Ray had sat at the end of the bar, not talking to the other men but quietly minding his own business. She hadn’t noticed him leave, though, and the next time she let her eyes stray to where he was sitting his stool had been occupied by a bloke in a Newcastle United shirt with a ketchup stain down the front. She felt herself sink a little, her shoulders suddenly sagging under the weight of a long shift. He must have realised how out of place he was and gone to find a pub that was more suited to his classiness. Shame.

Melissa hadn’t given the unlikely stranger another thought until he reappeared a couple of weeks later. This time, he walked into the place as if it were his local with all the swagger that she expected from the regulars. He made straight for her and ordered another single malt, his smile acknowledging that they were already acquainted. Melissa had the impression that he was there specifically to see her, which she based purely on that smile. It was a Wednesday and the pub was quieter, so when he pulled a stool up to the bar, arm resting casually on the mahogany, she had time to chat whilst she wiped the clean glasses and put them back on the shelves.

‘Hello again,’ he said.

When he smiled his eyes glistened like there was some kind of mischief about him. Melissa recognised it at once, not being a complete stranger to mischief herself.

‘Can’t keep away, pet?’ she asked him, casting her eyes around the shabby tap room. ‘I can see how tempting we must be.’

‘It appears not,’ he replied. ‘I wonder what could possibly have lured me back.’

He winked at her but instead of being flattered, Melissa felt mildly disappointed. It was the kind of banter she indulged in every night of the week, but she’d been hoping for something a little more original from this one. Maybe she’d just misread him. He’d probably come in for a change of scene or a cheap thrill, flirting with whoever caught his eye but with no danger of being caught out. Automatically, her eyes flicked down to his left hand but there was no wedding ring. Still, it seemed highly unlikely that his friends, whoever they might be, would drink in a place like this.

She gave him half a smile and turned away to serve another customer. She wasn’t just here to titivate, no matter what the landlord might think. She would flirt as and when she felt like it and definitely not to order with any random stranger who wandered in off the street and fancied his chances. The other barmaid, Mandy, served him, and for a while she just got on with her work and took no notice of him.