‘You think that’s all that matters?’ Laura cried. ‘Harry, you’ve taken my most important client away from me. I’m left with crap.’ She shouted the last word, watching his eyes flicker to his glass walls. But in that moment she didn’t care who heard.

‘It’s not crap,’ he said softly, but with a firm tone she’d rarely heard before, as if he was admonishing her, like she were a child. ‘And as I told you when you came back, I have a new opportunity. I was going to speak to you about it this morning,’ he said. ‘The initial meeting’s set up for next week. I want you to be there. I’m excited about this.’

He looked excited, she thought, as she watched him shift in his seat, nodding, holding his head on his steepled hands and looking at her expectantly. ‘I’ll get the details sent to you – you’re going to need to clear your diary for it.’

When Laura still didn’t respond he said, ‘Clearly this is between you and me, but Coopers’ – he hesitated, possibly for emphasis, she thought – ‘they won’t be the biggest client when we win this one, Laura.’ When she didn’t answer he went on, ‘We get this and you can shake off all your other crap.’ Harry winked at her and grinned.

Despite what she’d set out to gain, Laura found herself relenting and eventually she muttered that she would come to the meeting.

‘Oh, did you get the invite to my party?’ Harry asked as she opened the door to leave.

‘I did.’

‘Friday the tenth of May.’ He clicked a button on his mobile. ‘God, five weeks this Friday. Better get myself sorted,’ he grinned.

Laura doubted there was much he had to sort. His wife, Janie, appeared to do most of it. Laura often wondered how much Janie enjoyed these parties, how she could when she barely knew most of Harry’s staff.

‘I hope you and Nate will be there?’

‘I don’t know – I mean, we’ve not used a babysitter yet.’ Right now, Harry and Janie’s party was the last place she wanted to be.

‘You have to,’ he said, his face dropping. ‘If you can’t get a babysitter you’ll have to come on your own.’

Laura shook her head. ‘No. I’d want Nate to be there.’

‘Of course.’ He smiled. ‘Well, do whatever you can,’ he added, as if his party could in any way be the most important factor in their conversation today.

‘When is this meeting?’ she asked.

‘Oh, yeah. Right.’ He scrolled though his mobile. ‘Next Monday. Eleven. We’re going to meet at the quay. Maybe have some lunch, if we run on that long.’

‘Okay.’

‘His name’s Miles Morgan,’ Harry went on. ‘I’ve known him a long time. I hope you’ll like him.’