Charley watches him go, smiling a little to herself. He’s very attractive and she wonders if there was a girl out there in China. Her phone vibrates and she takes it out of her pocket. It’s a text from Amy.

Coming over to see a client. Meet up afterwards? I’ve got Cosmo with me!

Several emojis – laughter, fear, a bottle of wine – follow this and Charley laughs out loud. She types a message.

Finishing at two o’clock. Is that any good?

The reply comes straight back.

See you in the tapas bar. Act surprised.

Charley puts her phone away, and arches her eyebrows. She is surprised – and pleased – that Amy should feel ready to introduce her to Cosmo, even if he has no idea that it’s going to happen. Charley chuckles inwardly. The prospect delights her. This is just up her street. What doesn’t surprise her, though, is that Amy wants to make this introduction on neutral territory. This will be the first test. Amy wants to see how Cosmo makes out in these circumstances before she moves closer to home. It’s interesting that she hasn’t warned Cosmo, that she wants to take him by surprise. This is clearly not a straightforward relationship. From what Amy has told her there may be reservations on Cosmo’s side: he seems to be a bit slippery, difficult to pin down. This is where she can be useful. What would be more natural than for Amy’s old friend to ask casual questions? Maybe she can be a little more cunning than Amy – after all, she has nothing to lose – and she suspects that this is part of the reason behind Amy’s plan. She wants reassurance, approval, courage to move forward. Charley takes a deep breath. She simply can’t wait.

As soon as Charley walks into Ben’s Wine and Tapas, Cosmo knows he’s been set up. He’s not in the least deceived by the cries of amazement from the two girls or their reasons for being there without telling the other. All the way from Salcombe he was aware of a little buzz of excitement just below Amy’s natural cool. She talked about her client, just a very quick visit to discuss sourcing some garden tubs and pots, and how Reggie would enjoy a walk along the river out to Longmarsh, but all the while he was aware that she was distracted. It hadn’t occurred to him what it might be: the old uni friend called in to make her assessment.