In a daze, I pulled my coat on too and followed her out of the door, grinning at Sam who signalled that he’d phone me.

‘My scarf!’ I said, touching my neck.

‘As if you didn’t do that deliberately,’ Mum said.

‘I didn’t.’ Well, not consciously anyway.

I knocked and entered Sam’s office again.

‘I think you’ve forgotten something.’ He held up my scarf. ‘Can’t have you catching a chill out there.’ He placed it over my head but kept hold of it and gently pulled me towards him. ‘I thought it was customary for you to give a goodbye kiss to your special friends.’

He didn’t need to pull me closer. I was there already, my lips caressing his, my body pressed against him.

‘Your next patient’s here,’ a voice said, startling me and breaking our kiss apart far too soon.

Sam pressed a button on his desk phone. ‘Two minutes, thanks, Pam.’ He looked at me with longing in his eyes. ‘Sorry. Work calls. Are you doing anything tonight?’

I shook my head. If I had been, I’d have cancelled it in a heartbeat.

‘I promised I’d take you out for a meal and I never did that. Can I pick you up at seven and take you for dinner someplace special?’

‘Where?’

‘It’s a secret, but I think you’ll like it. Plus, I have a Christmas gift for you.’

‘Just as well I’ve got you something too or that could have been awkward.’

He leaned forward and gave me another breath-stealing kiss. ‘Till seven, then.’

‘You look absolutely gorgeous,’ Sam said, taking my hand as we headed down Mum’s drive towards Thor that evening.

Picking an outfit had been a bit of a nightmare. I didn’t want to get dressed up if he was taking me to Blue Savannah but I didn’t want to be too casual if he was taking me somewhere more sophisticated. In the end, I settled for a petrol blue A-line dress with short sleeves and a fitted waist, opaque tights, and boots.

‘Thank you,’ I said, taking in his dark jeans and purple shirt. ‘So do you.’

He pointed to his smart black shoes. ‘No footwear disaster this time.’

I placed his Christmas gift in the back of the campervan, then climbed into the front. ‘Where are we going?’

‘A little way down the coast.’

‘Are you going to be more specific?’

He grinned at me as he started the engine. ‘Nope. It’s not far so you’ll soon find out.’

‘I thought we might be going to Blue Savannah.’

Sam shook his head. ‘I thought about it but I wanted to take you somewhere that we’ve both been before but not with Nikki or Scott – somewhere special just for us.’