Oh, she won’t be, Sasha thought. Through the glass, she saw more of her team sharing a laugh as they arrived in the office and wished she could be out there with them, joining in the joke.

‘It was a crazy night. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a hangover. We had another couple of bottles at the bar, me and Connie.’ He grimaced. ‘And then we went back to her place for more and, well…’

Sasha shuddered. ‘Vaughn, please—’

He sipped his coffee. ‘Well, let’s just say one thing led to another.’

She held up a hand: Stop there. ‘It’s really none of my business.’

This whole conversation was a nightmare. Just the idea of Vaughn spending the night at Connie’s little flat in Eastwood – it was so untidy it looked like a bomb had hit it – made Sasha squirm.

‘But…’ He flicked a thumb thoughtfully against the plastic lid of the coffee. ‘She made me laugh, she made me feel good, and I haven’t felt like that for a long time. I’d like to see her again, Sasha, but only if you’re comfortable with that.’

No, Vaughn, I’m not comfortable with that.

‘Of course I am,’ she said, with as much fake sincerity as she could muster. ‘If you want to spend time with each other, then I’m happy for you both, really I am. You don’t have to run things past me.’

‘I feel terrible. It’s not been long since I split with Miranda.’

‘No, it hasn’t,’ she agreed quickly.

‘I want you to know that’s it’s not like I’ve been looking for romance or fun, but when someone like your sister comes along…’ Despite his embarrassment, he chuckled as he remembered something that had happened last night. ‘She’s a hell of a woman. I’ve never met anybody like her before.’

Sasha cursed herself for stupidly allowing Vaughn and Connie to meet in the first place. But then she would never have guessed that the urbane, sensible Vaughn could fall for her chancer of a sister. The more Con found out about Vaughn’s background, his lifestyle and wealth, the more her sister’s eyes must have bulged in her head. If Connie sensed Vaughn was an easy target, and the breakdown of his marriage had left him reeling and vulnerable, she’d be all over him like a velociraptor.

But Sasha knew that if she confronted Connie about her intentions, her sister would be sure to tell Vaughn that she was sticking her nose in.

‘Just…’ Sasha really wanted to warn him to tread carefully where Connie was concerned, but instead she said, ‘It’s early days for you, Vaughn. You’re still hurting and perhaps you’re not in the best frame of mind, just… don’t rush into anything.’