‘Angry doesn’t cover it. He was furious.’

‘About this thing with his member of staff ripping him off?’

She nodded.

‘He was telling me what he feels like saying to him. Not in the office, of course. Ben’s idea was to take him down a dark alley and have that conversation with the help of a couple of hired thugs and an iron bar.’

‘Blimey. Really?’

‘Yup. Fortunately I managed to talk him out of that particular course of action. Not exactly textbook HR practice.’

‘Good old Mel, keeping everyone on the straight and narrow.’

‘That’s me, darling,’ she smiled. ‘But a bit less of the old if you don’t mind.’

I sat back in my chair, smiling too, relief flooding through me in waves. You saw what you wanted to see, Joe, and you got it one hundred per cent wrong. We’re OK after all. Everything’s good. Everything’s right where it should be.

I held my hand up, like I was swearing an oath.

‘My name is Joseph Michael Lynch, and I am officially an idiot.’

My beautiful wife shook her head and smiled back at me.

‘It’s part of your charm, darling. Always has been.’

‘Sorry for . . . doubting you.’

‘I’ll let you off. Just this once.’

‘But why did you fib about it?’

She shrugged.

‘Client confidentiality.’

‘He’s not your client, though.’

‘You know what I mean. I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone we’d even met.’

‘Not even me?’

‘Not even you, Sherlock.’ She swatted playfully at my arm. ‘And now you’ve made me break my promise. You’re such a meanie.’

I slapped myself on the forehead.

‘Sorry, sorry, sorry. Did I mention that I was sorry?’

‘You are also very silly. You had me worried earlier, when you were being all weird.’

‘I just didn’t get it. When you said you weren’t at that hotel, and I knew you were, I couldn’t understand it. Couldn’t bear the thought of you . . . of us . . . you know.’

I looked away, my face hot.

She got up, came round the table and sat on my lap. Kissed my cheek, nuzzling under my ear in a way that still made me forget everything else in the world.

‘I’m sorry too, Joe,’ she breathed. ‘For fibbing. Shouldn’t have done that.’

I sat for a moment just enjoying it, her warmth, her scent, her touch. The shape of her on my lap.

‘After you left the hotel,’ I said, ‘I saw Ben in the car park.’

She stopped nuzzling my cheek.

‘Saw him?’

‘Talked to him. Kind of. He was angry, but I guess now I know why if someone’s threatening to sabotage his company.’

‘What did he say?’

She listened as I described my encounter with Ben, how he’d fallen and I’d had to rush off. My return to the hotel later on to check he was OK, realising I’d lost my mobile.

‘You poor thing,’ she said, concern on her face. ‘What an evening you’ve had. Why don’t you try Ben on the phone again? Sort things out with him.’