‘He’s an award-winning writer. I’d be mad to turn down the opportunity to work with him. And he’s covering my accommodation costs too.’ With each moment that passed she realised more and more that she’d be a fool to turn this down.

‘As I said,’ Lorcan replied, his voice dull. ‘It’s very generous of him, but…’

‘But what?’ she snapped.

Lorcan shifted uneasily. ‘Please don’t take this the wrong way. Actually, don’t worry about it. Forget I said anything.’

‘I’m hardly going to be able to do that now. What were you going to say?’ Jo was in serious danger of her good mood slipping away.

She watched as Lorcan shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. ‘I’m only saying this because you’re my friend, I think, or you could be my friend. But are you sure it’s not just a line? A “why don’t you come up so I can show you my etchings” kind of a thing?’ He tried to sound light and breezy but there was no way to get around the words he had actually spoken.

Immediately, Jo felt the wind sucked out of her sails. ‘Because there could be no other reason for him wanting to work with me other than for him to seduce me?’ she said, the last few words coming out as little more than an angry whisper. How dare he?

‘That’s not what I’m saying. It’s just unusual. That’s all. Nothing more than that. I’m not questioning your talent. Why would I?’

She was about to tell him exactly what she thought of him for even suggesting such a thing when she heard Libby’s voice over the PA system in the shop announcing that the event was about to start and asking people to take their seats.

‘We should go in,’ Jo said.

‘Thanks for getting me a ticket, by the way. I appreciate it,’ he said.

Jo shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t bring herself to speak because if she did she would either scream at him or start to cry. All she knew was that she wished with all her heart that she hadn’t got him the damn ticket. In fact, at that moment, she wished she hadn’t met him at all.

Inside the shop, she was deeply relieved to find there were only a couple of seats left and none of them together. ‘I’ll talk to you after,’ she said, fully planning to avoid him at all costs after the event, before she walked to the front of the shop to take a seat.