And then I heard myself say something that surprised the hell out of me. ‘I’d love to.’

‘Excellent. Well, I shall let you get back to it. It sounds like a bit of a party is going on.’

‘Yes. Our farewell dinner.’

‘Enjoy then. I’ll speak to you when you get back from the continent.’

‘Okay.’

‘Goodbye, Sarah.’

‘Bye, James.’

The call ended while the phone was still pressed against my ear. I dropped it in my handbag and turned back to the room. Josh saw me and headed over, leaving Kiersten mid-sentence and talking to his back. She looked pissed off. Good.

‘Hey,’ he said, approaching me with a gentle smile.

‘Hey,’ I replied, donning a fake smile. I had just agreed to see James in London – and James was seriously serious about me.

‘Everything okay?’

‘Sure. Why?’ Stalling. I was stalling. I couldn’t parse the conversation I’d just had with James, and I was already in the middle of another one.

‘Just that you look a little, I don’t know … Did that call upset you?’

I recovered myself and properly joined the conversation I was having with Josh. ‘No, no. It was nothing. Just my sister. She can’t pick me up from the airport anymore, so I’ll take a taxi.’ Good lie, Sarah.

‘Oh, that’s a bummer.’

‘No, it’s fine really. It doesn’t cost very much from the airport to her flat.’ Okay, now I was rambling on about nothing and lying – it was an absolute fortune from Heathrow to my sister’s flat, but Josh didn’t know that.

I suddenly remembered the redhead.

‘What about you?’ I signalled over his shoulder to where Kiersten was standing, glaring at me. ‘What was that all about?’

He laughed. ‘Oh, she wanted us to cut out early and go back to her hotel.’ My eyes must have doubled in size. ‘That’s what I thought,’ he said. ‘She was even getting a little touchy-feely.’

‘I noticed,’ I said, unable to stop a mid-sized pout from settling onto my face. Sarah Parsons! What right do you have to be jealous after that phone call?

‘I know you noticed, and I want to be clear that I am not interested in Kiersten. I told her no, because I am with you.’

‘You did?’

‘Yes. Of course I did. What did you think? That we’d spend the day together – in bed – and then I’d drop you for the first cute girl who comes along?’

‘You think she’s cute?’ Oh boy, I was pathetic.