She laughed, and he was pleased to see her looking so sassy and strong, not at all weepy—which he’d been worried might be the case when she’d called to ask him to meet her. He knew very well Will was due back tomorrow and his mind had been flying through a list of possible favors she might be about to demand. But she seemed in control.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? I didn’t push myself when I was with Will…seemed to go completely into autopilot. I always thought my work annoyed him a bit, so my career took a nosedive. But you know, I’m a good stylist. I don’t mind the hard work, and if the job’s interesting it kills the time. It’s no sacrifice.” She giggled and tidied her perfectly applied lip gloss with a finger. “Even if it means adjusting the model’s décolletage for hours—which is what I was doing in paradise last week. But they paid me well for it. God knows, I need the money now I’m on my own.”

“Mm. But you’re positively smoldering, Siân. Something beyond work must be going right?” He felt encouraged to find out the lie of the land. He was Will’s mate, and his loyalty rested there; but he couldn’t help liking Siân, certainly noticed her considerable attributes, and he wanted to see her survive the heartache of a bad breakup. Will wasn’t an easy man to be in love with, and he was sure his friend would want to see her move on and be happy again.

Siân looked down at her Chablis, and answered the glass. She was unsure how Simon would take this, but she did want to talk about it—wanted a friend of Will’s to tacitly give his approval. “There is someone new, sort of…”

Simon nodded for her to continue. She was now laying her head against the inside of her arm; the body language was invitingly coy. She continued without consulting his eye. “Not sure where it might go; but he’s quite special, really very sweet. Not my usual vodka and tonic, maybe, but fascinating. I still can’t quite make him out. He’s just got back from America—from the East Coast, I think, but he’s been studying somewhere in the Midwest, like Kansas. He’s doing a part-time research degree in something or other—very clever. Cute style, too—almost preppy. Blond—not very up-front. Very different from Will, in spite of their relationship.”