Best Friend To Royal Bride / Surprise Baby For The Billionaire

‘Help yourself. Marie has had a few printed. Shall we get some more?’ Marie was already squirming in her seat, and Alex decided to embarrass her a little more.

‘Definitely. This is just the kind of fun thing we want. Something to get away from the boring medical image.’

Alex felt his eyebrows shoot up.

‘You know what I mean, Alex. Of course the medical part is the most important, but we want people to feel that you’re approachable and not a stuffy old doctor.’

‘Yes, we do.’ Marie spoke up, reddening slightly at her audacity, and Sonya nodded.

‘Now. I have the local radio interview set up—you’re on your own with that one, Alex.’

‘I can handle it.’ Alex reckoned he could talk for ten minutes about the clinic easily enough.

‘I’m sure you can. But I’m sending you a list of keywords and I want you to memorise them.’

Sonya swiped her finger across her tablet, and Alex heard a ding from the other side of the room as his desktop computer signalled that he had mail.

‘Really? Keywords?’

‘Yes, of course, darling. Think of it as like…’ Sonya waved her hand in the air, groping for the right words.

‘Like talking to a patient? Sometimes you have to emphasise what’s important without confusing them with a load of irrelevant detail,’ Marie ventured.

‘Yes, exactly.’

Sonya gave Marie a conspiratorial smile, indicating she was pleased to see that at least one of them was on track, and Marie reddened again.

‘I’m still working on the TV appearance, and there are a couple of functions that I’d like you to go to if I can get you an invitation.’ Sonya leaned forward in her seat. ‘You still have reservations about promoting the royal aspect in the media?’

Alex felt the side of his jaw twitch. ‘If by reservations you mean that I’m absolutely sure that I don’t want any of that in the media, then, yes, I’m still absolutely sure.’

‘But it’s such a good story, Alex. It would catch people’s imaginations. It doesn’t get much hotter than this—you’re a doctor, very rich, royal, and to top it off a handsome bachelor.’

Alex shook his head, and then Marie spoke. Like an angel coming to rescue him.

‘We’ve agreed a policy about this.’

‘Ah… Yes?’

Sonya turned to Marie, clearly wanting her to elaborate. And Alex wanted to know what policy he’d agreed, as well.

‘The compelling nature of Alex’s story is the problem—it could quite easily prompt a media circus. Our values are that the clinic is the one and only important thing. Once it’s a bit more established we could look at it again, but now’s not the right time.’

Nicely said. Alex shot Marie a thankful look and she received it with the quiet graciousness of a queen.

Sonya nodded. ‘Yes, that makes sense. Why didn’t you say that before, Alex?’

‘Marie sums it up a great deal better than I can.’

Sonya flashed him a look that told him she agreed entirely with the sentiment, and then moved on. ‘Now, I’m rather hoping you have something presentable to wear, Alex.’

‘I have a suit…’ Just the one. It was the suit he wore for job interviews, and he hoped it still fitted.

‘All right. I’ll send you the names of a few good tailors, just in case.’

Alex’s computer dinged again and Sonya swiped her finger across her screen, in clear indication that she’d ticked that particular item off her list.

‘I’m very pleased with the website—are you getting anything via the enquiries page?’

‘Yes, quite a few things. Sofia’s coordinating that.’

‘Good. She seems very efficient. And the mural for your reception area? There are lots of possibilities there. How ever did you find these people? I’ve had a look at their previous work and it’s stunning. Inspirational, even.’

‘That was Marie’s idea.’

‘Of course…’ Sonya’s questioning gaze swept towards Marie.

‘Oh. Yes, well… They’re a group of artists who do wall art for charities and public spaces like hospitals and libraries. They choose the organisations they want to be involved with and work for free—we just pay for their materials.’

‘And who’s in charge?’ Sonya enquired.

‘Corinne Riley’s their coordinator. She’s about as much in charge as anyone is. She’s an artist, and works part-time as an art therapist. Her husband, Tom, is head of Paediatrics at the hospital where I used to work.’

‘And would they consider a magazine article, or even a short TV piece featuring their work here?’

Marie shrugged. ‘I could ask. I know Corinne’s very interested in spreading the word about how art can change spaces and involve people.’

