Jake shook his head. ‘Johnnie’s a platinum-album-selling rockstar – he always travels with an entourage, which at last count was a team of about six people. To ditch them all and head to Suite One alone would be pretty strange unless it was you greeting him off the plane and requesting a private catch-up.’

I saw his point.

I sighed. Nothing like adding spending time with an ex who hated me to an already stressful week.

*

Standing outside my front door I could hear my daughter laughing. The best sound in the world. I let myself in and followed the squeals and giggles to the sitting room.

Will was in an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt, lying on his back with his legs in the air, holding hands with Gigi, who was balanced on her stomach on his feet.

‘Hello, Mama. Me flying!’ She grinned. Her hair was in a lopsided ponytail, her favourite Frozen pyjamas on.

‘Wow. Look at you go.’ I walked up and kissed her cheek.

‘Uh oh, turbulence,’ shouted Will as he shook his legs up and down. Gigi kept giggling as she wobbled about.

‘Have you been back a while?’

‘Meeting finished early so got back in time for her dinner.’

‘We had pizza and choccy milkshake,’ said Gigi proudly.

‘Two more take-off and landings and then bed, little miss.’

‘No, Dada. No. You do twenty-five one hundred more.’

I listened as the two of them negotiated and tidied up the toy explosion round the living room.

*

By the time Gigi was splashing in the bath, Will had already opened a bottle of red wine. We were each clasping a large glass of it on the floor outside the bathroom, watching Gigi sing songs and dunk her mermaid.

‘What’s happening at work? Are you about to disappear again?’ asked Will.

‘The next week or so will be very busy but then things will calm down. Might actually be getting a lot of time off soon.’

It was a sign of how serious a threat Tenebris were if I thought it was worth mentioning to Will work could be about to get very, very quiet.

‘I’m not going to get my hopes up. It’s not like your job has ever been particularly reliable when it comes to working hours.’