Please don’t be embarrassed about what you said. I loved reading it. I wish we could have been on our 1st proper date tonight but it wouldn’t be fair of me to start a relationship with you when I haven’t yet come to terms with the past, much as I want to. I’ll see you on Tuesday. Take care xx

I felt sick on Tuesday. All day. Every time I thought about Sam – which was pretty much most of the day – my heart raced and I imagined that soft kiss on the doorstep turning into so much more. Which was ridiculous given that nothing was about to happen between us anytime soon.

It was one of my days serving in the shop alongside Mum but, after I’d tried to charge a customer £1000 for a £100 collectible bear, had knocked over an entire display of plush teddies, and had created carnage in the shop window by causing a domino-effect bear tumble, Mum suggested it would be a good idea for me to be where customers and bears weren’t. I wasn’t much use with the paperwork either, managing to spend an hour working on a document before closing it without saving it.

‘Are you okay?’ Mum asked as we closed and locked up the shop at the end of the day. ‘You’ve not been yourself today.’

There were two reasons to be anxious about Sam’s visit and I could certainly share one of those with her. ‘I’ve got myself a bit worked up about your consultation with Sam. What if his verdict is inconclusive too? Or if it’s bad news.’

Mum shrugged. ‘Then we’ll cross that bridge together. I don’t think it will be inconclusive, though. According to my friendly stalker’s sister, your friend Dr Jones is a far better doctor than Dr Steadman. She was gutted when he left. If it’s bad news, then at least we know what we’re dealing with. At the moment, we haven’t a clue.’ She linked my arm and steered me towards the car park. ‘Of course, if it is bad news, I’ll have to shout and scream and throw a few vases at you and Logan, but then I’ll be fine.’

I was glad she could laugh about it now. She’d had another counselling session last night and had come home on a high again. Meeting up with her friendly stalker’s sister had also been invaluable. It had shown her how it was possible to have Parkinson’s, still work, and still have a busy social life.

The knocker sounded shortly before six, setting my pulse racing. I opened the door and nearly melted. He was in a suit! And he looked even better in one than Scott had. OMG! Swoon!