‘It’s fascinating…’ Sonya’s mind was obviously hard at work on the possibilities. ‘Yes, please. And I’d love an introduction if you feel that’s appropriate?’

Alex smirked, wondering if Marie was taking notice of the fact that Sonya had just asked her for an introduction. It seemed she was, because she smiled suddenly.

‘I’ll email Corinne today and get back to you. Do you have any particular time in mind?’

‘If she sends me a couple of dates which suit her I’ll fit in with them.’

Sonya swiped again, and Alex braced himself for the next item on her agenda.

‘You do have a suit, don’t you?’

Now that Sonya had left, Alex’s office seemed a little quiet. Marie had waited to ask the awkward question.

‘Somewhere. Unless I left it at the dry cleaner’s…’

Marie frowned at him. ‘It’s not that suit you bought for your job interviews, is it?’

‘What’s wrong with that one?’

‘It’s not going to fit you any more.’

Alex put his hand on his stomach, sucking it in, and Marie laughed.

‘I meant across the shoulders. You’ve lost those few extra pounds you were carrying.’

So she’d noticed. Alex couldn’t help smirking. ‘You think I’ve lost a bit of weight?’

She made a thing of eying him up and down. She was teasing, but her gaze made his stomach tighten with apprehension. When she grinned, it felt as if a warm wave was washing over him.

‘You’re in good shape, Alex. But you’ll probably need a proper suit for these functions that Sonya was talking about.’

Alex sighed. ‘Yes. Probably.’

‘How many suits did you have when you were a child?’ Marie homed in unerringly on the exact reason why Alex never wore a suit.

‘Oh, about a dozen, all told. New ones each year.’

‘That sounds excruciating.’

‘It was.’

But he was doing things on his own terms now. Marie had told him that, and she wasn’t going to underestimate him by reminding him again. In the silence he could feel her presence pushing the memories back and turning his gaze forward.

‘You’re right. I’ll order two new suits; that old one probably doesn’t fit me any more.’

She nodded. ‘You’ll be your own kind of excellent and glorious. What about some striped socks to match?’

Alex chuckled. His father would have blown a gasket at the thought of his wearing striped socks with a suit. Or with anything else, for that matter. Having to be excellent and glorious suddenly didn’t seem so bad.

‘Okay. Striped socks it is. You can choose them.’

The clinic’s first week was reassuringly busy. Marie and Alex had agreed on a ‘walking around’ approach, to see how things were going and to iron out any teething problems, and they took turns with it. One dealt with patients and any urgent paperwork, and the other simply walked around the clinic, visiting all the different departments and talking to people.

It was working well—the staff were encouraged to talk about any difficulties they had, and the clinic’s clients were beginning to know that either Marie or Alex would always be somewhere in the building if they wanted to chat.

‘Hi, Terri. How are things going?’ Marie saw a young mother with whom Alex had been working approaching her.

Terri’s older child had been born with spina bifida, and although surgery had closed the opening in her spine, the little girl had been left with weakness in her legs and needed a specialist exercise regime.

‘Good, thanks. This place is an absolute godsend.’ Terri beamed at her. ‘All that travelling we used to do to get to a hydrotherapy pool for Amy, and now we can just walk around the corner.’

‘You’re enjoying your swimming?’ Marie grinned down at Terri’s eight-year-old daughter and Amy nodded.

‘I’m going to swim too.’ Five-year-old Sam had been walking next to his sister’s wheelchair, hanging obediently onto the side of it. ‘I’m going to be a really good swimmer, and then I can help Amy.’

Terri grinned. ‘It’s great for both of them. We couldn’t afford the time to take Sam to a class as well, but the hydrotherapist says she’ll book Amy’s sessions at the same time as the junior swim class, so Sam can swim too. Usually he just has to sit with me by the pool.’

‘That’s great.’

It was exactly what the clinic was for. Helping whole families to cope. Terri was looking less tired than she had when Marie had first met her.

‘What’s that?’ Sam had left his sister’s side and was standing on his toes, peering through the window into the courtyard.

‘It’s our garden. If you’ve got time, you can come and have a look.’

Marie shot a questioning look at Terri and she nodded. Opening the door, Marie let Sam into the courtyard and he started to run around, stopping in front of each planter to look at the flowers.

