Jo cringed at the thought of her Facebook profile picture – in which she wore one of Clara’s princess tiaras and had a small purple butterfly painted on her cheek.

‘I apologise if you’re disappointed I’ve no tiara tonight. My little sister wanted it back,’ Jo said and Ewan smiled.

‘Shame. It suited you. But, look, it’s lovely to meet you, and if it suits Libby here, maybe we could sit down and have a chat about your work before everyone starts arriving?’

‘That’s perfect,’ Libby said, before Jo could find an excuse to turn and flee. ‘I’ve a space set up for you in one of the writing nooks. And I can get you a tea or coffee, or a glass of wine if you prefer? I’ll be locking the door now for twenty minutes, just to get my finishing touches done, so you shouldn’t be disturbed.’

‘That’s great, perfect, Libby, and a cup of coffee would be a lifesaver. Thank you,’ he said while Jo could feel her heart thump in her chest and her stomach clench. It was a strange feeling. A mixture of fear, excitement and, if she wasn’t mistaken, a little bit of lust.

Jo followed as Libby led Ewan to the Heaney writing nook, where Jo did most of her writing. ‘This is one of our author spaces,’ Libby explained. ‘We have a lot of aspiring writers come and use this space. Jo here included. This is her favourite spot, actually.’

‘This is brilliant,’ Ewan said, as he took it in. ‘I’d have loved somewhere like this to escape to when I was starting out. Peace and quiet away from home.’

Libby beamed with pride and Jo felt her heart swell with affection for her very dear friend.

‘I don’t think I’d have finished the book if it wasn’t for this space. When I come here, I can just write without distractions. It’s perfect. It was a genius idea.’

‘Having read some of your work, I have to agree. It works for you,’ Ewan said with a slow, smouldering sigh. Jo willed her legs not to turn to jelly as she smiled back, trying not to read too much into the compliment.

‘I’ll leave you guys to it,’ Libby said, as she grinned wildly at Jo, clearly very proud of herself for making all of this happen. ‘I’ll bring your coffee over, Ewan, and then fetch you in about twenty minutes or so.’

She left and Jo watched as Ewan pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit down. ‘Ladies first,’ he said, and she did just as she was told. She was fairly sure she would do anything she was told if Ewan was the person doing the telling. His voice had a hypnotic quality to it.