‘I’m going to miss you, Abbie Logan,’ he repeated for the hundredth time that day, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her in tight. She brushed a lock of blond hair away from her face and smiled up at him with a twinkle of those impossibly blue eyes.

‘I’m going to miss you too, Ben Hope,’ she replied. ‘Until the next time, eh? Australia’s not that far to travel, for a globe-trotting adventurer like you.’

‘You just try to keep me away,’ he replied.

But they both knew in their hearts that tomorrow morning would probably be the last time they would see each other. Ben ached at the thought of losing her. But what else could he do? Propose marriage? He could imagine her response: ‘Why spoil a good thing, Ben?’ And he’d have had to agree.

Abbie had travelled to France in unlikely style, on a private jet belonging to Ben’s sister’s business corporation, Steiner Industries. It wasn’t exactly a typical mode of transport for Ben either, and how that situation had come about was a long story. Whatever the case, despite being a keen pilot with a passion for aircraft and a particular admiration for Ruth’s sleek white Bombardier Global, Abbie had staunchly refused to be indulged in such privileged luxuries for the return trip. Early next morning he drove her the twenty kilometres from Le Val to the airport at Cherbourg, where her commercial flight was due to depart at ten. Neither of them wanted a big emotional farewell. By unspoken mutual consent no sloppy sentiments, and especially not the dreaded words ‘I love you’ or anything like them, were to be expressed. She gave him a tight hug, a last quick kiss, and then she was gone.

He stood outside the terminal and lit a Gauloise in the mid-morning sunshine as her plane took off. He watched it until it disappeared into the distance, then crushed out his cigarette, turned his back and walked slowly with a heavy heart to his BMW Alpina.

‘Well, that’s that,’ he said to his German shepherd, Storm, who was waiting for him in the back of the car. The seats were all nicely matted with black, tan and golden dog hair. He thumped his tail happily and made a little whimper.

‘You liked her, didn’t you?’ Ben asked him.

Thump, thump.

‘Yeah. Me too. Between you and me, buddy, I think I liked her a little too much. Anyway, let’s go home.’