‘Oh, Evie!’ he cries, pushing back his chair and falling to the floor. He’s on bended knee, but when a dad two tables over nudges his partner Duke realises that it looks like a proposal, so drops the other one.

‘Evie Bird, bestselling author, lady of midnight-walking knowledge and endless hurtful-but-strangely-provocative jibes, I offer thee my most sincere apologies! Thou art a fair maiden and I but a rude, indignant ogre, and all the days and all the nights could not add up to enough time to truly give you the sorry you most truly deserve! Evie! I beg for your mercy! I beg for your grace, oh benevolent one!’

Evie looks at him and with a perfectly straight face – all the more impressive considering almost everyone in the café is looking at them – and says, ‘Forgiven. That was a very proficient apology. Well done.’ Duke had hoped to make her laugh. He’ll settle for getting to return to his seat at the table.

‘Your not-so-secret admirer hasn’t come back …’ Duke says, and Evie raises an eyebrow.

‘Is that surprising?’ she asks.

Duke purses his lips. ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ he retorts quickly – too quickly. ‘I thought you two were perfect for each other.’

Evie doesn’t reply, simply busies herself with putting some lip balm onto her perfectly kissable lips and popping a mint.

‘Want one?’ she says, and Duke smiles. ‘Is that a hint?’

What he meant was, was the lip balm and mint a hint that a kiss might be imminent. She knows that’s what he meant. Instead, she pushes his buttons and tells him, ‘Honestly? Yes. You’ve got breath like a sewer.’

Duke suddenly panics that that’s true, practically ripping the mints from her hand. He takes two and chews quickly, and when he looks back at her sees that she’s laughing. A lot.

‘You’re a funny one, mister,’ she says to him.

He swallows the Tic Tacs.

‘Is that so?’ he says.

‘Yup.’

‘Hmm.’

‘My sentiments exactly,’ she clucks.

Then the penny drops. She’s not going to make this easy for him. It’s his turn, now, to push the needle forward on whatever this is. Last night, it was almost like she was ready to kiss him. Could it be? Is it possible that they’ve reached a place together that promises potential?

‘Evie?’ Duke prompts, needing verbal confirmation. She chews her lips and raises her eyebrows at him in response. ‘It’s my move, isn’t it?’ He grins.

She grins right back, and just like that they’re on the exact same – and unexpected – page.

‘Oh yeah,’ she tells him. ‘And you’d better make it a good one.’

‘Hey,’ Duke whispers, as close to her face as he can so as not to wake anybody else. ‘Wake up, Evie. Psst.’