Terri parked Amy’s wheelchair next to the water feature, so she could reach out to touch the plants around it. Then she sank down onto a nearby bench.

‘This is lovely. I could stay here all day.’

Sam and Amy were amusing each other, and Terri gave a satisfied smile.

‘Hello, Amy.’ A woman stopped in the corridor by the open door. ‘How are you, dear?’

‘Very well, thank you, Miss Fletcher.’ Amy sat a little straighter in her wheelchair and Marie suppressed a smile.

Jennifer Fletcher had been one of the first people through the doors when the clinic had opened. A retired primary school teacher, she seemed to know every child in the district, and had taught a number of their parents as well.

‘This is lovely.’ Jennifer craned her neck to see the garden, obviously hesitant to inspect it more closely without being asked.

‘Come and join us, Miss Fletcher.’ Terri grinned at her.

‘It’s about time you called me Jennifer.’

Miss Fletcher walked slowly across to the bench and Marie moved to make room for her.

‘What brings you here…um… Jennifer?’ Terri was clearly reticent about calling her old schoolteacher by her first name.

‘I’ve been having a few aches and pains since I retired last spring, so I decided to come along and see if I could join an exercise class. I had a full physical, and the doctors have found I have an inflammation in my right hip.’

Jennifer beamed at Marie. She’d had the distinction of being the first patient to try out the new MRI scanner, and it had shown that, instead of a touch of arthritis, the bursa in her right hip was inflamed. Jennifer had professed delight at the thought that this could be rectified, and was already seeing the clinic’s physiotherapist.

‘I’ve got a full exercise programme and I think I’m doing rather well. It’s early days, of course, but the physiotherapist here says that core strength is important as you enter your seventies.’ Jennifer looked around the garden. ‘You’ll be adding a few bedding plants?’

‘It’s a work in progress. We’ve planted some seeds, and we have some cuttings over there in the corner.’ Marie pointed to the yoghurt pots, full of water, where the cuttings were beginning to grow roots.

She saw Amy’s head turn, and the little girl leaned over to see. ‘I don’t suppose you’d like to help us plant some, would you, Amy?’

‘Mum…?’ Amy turned to Terri.

‘Of course. But we mustn’t take up Dr Davies’s time.’ Terri flashed Marie an apologetic look.

‘That’s all right. If Amy would like to help with the garden—’

‘Well, I would, too…’ Jennifer spoke up.

It seemed that the garden had just acquired its first few volunteers.

Marie brought some of the pots over, moving a table so that Jennifer and Amy could work together, planting the Busy Lizzies. Sam had taken a couple of action figures from his mother’s handbag, and he was playing with them.

‘Would you like a drink? I’ll pop over to the café.’

Everyone else was occupied and Terri deserved a break.

‘You know what…?’ Terri gave her a wry smile. ‘I’d like to just stroll over there and get something. On my own. If you or Jennifer don’t mind staying here with the kids, that is…?’

Marie knew the feeling well. Terri craved a moment to herself, so she could do something ordinary. She’d felt like that when she was a teenager. Wanting just five minutes that she could call her own, without one or other of her brothers wanting something.

‘Of course. We’ll be another half an hour with this, if you want to sit in the café?’

‘No, that’s okay. Can I get you something?’ Terri pulled her purse out of her bag. ‘My treat.’

If Marie wanted coffee, she had the lovely machine in her office. But that wasn’t the point. It was clearly important to Terri that she get it, and she should accept the offer.

‘A cup of tea would be nice. Thank you.’

Terri grinned, turning to Jennifer. ‘Would you like a drink?’

Fifteen minutes later she saw Terri strolling back towards them, chatting to Alex. He was carrying a tray with four cups and a couple of child-sized boxes of juice, and when he’d handed the drinks around and stopped to find out how Jennifer and Amy were he strolled over to Sam to deliver his drink.

‘They never quite grow up, do they?’ Terri was drinking her coffee, watching Alex and Sam. The little boy had shown Alex his action figures, and the two were now busily engaged in making them jump from one planter to another. Sam jumped his onto the water feature with a splash and Alex followed with his, and the two figures started to fight in the swirling water.

