‘I think no such thing,’ said Clio, her tone indignant. ‘I was proud of the way you stood up for Poppy. And you didn’t start anything with that woman. She was spoiling for a fight the moment she walked in.’

She gave me the warmest smile and I relaxed a little. Maybe she didn’t think any worse of me?

‘I’d never seen her before that night,’ Clio continued. ‘I think it was just bad luck that she happened to stumble in when you were there. I don’t think we’ll see her again. I hope not, anyway,’ she added. ‘I wasn’t planning on having to hone my security skills any time soon.’ She stretched her mouth into a twist of exaggerated fear.

‘You’re a natural,’ I laughed. ‘You should get some dark glasses and a black bomber jacket. That’s what my dad did, you know. Did I ever tell you that? He wasn’t a bouncer,’ I added before she got the wrong idea. ‘He did high-level security for rich blokes who thought they might get kidnapped.’

‘Well, it clearly doesn’t run in the blood,’ grinned Clio. ‘You were rubbish!’ Then something must have crossed her mind and she looked as if she was going to say something else.

‘What?’ I asked, but she just shook her head. ‘Well, it’s a good job you were there to defend my honour,’ I continued. ‘I’d probably have got my teeth knocked out otherwise. Wait till you tell Hector!’

Clio gave me a look of pure horror. ‘Oh, good Lord,’ she said. ‘If Hector found out that his baby sister was working in a pub and breaking up fights and generally sullying the family name, he’d have me excommunicated. Mummy would probably be quite proud, though. I thought Marlon was quite sweet, too,’ she added in a gentler voice, and she smiled and raised her eyebrows at me. ‘Didn’t you?’

I just nodded sheepishly. ‘I doubt he’ll want anything to do with me, now he’s seen the rocks I live under,’ I said. He’d left with Clio when her shift finished and so there’d been no chance for me to explain.

‘On the contrary,’ Clio said, her grin widening. ‘He never shut up about you all the way home. I think he’s well and truly smitten. I suspect that you can expect a phone call any minute asking you out on an actual date, just the two of you.’

‘Really?’ I said. I sounded like an excited child.

Clio smirked at me. ‘Can I take it from that that you’ll say yes?’

‘Maybe!’ I replied coyly.

We carried on chomping away on our sandwiches, happy in each other’s company without having to make conversation.

‘Remind me,’ said Clio after a few minutes. ‘How long have you lived in this house?’