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Nick had either found out about the affair or was having his suspicions. That would explain the distance between him and Morgan.
    It still didn’t explain why Ally had been invited to lunch though. Maybe she should just ask? She pondered the notion as she took a sip of her cabernet sauvignon. It was very, very good. She set the glass on the table and picked up her cutlery again. She would ask after dessert and coffee. After all, there was no point in ruining what was probably going to be her last decent meal for the remainder of her journey.
    “So, what’s next on your film schedule?” she asked Morgan in an attempt to change the topic completely.
    “Well, after we’re finished here we have a few days in the studio, editing and the like. And I’ll be recording the leadins to the segments that will be airing in the next weeks. And then we’re off to—” Morgan looked at Mark. “Where is it again?”
    “Vanuatu.”
    “That’s right . . . Vanuatu.” Morgan gave a self-deprecating smile. “Sometimes I can’t remember where we actually are, never mind where we’re going next.”
    Ally sighed enviously. “You know how to make someone jealous, don’t you? I would love to go to Vanuatu. It’s supposed to be a beautiful spot.”
    “Very romantic,” Kitty interjected quickly. She smiled at Morgan and Nick like an indulgent parent. “I’m sure I’ll have trouble getting much work out of these two.”
    “Stop it, Kitty.” Morgan glared across the table then glanced in embarrassment to Ally. “Sorry, Alison.”
    “Call me Ally,” she reminded her. “And no need to apologize.” Ally secretly thought Mark might not be getting much work done either. And although she had never had an affair and had never even considered having one, she said, “I understand.”
    Ally had directed her comment to Morgan, but she turned her attention to Kitty, feeling her gaze upon her. Sure enough, Kitty was regarding her with the same look that she had that morning in the Red diner car. Once again Ally felt she was back at school, being sized up by the headmistress after being caught committing some misdemeanor. Unwilling—or maybe even unable—to hold the gaze, Ally returned her attention to her plate. She had saved some of the crispy duck skin for last and now she attacked it, cutting it into small bite-sized pieces.
    It was delectable, the fat rendered to perfection. Ally savored each piece slowly, happy to listen to the renewed banter between Morgan and Mark, the two of them recounting an episode in Egypt where Morgan had become hopelessly lost between leaving her hotel and reaching her destination.
    “The pyramids aren’t exactly small, Morgan,” Mark teased. “I really have no idea how you could miss them.” He turned to Ally. “Our Morgan has what you might call a ‘unique’ sense of direction. Haven’t you, Mogs?”
    Morgan nodded, giving that self-deprecating smile again. “If I didn’t have gravity to keep me down, I wouldn’t know which way was up.”
    “Sounds like rather an odd quality for a traveler,” Ally commented, laughing. She was picturing Morgan rushing all over Cairo, trying to find the massive stone structures.
    “Well, luckily, I usually have someone to point me in the right direction.” Morgan turned to Nick and poked him in the side. “Mister here was supposed to escort me. But no, he left early to go take some happy snaps.” She cast her eyes heavenward. “Cameramen. I tell you . . . they see life through a lens.”
    “Now, now, you two. No fighting.” Kitty wagged her finger at them and then gave Ally a look that she supposed was meant to convey she was their long-suffering mediator. “They’re like this with each other all the time.”
    Ally smiled thinly. Kitty was a pain in the ass. And what was it with the continued references to the pairing of Morgan and Nick? She wondered if a covert acknowledgment of their relationship would make the woman shut up about it. “How long