Genevieve obligingly fussed him, her eyes on Clancy. ‘Out without Aaron?’ she queried.

Clancy didn’t stop to think that as she’d been involved with Aaron less than twenty-four hours this was an odd opening. She just rolled her eyes. ‘My cousin Alice has turned up so he’s gone to tell Lee, so that he doesn’t chance on her unprepared—’

‘I might as well say this to your face as I’ve already said it to Aaron,’ Genevieve butted in, not, apparently, interested in Alice or Lee. ‘I think you’ve played a mean trick on me.’ Her usually friendly face was shuttered, the corners of her mouth turned down.

‘Pardon?’ Clancy literally took a step back.

‘I suppose you thought it was clever to coach me with all that stuff about women not needing men and the glories of a single life, then bowl in and snap Aaron up for yourself.’

For the second time in a few hours, Clancy’s stomach sank like lead. ‘Oh, hell,’ she said guiltily. ‘Is that what you think? It wasn’t like that! When I said those things I was recognising the end of my old relationship. At that point, there was nothing between Aaron and me.’ A nasty thought struck her. ‘You didn’t end the relationship on the strength of that conversation, did you? I wasn’t giving you instructions, for goodness’ sake! And I absolutely wasn’t plotting to move in on Aaron myself.’

Genevieve’s gaze hardened. ‘So it was all one big, happy coincidence – for you?’

Put like that … ‘I suppose so,’ Clancy admitted unhappily. ‘I’m so sorry. You probably think I’m a conniving bitch—’

But she was talking to a turned back as Genevieve paced deliberately away, chin up and fists clenched at her sides.

‘But what about your new bloke?’ Clancy called after her, a spark of indignation igniting. ‘You’d already found someone else.’

‘Jealousy tactic,’ Genevieve called back flatly. ‘Not a new relationship.’

Clancy groaned, watching her go and feeling an inch tall. She hadn’t given Genevieve much thought when she gave in to the pull she felt towards Aaron. After beginning so promisingly, this was turning out to be a sadly crappy day.

Aaron beat Clancy back to his place by a few minutes and was sliding lasagne in the oven as she and Nelson arrived. ‘I’d intended to take you on a proper date tonight,’ he said. ‘This is a poor excuse for one.’ Then he hesitated, studying her. ‘Are you OK?’

She found it hard to meet his eyes. ‘Genevieve had a word with me.’

‘Oh.’ His hand dropped away from her waist. ‘She had a word with me too. Sorry. I meant to tell you as soon as you got here but you had the glad tidings about Alice and I forgot.’

Although she could understand exactly how that would happen, Clancy said, ‘Forewarned would have been forearmed. She obviously thinks we’re doing something … wrong.’

‘But we’re not.’

She clasped her hands in front of her. ‘It feels as if whatever we’ve started between us is at a cost to her.’ She couldn’t help remembering how she’d felt when Will had done pretty much the same thing.