‘This isn’t a McCreadie book,’ Ewan said. ‘I need a wee break from him. This is something different. And my protagonist is obsessed with capturing images. He sees them in a way people don’t tend to these days. He looks for the detail. The things people blindly clicking and pouting don’t see. He becomes obsessed with those details. Obsessed with the minutiae of people’s lives. A bit too obsessed, you know.’

‘So he’s the bad guy?’ Jo asked, intrigued. So far Ewan had been very tight-lipped about his new book and Jo hadn’t felt in a position to push. She knew herself that the writing process was so fluid and changeable that the story evolved, so it was no surprise if Ewan wanted to hold back on the details while he was still working the story through in his own mind. That, and a part of her wasn’t totally convinced he saw her as an actual writer despite his friendly demeanour.

’That would be telling,’ Ewan said. ‘But he definitely has the potential to go either way.’ He paused and looked at her so intently that she felt her breathing slow and her heartbeat quicken. Just as quickly he looked away. ‘Anyway, there’s a significant strand of backstory set here and that’s why I want it to be authentic. He has to be as far removed from McCreadie as I can get him so I’m not accused of being a one-trick pony.’ He moved behind her. ‘Right, hold that camera up to your face and look through the viewfinder. Tell me if that looks different from looking at a phone screen.’

He stood so close to her that she could feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck, the presence of his body close to hers. But she forced herself to concentrate, to do as she was told, even if she did have to squint a little to get her eyes to focus. She could see the scene in front of her framed, the shafts of light from the breaks in the clouds.

‘Don’t just press the button on a whim. Think about the exact second you want to recall. You’ll feel it when it’s right.’

She thought about what he was saying. It could be applied to so much more than just snapping photos. He urged caution. It was the same premise she had lived with all her life. On the other hand, he’d told her when she felt things were right, she had to seize the moment. Click the button. Take the photo. The next moment might not be the same.