‘Actually, I think I’ll just have a cup of tea,’ she said, her voice little more than a whisper. She wanted another glass of wine, of course. At that moment, she’d happily down an entire bottle of wine, but no. God. What had she been thinking? She needed a clear head and to focus on what they were there to do instead of imagining how his strong, tall presence would make her feel almost pixie-like. Those thoughts were just the wine talking. And the day in the sun. And her annoyance with Lorcan. They weren’t real, she told herself. Even though they had felt very real.

‘When I get back, we can talk about your use of imagery,’ he said. ‘I’ve a few blog links I think you might find helpful. Maybe you could check them out tonight in your room? You’re okay if we just do our own things for dinner, aren’t you? I mean, absolutely order anything you want on room service and I’ll cover it. But it will be a good chance to get some work done, and I have to say that after today I’m feeling inspired to sit down and write.’

His smile was warm and broad and just as he pulled himself up to his full height, Jo felt her body want to fold in on itself with embarrassment and she sagged with relief that she hadn’t made a noticeable eejit of herself by lunging at him for a full-on snog.

She dropped her head in her hands when he left and momentarily wondered if she could just make a quick escape before he came back – just grab his scribbled notes and make for her room. While he was still looking for her in the bar, she could throw a few things in her case and run.

She wished Noah was there. Or Libby or Erin. Or her mum or Clara. To her utter annoyance, Lorcan’s name even floated into her head. How had he managed to get under her skin so much in such a short period of time?

Noah would make her feel better by telling her one of his own excruciatingly embarrassing stories. Libby would say something comforting and give her a hug. Erin would say something outrageously inappropriate, and Clara would engage her with so much chat about all the intricacies of her day that she wouldn’t have time to feel embarrassed. Her mum would tell her about the time Mags did something much, much worse, and actually did it, not just almost did it. And Lorcan? He would probably stand in judgement and use this as some sort of proof that he was right, even though it was she who had almost made a pass at Ewan and not the other way round.