‘Whatever you want,’ he promised. ‘I need you, Faith. What’s the point of making my fortune if I can’t enjoy it with someone?’

‘You could do that without me.’

‘But I don’t want to,’ he said, holding her gaze until a frown formed on his brow. ‘Sorry, I’m getting carried away. I know how much you value your independence. It’s you who doesn’t need me. You have your house, your incredible career as a scientific …’

‘A biomedical scientist.’

‘Exactly. And I can’t expect you to give that up.’

No, he couldn’t, thought Faith, but the choice wasn’t entirely hers either. ‘The reorganisation at work isn’t going the way I’d like. There’s an offer of redundancy …’

‘Then take it,’ Nick said, leaning forward. ‘Start with a clean slate. With me. We’d make an incredible partnership.’

Oh, how Faith was tempted, but her friends’ warnings hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. ‘So I sell the house and take redundancy. Then what? Are you expecting me to invest in your company?’

‘No, I didn’t mean it like that.’

Unfortunately, Nick didn’t expand on what he did mean. Was there another form of partnership on offer? Faith’s imagination went into overdrive. ‘I won’t be a kept woman. I need to make my own living.’

‘Then work for me, I mean with me,’ he said, correcting himself when he saw Faith stiffen. ‘At the moment, I’m turning down bookings when I could easily double the fleet and still not meet demand. Finding investment isn’t going to be a problem. No one wants to put their money in savings accounts these days and the property market is stagnant.’

‘But you’d expect me to help you build up your company for no return?’

‘I’d pay you a wage. I don’t need your money, Faith, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

‘If we were to join forces, it would have to be on an equal footing. An employee has no voice. An investor on the other hand would have a say in how you operate,’ she said, willing to consider making an offer now that she knew it wasn’t being demanded of her. ‘If I did put my money into the business, what kind of surety would you provide?’

Dimples appeared in Nick’s cheeks. ‘I can’t believe I’m even considering this,’ he said. ‘But OK, if you insisted on investing, naturally there would be a form of contract agreed by both parties. If you’re serious about it.’