Jo even decided she would buy some new eyeliner and declared that she would watch as many YouTube make-up tutorials as necessary to allow her to perfect the art of a winged eyeliner look. It’s a skill that had eluded her throughout all of her twenty-nine years, but she was determined it would elude her no longer. She wanted to look groomed, confident and in control when she met Ewan McLachlan. She wanted to feel comfortable in her own skin so that she could feel as comfortable with him as she already felt with Lorcan.

Lorcan had already sent her a message to see if she was free for lunch. She, of course, was and arranged to meet him at The Ivy Inn at midday.

As she made her way into one of the city’s small boutiques, Jo wondered what exactly a young aspiring writer would look like? Should she play the part of impoverished artiste – all goth-black jeans with tears in them and probably a grey oversized jumper that would hang off one shoulder. A pair of DM boots, which she already owned could complete the look quite nicely. It would look amazing with her winged eyeliner and she could get her nails painted black to boot.

But no, that wasn’t the impression she wanted to give. She wanted to look chic and sophisticated. More elegant than scruffy student.

When an electric-blue, slim-cut trouser suit which looked as if it had been made just for her caught her eye, she knew immediately it was exactly what she wanted to wear. It would make the colour of her hair seem more vibrant, and bring out the blue in her eyes. Styled right, with a tailored white shirt, the top few buttons undone, a pair of flats and a dark scarf to tie her hair back, she could ooze a certain Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction vibe but with a modern twist, and minus the drug addiction, obviously.

As she looked at herself in the mirror of the changing room, Jo was so enamoured with the reflection staring back at her she decided she was going to buy the suit without even checking the price first. Whatever the cost, it was worth it.

As it happened, the cost was more than she normally earned in a week at The Ivy Inn and she had a momentary ‘but did it really make me look that good?’ wobble before she handed her card over, typed in her pin and smiled gratefully when it wasn’t declined.

So maybe she’d have to paint her nails at home to save some money. She could absolutely do that. And she didn’t really need new make-up. This was an investment, she told herself, in the new, more confident, slightly terrified but doing it anyway Jo Campbell.