‘A steel band came to play at the service for one of their own musicians. They played “Amazing Grace” on the drums as the congregation filed in. The sound was incredible. Everyone stopped to listen. Even Paula came out of her office to watch.’ My eyes pricked with tears at the memory and I shook my head. ‘It was such a celebration, so joyous. Then afterwards, Lisa came in. She’s the one whose job I’ve been covering. She’s better now and—’

‘Good.’ Harvey shovelled in a forkful of goulash. ‘That means you’ll be finished at that death camp.’

I cleared my throat. ‘Actually—’

‘I’ve had a good day too,’ he went on, swigging his water and then sipping his wine. ‘I was manning the gym’s shop when this woman walked in, all fake tan and fingernails. She ordered five hundred quid’s worth of food supplements and vitamins. Five hundred! And then she bought a load of sports gear, said she needed a whole new wardrobe before she could come to the gym. Daft mare.’

‘Gosh,’ I widened my eyes. ‘Imagine having that much spare cash.’

‘Thanks to the commission on that lot, I will have a bit more cash,’ said Harvey, smiling broadly. ‘So I was thinking, I might volunteer to work in the shop more often and then I can start putting a bit away, start saving for our future.’

Bloody hell, he wasn’t going to propose, was he? Not that marrying Harvey was such an awful proposition, obviously, I corrected myself, feeling my face heat up. He was hard-working, good-looking and so in love with me that he liked to keep me all for himself. How many women would love a bit more attention from their men?

‘Save?’ I said weakly, aware he was waiting for some sort of response.

He nodded. ‘For a holiday later in the year. I thought maybe Scotland?’

‘That’s a lovely idea! And so romantic,’ I said, a little over-eager with relief that wedding bells weren’t on the cards after all. ‘I’ve always wanted to see the mountains and the lochs.’

‘Great.’ He nodded as if that was settled. ‘I can go fishing and you can, I don’t know, read or something.’

No way was I going all the way to Scotland to witness my boyfriend standing up to his nether regions in a lake getting more and more angry when he didn’t get a nibble. I’d gone fishing with him once and never again.

‘Or,’ I said slowly, ‘why don’t I help save up and we might even manage a holiday abroad?’

Harvey’s face fell. ‘So you don’t want to go to Scotland?’

‘It’s ages since I’ve been on a plane,’ I said. ‘And we’ve never been abroad together. And from Monday, I’ve got the chance to earn a bit more too.’