„Don‟t say that.‟ The errant tear turned into a silent stream.

„I know you haven‟t got anywhere to stay, Mats and I‟m not going to chuck you out. I‟d never do that. You can stay here for as long as you want, but…‟

She‟d thought of all of that, had known the truth of every word he was saying now, but she felt like a piece of glass suddenly splintered into a thousand pieces. For good and bad, Frankie had always been her certainty, even though they were bad for one another.

„I‟ve given you hell these past few months, Mattie. Hated myself for doing it but I just couldn‟t seem to help it. Don‟t cry, pet. Here, got a hankie somewhere. No, I haven‟t sorry. Use my shirt.‟

„I shouldn‟t have done that course. I should have stayed where I was. You were right.‟

„You‟re talking rot and you know it.‟ He sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

„I was jealous, was all. Seeing you moving on like that, and me without a job, down the boozer all the time. Us not talking like we used to. Mats, we were kids when we met and then stuff happened and we grew up but…‟

„No, don‟t say it,‟ Mattie whispered.

She knew what he was going to say. She had thought it herself over time, but she still wanted to shut the words out.

„We weren‟t meant for one another, Mats. Not really. Lord, we haven‟t even touched one another for months. Time was when we couldn‟t keep our hands off each other! Remember how it used to be? When we were young?‟

„I can‟t walk away from you, Frankie. Not after everything we‟ve been through.‟

„You need to, Mats. Can‟t keep depending on your goodwill all my life, now, can I?

Tomorrow I‟m going to clear out for a while. You can have the place, move out when you‟re good and ready.‟

„Where will you stay?‟ She raised her tear-streaked face to look dully at him.

„Never you mind that. I‟ve got friends.‟

The conversation rang in her ears for days afterwards. She carried it around inside her like an invisible weight.

Except it wasn‟t one.

Just the opposite. It was like a fog that had suddenly begun to clear, and maybe it was her growing optimism that she could grasp her life and take control of it that attracted the attention of Lady Luck.

Lady Luck in the form of a potential job, not through the employment agencies as she had expected, but through Harriet Newton, the formidable course co-ordinator, who called her in because, in her words, she had a pleasant surprise in store for her.

„Naturally, it‟s not a given,‟ she warned. „But an interview is a vital step and you…‟ she looked critically but kindly at her most enthusiastic student „…should have no problem impressing any potential employer…‟

And her luck just ran on and on until she had to pinch herself just to make sure that it all wasn‟t some delightful dream from which she would awaken and find herself back in her wretched, stalemate situation.

True to his word, Frankie got in touch only by phone, seemed a lot happier than he had been living with her, actually congratulated her on her job offer and sounded as if he meant it.

She almost expected him to come over so that they could discuss the business of her moving out, and when, ten days after she had been accepted by Devereux Group, she heard the peal of the doorbell she sprang to her feet, knowing that this conversation now would not be half as painful as the last one they had shared face to face.

She was momentarily shaken to find Dominic standing outside, as devastatingly

handsome as she recalled. Then, oddly, she felt a calm acceptance that he had come. She had known, somewhere inside her, that he would, and had been waiting for him. How on earth was that possible?

„Well, do I get an invite in or shall we simply stare at one another for a few more minutes?‟

That dark, velvety voice! The same one that had invaded her dreams every night, the same one she had had conversations with in her head, telling him about what she had been up to.

„Sorry.‟ She stepped aside and he brushed past her and into the small hallway, but instead of walking into the sitting room he remained where he was until she had closed the door.

„You look…different,‟ he murmured, looking at her. It felt like years since he had set eyes on her. In fact, he had had to restrain himself from coming over to see her, knowing that whatever had transpired between her and Frankie would still be too raw for her to tolerate the sight of him.

And he wasn‟t going to risk scaring her away. Not when he had made his mind up that he would have her, come hell or high water. And have her on his terms, with her compliance freely given rather than being dragged out of her because her body was temporarily not obeying her mind. He wanted her to yield to him without any barriers in place, with every ounce of her being.

He needed to wait.

„Different?‟ Mattie laughed a little nervously. „I‟ve had my hair trimmed.‟ Don‟t you like it? she wanted to ask. „That long hair was fine for the nightclub but…well, actually I don‟t work there any more…my last night was a week ago…‟

Dominic lowered his eyes for a fraction of a second, then he looked at her once more and smiled.

„I take it a lot has happened with you. Why don‟t you tell me everything over dinner?‟

All the old misgivings reared up into place, but then they were replaced by something she hadn‟t felt before in his presence, a sense of self-worth. Stupid, since she was still the same old person, but true.

„Sure. Why not?‟ She glanced down at her jeans and jumper and then grinned. „Fast food somewhere, or do I have to make myself a bit more presentable?‟

„Fast food?‟

„You know what I mean. Dodgy chicken wrapped up in batter, semi-cold chips, plastic cutlery, fluorescent lighting, queuing system…‟ He looked so appalled at the prospect of that that she had to smother the instinct to burst out laughing.

„Bottle of cold Chablis, halibut, skate, pommes frites…‟

„Oh. Fish and chips, in other words.‟

„But grown-up cutlery,‟ Dominic grinned. „I know a very good seafood place. You do like seafood, don‟t you?‟

„My favourite. I‟ll go and change. Why don‟t you go and wait in the sitting room?

Frankie…‟

He watched the shadow flit across her face and insanely wished that out of sight was a little bit more out of mind. Correction, a whole lot more out of mind.

„Frankie won‟t be bursting in…‟

She dressed quickly and carefully. Nothing at all sexy, nothing to remind him of the girl she had been. Chic, or at least as chic as she had been able to afford on her limited budget. Black skirt snugly fitting but reaching to her knees, a silky pink vest top with a matching cardigan, fairly flat black shoes which she had bought in preparation for her job, sheer black tights because summer was giving way to autumn and there was a nip in the air that hadn‟t been noticeable a few weeks ago.