mask now smeared across her cheek and pillow."The fort has fallen!Just like Callum's reputation!"

"Not helping," I gasp, but I'm laughing too hard to sound stern.

We lie there in the ruins of our fort, breathless with laughter that feels like release after weeks of tension.

For a moment, I'm not a Marketing Director with fabricated credentials, or Richard’s ex.

Or the woman accused of inappropriately posting her new boss on socials.

I’m just me.

With the only people who've seen every version of me and loved them all anyway.

"So," Viktoria says eventually, extracting herself from the blanket wreckage."What are you going to do?"

I sit up, surveying the chaos of my living room."About the fort or about Callum?"

"Both," Susanna says."Though I vote we leave the fort as is.It's very avant-garde."

I take a deep breath."I'm going to keep working with Callum to solve this.We're on our way to solving whoever framed me.And if my credentials come up..."I hesitate."I'll deal with it then."

"And the attraction?"Viktoria presses.

“I’m not one of the recent Callum fan-girls.I’m his employee.And a mature adult.”I breathe out.“Five weeks.I can handle anything for five weeks."