Liam leaned forwards when the woman’s mojito arrived and offered to pay for it. She accepted. That meant a longer conversation, and the barmaid poured Liam another pint with raised 192eyebrows that Jenny understood. The woman was making a play for him. It wasn’t completely unbelievable, Liam was handsome and well put together, but he was at least ten years older than her, and hadn’t been on the lookout, was just sitting nursing his lager. This never happened, except it was happening in front of Jenny’s eyes.

Jenny got her phone out and pretended to check social media as she zoomed in and took a few pictures of them chatting. The woman sat on the barstool next to him and faced him. The way her skirt rode up her thighs when she leaned towards him drew the eye.

She was mirroring his body movements, touching her ear, lifting her drink, chin resting on the heel of her hand. This was what pick-up artists did, why was she pulling this stuff on a guy in a Leith pub?

They kept talking, drinking, mirroring, occasionally a laugh, but something was off. Liam wasn’t responding the way she wanted, she had to reignite the conversation while he glanced down at his crossword. The barmaid went to serve someone and Liam’s attention was grabbed for a moment before the dolly brought him back to her with a swish of hair and a waft of perfume. He responded, but his smile was more polite than predatory.

She finished her mojito with a flourish and put the empty glass down like a challenge. He finished his pint, smiled warmly and stood up to leave. She put a hand on his arm and he stood and listened while she leaned forwards and talked in his ear, then he calmly replied, removed her hand from his arm and walked away, out of the pub and into the evening sunshine.

The woman had a face like fizz as she waved her empty mojito glass at the barmaid, who went to make another.

Jenny went to the bar, sat in the seat Liam had just been in. She made a show of checking the woman up and down, and she eventually turned.193

‘Can I help you?’ she said. Soft English accent, home counties.

‘What was that about?’ Jenny said.

‘What?’

‘With that guy.’

‘What guy?’

Jenny bit her lip. ‘The guy you were just trying to pull.’

The woman frowned as the barmaid brought the fresh drink.

‘I’ll get that,’ Jenny said, handing over her bankcard to the barmaid. ‘And a double gin and tonic.’

That got the woman’s attention.

‘What’s it to you?’ the woman said.

Jenny stuck out her hand. ‘I’m Jenny.’

The woman stared at her, then at the mojito, then at the barmaid who was fixing the gin and handing the card reader over.

‘Darcy,’ she said eventually.

‘Nice to meet you.’