‘No, but we agreed we needed to be careful today to make sure no one finds out. I remembered what you said about me having more to lose than him.’

‘Well, good,’ Liv replied. ‘If Hayley found out, I worry it would make her completely change her mind about promoting you. You know what a stickler she is about keeping things professional with clients. She doesn’t like you doing anything for me as we’re family; she doesn’t want anyone to think I get preferential treatment.’

‘I know but I think she has changed her mind already,’ I said dully. ‘She’s been so quiet ever since Jake let slip that article was all true.’ I knew Hayley would not look kindly on me having any sort of relationship with Jake. She certainly would feel the same as she did with Liv that it would be a conflict of interest for me to deal with his work, and as her biggest client, that was part of my job. And I worried whether authors, if they knew, would want me to be their agent if I was lucky enough to be allowed to take on my own clients. It was all very complicated. ‘I don’t know if we can do anything today that will be enough for Jake to get a new book deal.’

‘Why can’t he just tell everyone why he said those things? Everyone is making up their own story about it. It can’t be worse than some of what I’ve been hearing around the conference!’

I sighed. ‘It’s really personal, Liv.’

She gasped ‘He told you?’

I nodded. ‘He did.’

She leaned back in her chair. ‘Wow. I didn’t realise you had got that… close. I thought it was a holiday fling.’

‘I don’t know what it is,’ I admitted. I wasn’t sure whether to tell her that I hoped it could turn into something more because Jake hadn’t given any indication that he wanted it to. But he had opened up to me and we had been really intimate. ‘I do like him though, Liv.’

She reached across the table and gave my hand a quick squeeze. ‘He will be a fool if he doesn’t want to see you again at home.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘But you think we’re a bad idea.’

‘You’re very different,’ she said carefully. ‘Not necessarily a bad thing if you’re both on the same page about what you are to each other. Opposites attract for sure.’