By the time Terri said that they should go home, Alex’s shirt was dappled with water. The pots were gathered up and labelled as Amy’s, so that she could watch her plants grow and transfer them to the planters when they were big enough. Sam said goodbye to Alex, promising that they would continue their fight the next time he was here, and Alex thanked him gravely.

‘I’m hoping your mother wouldn’t have minded too much…’ Marie nodded towards the water feature.

‘Mind? She’d have loved it.’ Alex grinned at her, coming to sit down on the bench.

‘Good. And of course all that splashing about was entirely for Sam’s benefit?’

It had occurred to Marie that Alex’s love of silly games was because he’d never got the chance to play them when he was a child.

‘Of course.’ Alex brushed at his shirt, as if he’d only just noticed the water. ‘I have absolutely no idea why you should think otherwise. Ooh—I had a call from Sonya.’

‘What does she want us to do now?’

Sonya’s calls generally meant smiling for one camera or another, but every time they did it Sofia Costa received a fresh wave of enquiries.

‘It’s an evening do at the Institute of Business. They throw a very select party once in a while, so their members can meet people who are doing groundbreaking work in various charitable and medical fields. Most big businesses like to have their names associated with a few good causes, and making those contacts now will help us in the future.’

Even the scale of Alex’s wealth wasn’t going to finance his dreams of creating and running a chain of clinics all over the country. This was about the future—one that Alex was going to build for himself.

‘That sounds great. Does Sonya know someone at the Institute?’

‘No, but it turns out that a couple of the Institute’s board of directors went to my school and they vaguely remember me. Sonya’s managed to swing a couple of invitations.’

‘So Sonya’s going with you?’ That would be good. She’d keep Alex in line and on message.

‘No, she’s going with her husband. The second invitation is for you.’

‘What?’ All the quiet peace of the garden suddenly evaporated. ‘Tell me you’re joking, Alex.’

‘Why would I be? You have as much to say about the clinic as me.’

He leaned forward, his eyes betraying the touch of mischief that Marie loved so much. At any other time than this.

‘And the whole point of a man’s dinner suit is to show off a woman’s dress.’

Suddenly she felt sick. ‘I can’t hobnob with the rich and famous, Alex. I don’t know how to talk with these people, or how to act.’

‘How about just the same as you always do?’

There was a trace of hurt in his voice. He was rich. And it was only a matter of time before he’d be famous. She knew Alex was under no illusions that he could keep his royal status under wraps indefinitely—he just wanted to put the moment off for as long as he could.

‘I can’t, Alex. I just…can’t.’

He thought for a moment, his face grave. ‘Okay. If you can’t do it, then you can’t. I’m not going to tell you that the clinic needs you, or that I need you, because that wouldn’t give you any choice. You’re always there for the people who need you.’

‘What do you mean?’ The lump in Marie’s throat betrayed her. She knew exactly what he meant.

‘You’ve always been there for your mother and brothers. Don’t get me wrong—that’s a fine thing, and I envy you it. I’d have done anything for my mother to need me a bit more. But I know it’s not been easy for you; it never is for people who care for the people they love.’

She’d been thinking the same about Terri, just moments ago. He was right, but Marie dismissed the thought. It was too awkward.

‘So you’re telling me I don’t have to go?’

‘Of course. You don’t have to do anything. I’d really like you to go, because I think you’re selling yourself short. And because a very wise person once told me that I needed to accept who I am and write my own script. I’d like you to accept who I am and come with me, as my friend.’

Dammit. Saying he needed her would have been easy compared to this. Alex was reaching out, asking her to step out of her comfort zone and meet him halfway.

‘So when is this reception?’

‘Next month. I could go dress-shopping with you…?’

He looked as if he’d enjoy that far too much.

‘No, that’s fine. I can handle that.’

‘Then you’re coming?’

‘Yes, all right. I’ll come.’

At least it would serve as a reminder to her that she and Alex came from different worlds. That they could be friends, but anything more was unthinkable. It had always been unthinkable, but it was doubly so now that they were working together.

He grinned. ‘Great. I’ll let Sonya know. Should I quit while I’m winning?’

She could never resist his smile. ‘Yes. Please do that, Alex.’

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