‘I’m a married woman, James.’ Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat before carrying on. ‘I want to be clear. I’m not having sex with you.’ It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it. He was an attractive man and she was undeniably drawn to him, to his easy company. The way he was so considerate and gentle with her. But she wasn’t about to cheat on her husband. That was something she’d never do.

He snatched his hand away as if he’d been burned, looking thoroughly shocked. ‘Oh my goodness, no. There’s no hidden agenda here.’ With a surge of embarrassment, she remembered they’d had a similar conversation when he’d first suggested the deal, and she felt mortified for even suggesting his intentions might not be honourable. ‘I honestly think of us as friends. That’s all.’

‘I just don’t see how you taking me to a spa is repayment for a debt when it’s going to cost you quite a bit of money.’

The smile faded from his face and she could see a sadness in his eyes. ‘The truth is, I’m lonely. I have no wife, no contact with my daughter, and my father is being very difficult.’ He sighed. ‘The handover of the business is stressful, and I need to switch off for a couple of days. I don’t want to do that on my own.’ He glanced up at her. ‘It won’t be too much of a chore for you, will it?’

She felt bad then for questioning his motives, and desperately started backtracking lest she cause more offence. ‘No, no, not at all. It sounds like a lovely treat.’ In fact, the idea of a spa weekend – no children to think about, no meals to cook, and a bit of pampering – sounded like bliss.

‘I feel like we’re pals now, and we work so well together. I’d really appreciate it if you’d just accept that your company has value to me.’ He gave a rueful laugh. ‘I suppose it’s quite hard to understand when you’re in the opposite situation, and every minute of your day is spent dealing with other people’s needs.’ He took another swig of his beer, put his glass down and held up his hands. ‘There it is. Nothing complicated or untoward. I’d like the pleasure of your company and we’ll knock some money off your debt.’

She considered the proposition for a moment. All that mattered was the fact that James considered this as part repayment.

Nine thousand pounds.