With that she bent to stack more bottles into a small fridge behind the bar, giving Ollie a front-row view of her graceful, slender neck, the gentle slope of her shoulders, the pearls of her spine trailing into that curve-enhancing vintage dress. Even the back of her was more interesting, more alluring than anything he’d seen in weeks. Months. Ever.

In his peripheral vision he sensed movement. As Sara put a fistful of dirty glasses next to him on the counter, she caught him looking at Vicki and grinned. Her eyes widened in something he could only interpret as mischief and he could almost read what she was thinking. Yeah, he was checking this Vicki out. So sue me.

But damn, the last thing he wanted was to make anyone uncomfortable. He drew his eyes away but there was something about her that made him want to take a second glance and keep on looking. She was stunning, had a gentle confidence about her, and was helping poor kids in her spare time… his kind of perfect.

Not that he was interested in perfect. Or anyone at all right now. He had far too much to do to save the family business to be distracted by a woman. Still, a guy could look, right?

Vicki was oblivious. Vicki? She was more a Victoria, he thought. Victoria smacked of gravitas and class and she had both in spades.

Sara was still grinning. She opened her mouth, no doubt to say some smart-ass comment, but right on cue his phone vibrated again. Phew. Saved by the ringtone. But sadly, saved by his mother was way more of a crush to his ego than being caught admiring a beautiful woman.

How about Jecca Forsythe? She’s lovely. Just come out of a messy divorce, so I imagine she’s keen to get dating again. Your mother xx

The latest in the line of single women his mother kept parading in front of him. They were all perfectly nice women, all fitting his parents’ ideal of what a Russell wife should be like; preferably the daughter of business associates to strengthen the Russell brand, clever, pretty but not showy, happy to support him in his business, keen for a family. But none of them made him feel… whatever it was he was supposed to feel. The kind of thing his grandparents had had. The laugh together, play together, grow together love. That wasn’t something they shared in his Russell household. Loyalty, yes. Proximity… if necessary. Closeness, not so much.

No, Mum. Not Jecca. Or Arabella. Or anyone else for that matter. I can sort out my own love life, thanks.

Another ping on his phone. He didn’t want to look, but he had to, because ignoring her wasn’t working.