I’d been holding my breath waiting for her answer and let it out. ‘That’s good,’ I replied.

She nodded. ‘Yes. You know, when I first met him in the person …’ I didn’t correct her misuse of the idiom; I knew what she meant ‘… I knew my search was finished. A person can spend forever looking for someone who makes their heart sing. Maybe that person is not someone close by. Maybe you must look far away for that person. Even across the world. With the phone calls, and Skype, and emails, Duncan he always made my heart sing from the beginning.’ I was mesmerised by her, the beautiful expression on her face while she talked about the man she loved. ‘And that is well worth crossing an ocean for – many times. So, esto es maravilloso. I am very happy.’

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. God, I adored this woman – no wonder Duncan did too. She was beautiful and smart and funny and so incredibly loving. ‘And when my studies finish, then we find one place to live.’

‘When is that?’

‘Next year.’

I smiled. I had no doubt they’d make it to the following year.

She whispered conspiratorially, ‘And what about you, Miss Sarah?’

‘Me?’

‘You seem to have two suitors now, yes?’

‘No!’ I whispered emphatically. Methinks I doth protest too much! Gerry obviously thought so too, and she gave me a knowing smile. She continued our conversation at a discreet volume. ‘Yes. Two suitors. Josh is behaving like a baby, watching you with the handsome man.’

‘He is handsome, isn’t he?’ I really wanted a second opinion. There had to be a reason I’d reacted so viscerally to the silver fox.

‘Oh, yes, very. And he seems to be taken with you too, Sarah. You have to make a choice, yes?’

‘Do I?’

‘I think yes, you do. Josh, he would like to be your boyfriend – for the trip, maybe longer. I think James, he would like to be your lover – for tonight, maybe longer.’ She raised her eyebrows at me, and the more she spoke, the more panicked I felt. Gerry’s take on things made it clear that the whole situation was just as messed up as I thought it was.

So, what did I want? I could turn down the man for the boy, but would the boy want me after all? Maybe I only wanted a holiday fling, a juicy story to dine out on when I got home. I’d sworn off men indefinitely, and now I wanted two at the same time! Well, not at the same time, obviously. I wasn’t planning a cross-Atlantic threesome. Gerry was looking at me with an odd expression on her face. Concern? Horror? Pity?

‘Crap on toast,’ I muttered under my breath.