As Allison allowed Peter to guide her along the pavement, the idea became more appealing. Portia had done it, and it had worked out okay for her. Allison shivered when she thought of Stuart. No, that was a step too far. Peter, however, seemed charming and he was undeniably handsome.

When they reached the underground garage, she half-expected the car to be something flashy. Something that went with Peter’s confident swagger… a Porsche, maybe even a Lamborghini… but when he clicked his remote, she had to bite back the snort of disbelief when the lights of a Ford Fiesta flicked once.

Such a reliable, sensible, mundane car. She was amused at her disappointment. It also made her regard Peter with renewed interest. In her limited experience, it was unusual and refreshing to meet a man who didn’t need a big, showy car to confirm his masculinity.

He opened the door for her, and she slid inside.

‘Okay. Where to?’

She gave him her address. ‘It’s kind of you to drop me home. I hope it’s not too much out of your way.’

‘I have a place in Islington.’ He reversed the car from the space and headed toward the exit. ‘I don’t normally drive but I had to visit a housebound client who lives in Watford, so it was easier.’

‘I don’t keep a car myself.’ No point in telling him she couldn’t afford to. Living in London was crazily expensive, and she hadn’t been one of the lucky ones who’d been able to combine college with a part-time job. It had taken every hour of study to get her through and enable her to finish in the top five per cent of her class. She’d hoped it would pay off, that she’d have her pick of positions when she’d finished. It hadn’t quite worked out that way.

With her salary adequate rather than good, it had taken far longer than she’d hoped to pay off her student loans. She had hoped to buy her own place but, fast as she saved, property prices continued to rise out of her grasp. Even using a help-to-buy scheme she would only have been able to afford a tiny apartment somewhere she didn’t want to live.

The car swayed as Peter negotiated the winding exit from the multi-storey car park. Allison had had a tiring day and the unaccustomed alcohol was taking its toll. Her eyelids drifted shut and flew open again only to slowly shut again seconds later. How embarrassing it would be to fall asleep! She shuffled to a more upright position, determined to stay alert, and rattled her brain for something to say.