‘Oh, I’m sure it’s a terrible idea,’ Evan replied cheerfully. ‘But before you say no, how about some ground rules; first names only, no personal questions, just one night of good, clean fun. At the end of the night, we’ll go our separate ways, no harm, no foul. It’ll be like Strangers on a Train, only we’re not on a train and we won’t kill anyone.’

‘It’s still early, so let’s not make any rash promises,’ I said, checking the room for blonds in fedoras.

‘And this goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. We’re talking a strictly PG interaction, Boy Scout’s honour.’

‘Were you a boy scout?’ I asked, equally doubtful and disappointed.

‘No,’ he replied with a wolfish wink. ‘But I think I’ve got the gist of it. I won’t even try to go past first base.’

‘Sorry to be extra British, but I’ve never really understood the bases,’ I confessed. ‘Just so we’re entirely clear, what is first base exactly?’

‘Full penetration,’ Evan answered without hesitation, and I laughed so loud and so hard, several heads turned to see what was so funny.

‘No, I swear, entirely honourable behaviour,’ he said as I smothered the sound with my hands. ‘Even your grandmother would be disappointed by our lack of physical contact. I’ll be a perfect gentleman and you call all the shots.’

As indecent proposals went, it was incredibly decent.

‘So.’ Evan sipped his champagne. ‘What do you think? Are you ready for an adventure?’

‘What do I think?’ I repeated the question out loud to myself.

I thought Stew would hate it and I thought I was at risk of doing something incredibly out of character and spectacularly stupid with someone I didn’t even know. I thought the sensible thing would be to go back upstairs, take off this dress, and eat the cold chips that were waiting for me in my room while looking for a new job online.

But I was so tired of doing the sensible thing.

Smiling, I raised my glass to Evan’s and clinked.

‘I think I’m in.’

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

‘Every year the ball is a little different,’ Evan explained as he led me out of the silent auction and through a starlit tunnel. ‘But the basics are the same. You’re always going to have the carnival with the crystal Ferris wheel, that’s iconic, there’s always dancing in the ballroom, and they never change the most important part.’

‘And what’s the most important part?’ I asked, my arm nestled in the crook of his elbow as we emerged into another room where my question was answered.

‘The food,’ he replied. ‘The most important part is the food.’

Be still my beating heart.