Except she was interested. James was hot, yes, but he was also nice. No, nice was the wrong word, it was too passive. He was intelligent, interesting and he had a sparkle in his eye that made her think that he was a person who cared deeply about things he bothered to care about.

For a moment, he’d cared about her.

Or had he just wanted her?

Damn it.

She’d wanted him.

She just hadn’t been ready. It was too soon after Dylan.

Wasn’t it?

Her phone rang and she glanced at the screen.

Unknown number.

She frowned and hit answer. “Hello.”

Nothing.

“Hello?” She pressed the phone harder to her ear, wondering if the reception was dodgy. “Anyone there?”

She could hear a faint sound—traffic?

She ended the call. Whoever it was must be in a bad reception area.

The phone tinkled to life again.

“Hello?”

Quiet. Absolute silence.

“Anyone there?” She frowned at a pile of pencils that lay like a game of chopsticks on the floor, pushed aside in the heat of the moment between her and James.

A shiver went up her spine. “Who is this?”

Nothing.

“Stop calling until you’ve got reception, I can’t hear you.” She slid her finger over the screen, scowling as she did so.

It rang again, instantly.

But this time Brendon’s smiling face, made up like a cat for last year’s Halloween party, filled the screen.

She hit answer. “Hey, you.”

“Megan, I—”

“Did you just try and call me?” she asked.

“No, I—”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course, forget that, I’m calling you now.” He paused. “And you should kiss me quick and buy me a candyfloss because I am just the bestest best friend ever.”

“Well I know that.” She smiled and the chilly feeling that had made the hair on the base of her neck tingle waned. Hearing Brendon excited always lifted her mood and made her feel warm and safe. “How are you this morning, Brendon?”

“I am good, more than good, and I have been in full-throttle, full-on Winter Shoes PR mode.”

“You have?”

“Yes. I, my pretty, have been up since six wheeling and dealing for you.”

“That’s very kind but—”

“No time for buts, darling, you have to get your sweet little backside to Grace Studios pronto.”

“I do?”

“Yes. I’ve been helping out with Ralph and Jayne’s fashion slot, as you know, and today they were supposed to be doing a feature on this season’s must-have shoes. Anyways, the shoe woman, Jade Melua or something, has got not only a horrible collection but also a horrible diarrhoea and vomiting bug. Apparently she can’t promise not to explode from one end or the other while live on air, so…” He chuckled.

“So…?”

“So, I’ve told them that I know just the replacement and that you can be here in an hour.”

“An hour!”