He laughed and gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite his, which was beside a window seat where she could put her bag and, had there been moonlight, they’d have been able to watch the waves lapping the grainy shore.

“What will you have to drink?” he asked, handing her a cocktail menu. “Some of them have quite raunchy names, so a warning here, I might blush if you suggest a comfortable screw against the wall, or sex on the beach.” Even as he said it, he was reddening, and how could she not warm to him for that?

“Maybe wine is safer,” she suggested.

“You could be right. They serve a great white Rioja here. Would you like to try it? If you haven’t already had it.”

“I haven’t and I would,” she confirmed, “provided you’re having some too.”

“Oh, I’m definitely up for it,” and signaling to a young girl whom he called by name, he placed their order and added a bottle of sparkling water.

“You know her?” Claudia asked as the waitress took off to the bar.

Leaning in conspiratorially he said, “She’s going through the RJ process at the moment as a person responsible for harm, as we term it.”

“You mean she committed a crime?”

“She did, but she’s very sorry and promises she’ll never whack a queue jumper again, not even one who calls her the n word.”

Claudia grimaced. “And the person she whacked?”

“Is sorry too, but to be honest, I think the racism runs deep in her veins, so I’m not convinced that word won’t blast out of her again at some time in the future. Still, we’ll have to deal with that then; right now we have much more important things on the agenda, such as what we’re going to eat.”

As they chose their food and the wine was poured, more of Dan’s clients—from RJ cases and his law firm—dropped by to say hello, much to Claudia’s amusement and his frustration.

“I promise, I had no idea just about everyone I know would be here this evening,” he told her, after a thickset tattooed man had insisted on shaking his hand and telling Claudia how, thanks to “this bloke here,” he’d become good mates with the lowlife who’d broken into his house and robbed him.

In a quiet voice Claudia said, “I know this is unforgivable stereotyping, but if you’d asked me to guess I’d have said he was the person responsible, rather than the one who was harmed.”

Dan laughed. “And another time you wouldn’t have been wrong, because he’s been on the other side of the table before now. It worked for him then, which is why he’s prepared to give it a go now.”