‘You ask before you do something like that,’ she had hissed, shoving him hard enough to make him stumble.

Nick had looked momentarily shocked and then embarrassed. ‘Sorry, I thought you wanted me to follow you.’

‘Why?’

He had held her gaze, and she thawed just a little when he said, ‘Because you keep looking at me like that. I thought—’

‘Don’t make any presumptions about me,’ Faith warned.

She had arrived that night determined to light a spark between Nick and April, but despite engineering time for them to be alone together, it had failed to materialise. It was only when they were all up dancing and Faith felt Nick’s body brush against hers that feelings were stirred. It wasn’t exactly the result Faith had been expecting.

‘Shall I go?’ Nick had asked.

She should have said yes, but April wasn’t the only one in need of a little light to brighten her life. The details of the reorganisation at work had just been released and Faith needed a diversion. She had grabbed hold of Nick’s collar and pulled him closer. ‘Only when I say.’

As Faith drove to meet her friend, the roar of the car’s engine grew louder, or was it the storm she was heading towards?

‘I’ve booked a table for eight,’ Nick said.

Faith glanced at the time display. ‘Ah, that might be a problem.’

‘Hmm, I see,’ he replied.

‘I’m on my way to Hale and I don’t know how long I’ll be.’

‘To see Tara?’

‘I can’t say,’ replied Faith, determined to keep April’s confidence and prove her loyalties remained with her friends.

‘Do you want to cancel our date?’

Faith didn’t know. She hadn’t seen Nick since they had shared a taxi home from the Hilton. There had been a brief, drunken moment when she had considered inviting him in for a nightcap, but she had held back and Nick, having been told off once already, asked for no more than a goodnight peck on the cheek.

He had phoned the next day, however, and after a lengthy but surprisingly comfortable conversation, Faith had found herself agreeing to go out for dinner. Since then, she had avoided speaking to him, as she had April. She didn’t know how April felt about Nick, and needed time to contemplate her next move. Almost a week later, she was still no clearer about what she should do.