‘The romance conference is in the hotel opposite so we have literally a few feet to go to get there,’ I told him in the haughtiest tone I could manage. ‘As you were a late addition to the line-up, there were no rooms left in that hotel so I thought it made the most sense to come here. And yes, I have always wanted to stay here after watching Serendipity. If it isn’t up to your standards, maybe Hayley would be willing to let you move hotels but I think most people would be delighted to stay here.’

The air between us was thick as Jake stared back at me for a moment. Then he shrugged. ‘It’s fine, Freya; no need to put on your schoolteacher voice about it. Maybe you should lie down for a bit. It was a long journey. I’ll see you at the welcome drinks.’

He strode off with his case, leaving me watching him go and wishing I’d been the one who had flounced off. With an irritated sigh, I followed at a slower pace, watching him go into his room and then I headed into mine, closing the door harder than was strictly necessary.

7

My hotel room was lovely with a huge, comfortable bed and a marbled bathroom. Best of all, I had a front-facing room so I could look down on the city below. The people and cars looked no bigger than ants from up here. I was surrounded by iconic buildings and my smile was wide at being able to see it all. I ignored Jake’s patronising suggestion to lie down and hastily unpacked then had a shower and got changed, ready for the conference welcome drinks, which started at 7 p.m. I was tired from travelling but this was a mandatory event and I knew it was important for Jake to be seen there and to make the best first impression he possibly could.

I pulled on my long, silky, black dress that I kept for special occasions which I’d found at a designer outlet place and would never have been able to afford otherwise. It wasn’t my typical style of short dresses and boots but it felt like this event called for something more elegant. The dress clung to my curves in the right places and when paired with my four-inch heels, I felt pretty good. I made my eyes look smoky and kept my hair down.

When I left my room, I hovered outside Jake’s for a moment, wishing we’d agreed to meet at the conference. Going to collect him from his room gave the whole thing a slight date vibe even though I knew it was ridiculous to think that. Jake was the last man I’d ever go on a date with. But that thought made me feel more nervous than I was already.

I finally summoned the courage to knock.