No more noise complaints or threatening notes, no more wayward deliveries – all of that had been sorted – and he, in turn, seemed considerably more reassured about having her next door. She was gratified that their interactions, which often now verged on banter, provided him with a bit of companionship and an outlet that he didn’t otherwise have, cooped up all day in his apartment.

At her very core, Hannah was a helper – and whether it was developing branding strategies for wannabee influencers, athletes with reputation problems or helping a homebound elderly man feel less lonely – finding ways to smooth things over had always given her the most joy.

Make it so.

Though now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard from Ed for a while. She made a mental note to check in soon and bake him some more treats – if, for once, she got home from the office at a reasonable hour.

The line on her desk buzzed, announcing Ward McKenzie’s arrival, and when a few minutes later he appeared in her office, Hannah looked up.

He took a seat across from her, but seemed to have regressed to his older glummer self – and not at all like the dashing man-about-town beaming back at her from the PC screen after yet another successful public outing.

‘You OK?’ she asked by way of a hello.

He slumped down. ‘Too much standing around last night, I think. Leg’s bothering me,’ he mumbled. ‘And I got home later than I wanted to.’ He scowled, wincing a little. ‘I was supposed to join some guys from the team to practise some light training today; see how things are shaping up, but I called it off. I’m tired and then I had to trudge all the way down here too.’

Hannah swallowed guiltily, uneasy at the prospect of setting his recovery back because of something she had done. Again.

‘Ah, I’m sorry about that,’ she replied earnestly. ‘I didn’t know about the practice. And as for coming here, next time just tell me if you’re not feeling up to it, OK? I could just as easily have come to you.’

He met her gaze and after a beat, his green eyes softened. ‘Nah, it’s OK,’ he conceded. ‘I rescheduled the training thing for later in the week. Just felt a bit stiff, you know?’

‘Probably the dress shoes too,’ she commented, glancing at his trainers. ‘I know how I feel after a night in four-inch stilettos.’

He finally smiled. ‘Yeah, well, at least you’re something to look at.’

Hannah’s mouth went momentarily dry, and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Quickly, she reached for her laptop and turned it around to face him, hoping it would take his attention off of her face. Dangerous ground.

‘Seriously, though,’ she stammered, quickly moving on, ‘look at this coverage. The media shots are so good. You look great.’