The man turned to leave and she couldn’t help but notice the muscled curve of his butt in his jeans. With his smart leather jacket and slightly rugged appearance he certainly didn’t seem like a candidate for a Health & Safety inspector at all. Oh well.

Holly got on with making up some gift boxes ready to fill with truffles, and restocked some of the shelves. They’d have to start thinking about their Christmas display soon. Emma liked to have that all set up around the October school half-term time and Holly loved the shop when it was decorated for the festive season – it was just so pretty. Before she worked there she’d loved popping in with her friends and she was so glad she’d escaped from the chip shop job. Just think, she’d have been skipping off to see Adam with greasy, fat-smelling hair – now it was all yummy chocolate aromas. They’d arranged to see each other later today, in fact. They were meeting after work, and he was – drum-roll – going back to her house to meet her parents for supper. Things were definitely moving on. In fact, she felt a little nervous for him, hoping that they would all get on really well. She texted him whilst there were no customers: See you later x Can’t wait for you to meet Mum and Dad! x

Fingers crossed I’ll make a good impression! x

You will. It’ll be fine. After all, you made a big impression on me! xx J

Her dad would no doubt ask loads of questions, wanting to make sure he was a suitable lad, and Mum would be trying to make it all relaxed, and have a nice meal prepared for them for sure. The last she’d heard, her mum was making a roast chicken dinner – a roast chicken inquisition, ha!

Emma got back to The Chocolate Shop about thirty minutes after the handsome visitor had called.

‘Agh, the traffic was awful coming back. Got stuck behind a tractor and a queue of vehicles on the coast road. Ten miles an hour. Sorry! So, all been fine here, then? No mad rush?’

‘No, just the usual. Actually, that’s not quite right, some guy came in, asking to see the owner.’

‘Oh, okay. Don’t worry, might be some sales person, or possibly a trading standards official or something doing a drop-in check,’ Emma mused aloud.

‘I don’t think so. He didn’t look that kind of official council type.’ There was a second’s silence, before Holly resumed, ‘More of a Gerard Butler lookalike. Quite good-looking, really. I don’t know why he was here, he wouldn’t say.’

It couldn’t be, could it …? Emma felt her pulse race. She found herself stopped in her tracks in the middle of the shop. ‘Oh, umm, how old would you say he was? Hair colour?’ She tried to sound casual.