‘Where I saw that woman,’ said Fliss excitedly. ‘Your half-sister. It was in this article in the paper – the Guardian, I think. Big piece in the Saturday magazine a few months ago. I’m sure it was her. Rory!’ she suddenly exclaimed, sounding panicked. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Okay, email me a link,’ Paula said, just as the line went dead. Bugger! Then, for the benefit of the vendor who might be eavesdropping, she said into the phone, ‘And they want to make an offer of one-point-two? Right, well, let’s see if we can push them up to one-point-four. That house deserves the best price. I know we can get it.’ Stuffing the phone back in her bag, she wheeled around with a bright smile. ‘I’m sorry! Now where we? Did you say that these units are Shaker? They’re so gorgeous, I love what you’ve done in here. And will you be taking these fab pendant lights when you move out, or would they come as part of the fixtures and fittings? Right you are. Let me make some notes.’

Ladling on the charm and schmoozing a potential customer had never been a problem for Paula, especially when she was in a beautiful property like this one. She had her technique down pat: gratify the owner by noticing the tiny personal touches about a place, lavish on the compliments at all opportunities, and spot potential in any under-used areas. But beneath the smile, positivity and charm offensive, her mind was working like the clappers now, replaying what Fliss had just said to her. Frankie had been in the Guardian? Was her half-sister famous or something? This was too intriguing for words!

It wasn’t until Paula was back in her car, some forty minutes later, having enjoyed a thorough look around the property, followed by her full sales pitch and suggestion of a price, that she was able to check her phone once more. And there in her inbox, as requested, was a link that Fliss had found to the article, which had appeared last year. ‘When Work Means It’s Love-All’ was the headline, and it featured three different stories about couples who’d met at the workplace. Including Frankie!

Paula let out a squeal and zoomed in on the picture of Frankie snuggling up to a smiling man who seemed vaguely familiar himself. Then the penny dropped. No! Was it really him? Yes! It was him – Craig Jacobs, the guy who wrote the ‘Dad About the House’ column!

‘Oh my God,’ Paula exclaimed aloud, poring over the text. And Frankie was his partner as well as being the illustrator, it turned out. Wow – Paula loved that column! She read it every Sunday! And she loved the artwork, too: witty and bright and eye-catching. So Frankie did that? Amazing! Her sister was an artist!