Olivia reluctantly slid into the passenger seat. ‘You’d better not get me into trouble, Ralph Stebbins!’

Ralph beamed at her before waving a hand to Maude. ‘Tell her not to be such a worrywart, Maude.’

Chuckling, Maude waved them goodbye. ‘Enjoy your meal!’

As they approached the gate, Ralph flashed a grin at the guard, who pulled the gate open for them to pass through.

Olivia glanced over her shoulder to the guard who was shutting the gate behind them. ‘Why didn’t he want to see our passes?’

Ralph tapped the side of his nose with his forefinger. ‘Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know, and Percy owes me a favour.’

Olivia looked curious. ‘Blimey, that must be some favour.’

Ralph nodded. ‘I’m sworn to secrecy, of course, but let’s just say I’ve got him out of shtook a couple of times recently.’

Olivia nodded. ‘You scratch my back?’

He grinned. ‘That’s the ticket.’ Taking one hand off the steering wheel, he adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. ‘I’ve been giving some thought to our relationship.’

‘Oh? Sounds ominous.’

‘I think we should decide where our relationship’s going. I’m not keen on casual dating, but on the other hand I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for.’

She averted her attention to the countryside rolling past her window. ‘I’m not sure I want to be victim to a wartime romance. I don’t fancy having my heart broken again.’

He looked surprised. ‘Again?’

She chided herself for speaking without thinking first, but it was too late, the words were out, and he deserved some kind of explanation, even if it didn’t contain the full nitty gritty. ‘I was in love once, and I thought he felt the same about me – turns out I was wrong.’

Ralph’s expression turned wooden. ‘Let me guess, he cheated on you?’

Olivia shook her head. ‘Not that I know of. Let’s just say he wasn’t the man I thought he was.’

Ralph shrugged. ‘But I’m not him, and whatever he did, you can be assured I won’t follow in his footsteps, because I won’t, you know.’

‘And I’m not saying you will,’ said Olivia reasonably, ‘but we’re living in uncertain times. None of us know what the next five minutes hold, never mind the next five days!’

He gave her a long, calculating stare. ‘So, you’re saying you don’t want a serious relationship in case one of us buys it?’

She gave him an appealing look. ‘You see it all the time, Ralph – men and women rushing into things, only to have this damned war tear them apart …’ She shrugged helplessly. ‘That’s not for me.’

He smiled, but Olivia could see he was disappointed. ‘At least you’re honest.’