I looked at Hayley. She seemed disappointed. Clearly, she still didn’t think this was a good idea. But I was so proud of Jake. I had to help this work out.

I stopped filming, put my phone down and stepped forward. ‘I’ve never been in love,’ I said. Jake turned in surprise and I felt all eyes in the room train on me, which made me nervous but I carried on speaking, keeping my gaze on Jake to give me more confidence. ‘I have always loved your books because they gave me hope that one day, I will. And if I don’t… they are a form of escapism from life, which can be hard, let’s face it. They make me happy. I will always want to read a new Jake Richards book.’

Jake smiled at me. It was a slow smile that felt hard won. I smiled back.

A woman at the back of the room stood up then. ‘I lost my husband four years ago and one of my friends gave me one of your books. They gave me comfort. They still do.’

Another woman stood up after her. ‘I am married and I love reading about couples falling in love because it reminds me of how my husband and I fell in love.’

Hayley waved at me from across the room; she gestured to my phone.

‘Oh,’ I said. I called out to ask everyone if I could record this and no one objected so I did. Hayley gave me a pleased nod and I let out an exhale. She seemed in a much better mood so she must have sensed things were going well like I did. I could have collapsed with relief but I kept on filming.

A man got up then. ‘My boyfriend isn’t really romantic so I like the fantasy of reading about men who are.’

‘You deserve romance!’ a woman sitting in front of him told him over her shoulder. ‘I gave my partner one of Jake’s books to read and he bought me flowers every week after that.’

Even Hayley raised a smile at that.

More people stood up to talk about why they loved Jake’s books and when I looked at him, I could see he was swelling with pride, and it made me happy to see. This was what I had hoped for – he had connected with his readers so they not only believed what he had told them, they understood and wanted to share their stories to show him how much his books had affected them.

Once everyone who wanted to had spoken, Jake thanked them all.