Her father sat beside her, and she leaned across to straighten his rose, spreading the delicate fern fronds behind it onto the material of his jacket.

“So how is the shoe business going?” he asked as the car pulled away.

“What? You really want to talk about that now?” Megan said, then laughed, surprised at this choice of subject.

“Well yes. Your mother and I are very proud that you finally bit the bullet and branched out on your own. You’ve always been such a girly girl, into your shoes and handbags, we’re not surprised it’s the route you’ve taken.”

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else now.” Megan thought back to when she’d been a little girl, she’d never liked her feet, always longed for grown-up, tanned feet with painted nails that looked good in high heels, fancy strapped buckles and sparkly sandals. She was a shoe and bag girl for sure, but if push came to shove it was shoes, glamorous stilettos in particular that made her heart flutter and she’d been known to spend far too much money on a perfect pair that called to her from a shop window.

“You’ve been designing for a long time now,” her father went on, “it seems right that you’re independent and you keep ownership of your designs rather than working for someone else.”

“It’s been scary, to be honest, getting a business loan from the bank and setting up independently but it’s starting to pay off. The designs are being well received, the manufacturers are taking me more seriously, finally, and I’m getting several regular orders and hoping for more.” She paused. “I’ve got big plans you know, Dad. I won’t stop at the high street. I want Harrods, Selfridges, Rodeo Drive. I’m going to have my shoes featured at London Fashion week. They’ll be fighting for them on the catwalks in Milan and selling out on 5th Avenue.” She smiled but there was determination behind her words. Megan had big dreams for her designs, she wanted Winter Shoes to be a household name—in every household. She wanted Oscar winners, Hollywood stars, supermodels to all be clamouring to wear her shoes.”

“I don’t doubt for a second that you’ll make it my darling, the world had better watch out.” He squeezed her arm. “And advertising?” he asked, ever the businessman. “How is that coming on?”

“Brendon is helping me out with that. It’s his speciality and a big push is next on my to-do list. After I get back from honeymoon, that is. Before the end of the year everyone who is anyone will own a pair of Winter Shoes. They’ll be the talk of the town.”

“Yes, you’ll be juggling married life and your career then.”

“Do you think it will be a juggle?”