She went back to join the two men. ‘How much?’

‘Twenty quid a week, cash, plus five for the electricity, as long as my power bills don’t go through the roof.’

‘I’d want to store my furniture at one end till I find somewhere permanent to live. That all right too?’

‘Fine by me.’

She got her purse out. ‘Two weeks’ rent in advance suit you?’

‘Yep. Then weekly in advance.’

She paid him and put her purse away. Luke must have gone back to his work and Jim was looking at her thoughtfully.

‘You all right, lass? You look as if you’ve been ill.’

‘A bit stressed. I’ll be fine once everything’s settled. Um … my ex is violent so I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.’

‘Can’t stand fellows who beat their wives. Nutcases, I reckon. Even if he finds you here, there are usually enough guys within earshot to keep you safe.’

She shuddered. ‘I’m hoping I’ve covered my tracks. And I’m hoping that once I’m out of sight for a while, he’ll turn his attention to something else.’

‘I should think getting away is the best thing you could do.’ He looked back at his job. ‘Now that’s settled, I’d just like to make it clear that I’m not a natterer when I’m working. So if you like to gossip, find someone else to talk to.’

‘I don’t natter when I’ve got work to do, either.’

‘Good. And I don’t want our arrangement talking about. It’s unofficial.’ He winked, by which she assumed he wasn’t going to tell the landlord about subletting. ‘If anyone asks, you’re my niece, storing your furniture here.’

For some reason, she trusted him. ‘Below the radar suits me best too … Uncle Jim.’

He grinned and pulled out a business card. ‘Phone me when you’ve arranged delivery of your stuff. I can let the movers into your room if they want to deliver while you’re working.’

‘Thanks, Jim. I want to store the furniture at the far end and do my work at this end.’

‘Makes sense. See you.’ He nodded and turned back to his work.

She sat in her car for a few minutes, tears of relief welling in her eyes. When someone tapped on the window, she nearly jumped out of her skin, then realised it was Luke.

He frowned down at her. ‘Didn’t you manage to come to an agreement with Jim?’

‘Yes. I was just … relieved. Look, I’ll tell you what I told him: I’m avoiding my ex, because he’s violent, and I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone about me or even what I’m doing here.’

‘Understood.’

‘Thanks.’ She pulled herself together and drove back to the flat. She’d be starting work properly tomorrow. She’d popped in to say hello and Ellis had shown her round the offices. The suite was shabby but quite spacious, with a few rooms, two of them currently unoccupied. Only Ellis and another guy were working on the current project, with a part-time secretary and occasional part-time graphic designers like herself.