‘Letting her into your life must have taken guts.’

He shakes his head. ‘She’s the brave one, and I’m never gonna be Dad of the Year. But I’m not the basket case I was at twenty, thanks to my friends. They’ve stood in for family many times. They get me so much more than anyone I’m related to by blood.’

Each sentence seems to have a whole other story underneath, and I want to understand what shaped this man. Even solve the puzzle of our connection.

Before I can think of another question, he kicks at the grass. ‘Sorry. This is way too heavy for a first date.’

He’s right. We’re breaking all the rules.

‘It’s the truth spell, remember?’ I say. ‘But it’s good that your friends are there for you. I’ve been very lucky. My family isn’t perfect, but they’ve always been ready to support me.’ I think about Laura at lunch. ‘Or, more often, to tell me what to do.’

Right now she’d be telling me to lighten up. So as Dan lays out a blanket and offers me a choice of a veggie or a chicken burrito, beer or juice, I joke about how limited my knowledge of music is, and he says he’ll do me a playlist, so long as I take him to a gallery, teach him what to look for in a painting.

And even though we both seem to be making a big leap, assuming there will be a next date, or multiple next dates, I don’t want to shut the idea down yet. Because it’s such a lovely daydream, like my parents planning the itinerary of their round-the-world retirement cruise when, deep down, they know they’ll never be able to afford it.

Bear lies on his back on the grass, enjoying the peachy evening sun on his belly. We fall silent, but now complications rush into my head to fill the gap. Everything in my life is loaded and mission-critical.

Whereas this is a mirage and it must be the same for Dan, with his unstable ex and his sick daughter. We should finish our burritos, thank each other for a nice evening, make vague excuses about being too busy to meet for a while. Run as fast as we can back to our too-full lives. Except . . .

‘This is perfect,’ he says softly.

The intensity in his eyes mirrors my own desires. If this is a daydream and none of it is real, then whatever we do next doesn’t matter. This is an evening out of time. Inconsequential. A balloon rising and disappearing.

I want to kiss him so much more than I want to run.

Chapter 17: Dan

Gemma shuts her eyes. This is when I should move in for the kiss we both want.

I don’t only want to kiss her. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. She has her own place. Angelica would be super-happy if I stayed out all night.

All I can hear is Gemma’s breathing. She wants me as much as I want her. And I am Dan the Man, the people-pleaser, here for a good time, not a long time, living the dream. What is stopping me?