Oh shit. I stand and shake his hand. “Hello, Bart. Nice to meet you.” I smile.

He’s tall and blonde with a scattering of grey hair. He must be in his late forties, I think. Quite handsome. He’s wearing an expensive suit and he looks every bit of the celebrity lawyer he is.

“Have you got two minutes for a quick chat?” he asks.

“Yes, sure. Please, take a seat.” I gesture to my chair.

“Thank you. I’m still finding my way around the offices. I wanted to meet you first, seeing that we will be working so closely together.”

“I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity, Mr. McIntyre.”

“I’ve been looking over your file. You have a very impressive resume, Miss Bennet.”

“Thank you. Can you tell me a little bit about the position?” I ask. “What would you like me to do, and what are your expectations?”

Bart sits back in his chair. “Well, for a start, you will be accompanying me to all of my appointments. Most of my clients are off-site. They don’t like to be seen going into a lawyer’s office, hence why I visit them. We’ll start those appointments next Monday. I’m in the office this week. I have a lot to sort out and get accustomed to. But I just wanted to pop in and meet you.”

“Thank you. I can’t wait to get started.”

It gives me a warm smile. “Please let me know if there are any problems or issues while we are working together. I like to be professional, and I like my co-workers to be happy.”

“Sounds great.” Excitement fills me.

He moves towards the door before he turns back to me. “Oh and, April, starting the week after next, we will be going away for three days a week over the next month.”

“Okay.” I frown. “Where would we be going, Mr. McIntyre?”

“Just out to the countryside, not too far from here. It’s always within a two-hour radius of London. My client has to travel, and we have to accompany him.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll get reception to work on our travel packs. You will need some extra equipment to keep in the car for our visits.”

“Perfect.”

He gives me a kind nod before leaving, and I smile to myself. Wow, going away a few nights every single week for a month is going to be amazing, I can already tell.

Sebastian

I fill the coffee cups with boiling water, stir in the milk.

“Marina wants me to set you up with her.”

I glance up at my sister. “You have got to be kidding, I have no interest in Marina, whatsoever.”

“Sebastian,” Violet exhales. “You have no interest in anybody anymore.”

“Yes so? I like it that way.” I pass her the coffee cup.

“Thanks.” She watches me intently.

I roll my eyes. “What?”

“When are you going to let yourself be happy?” She asks.

“I am happy. What are you talking about?”

“I mean really happy, you know… a family of your own, wife and kids.”

“That’s not in my future.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve been there and done the whole marriage thing. It’s not somewhere I want to return to.”

“Seb,” she sighs. “Helena was just a bad egg. It wouldn’t have mattered who she married, she would have done the same to them. And that other woman… the—”

“April,” I cut her off before she says it.

Her eyes hold mine for a moment. “I’m just saying… you can’t spend the rest of your life living in the past.”

“I’m not. I just don’t have the same expectations that I used to.”

“Are you really going to live in this huge house alone?”

“I’m perfectly happy as I am.” I glance over at the golden Labrador sprawled out in front of the fire. “And I don’t live alone. I live with Bentley.” I smirk against my coffee cup.

“Why aren’t you dating?” I ask, deflecting.

“I have a date on Saturday night, actually.”

“You do?”

“Uh-huh.” She smiles.

“Who with?”

“You don’t know him.” Her response comes too quickly.

I stare at her for a moment. “You know, Vi, I’ve come to understand the patterns of when someone is lying to me.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Are you lying to me?”

She smirks.

“So… I do know him.”

“I just don’t want to jinx it.” She smiles.

I frown. “Do I like him?”

“Have you ever liked a boyfriend of mine?”

I smirk, knowing she’s got me. “No.”

“So, can I set you up with Marina?”

“Definitely not.”

We fall silent for a while. I love my sister. She’s single like I am, and with Brandon living on the other side of the country with his new wife, she gets lonely sometimes. We eat dinner together a few nights throughout the week. She’s become my rock.

“I saw her,” I find myself admitting.

“Who?”

“April.”

She frowns as she listens. “Where?”

“Last week, the Art Museum at a charity auction.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“You could say that.” I sip my coffee. “We fought in a cloakroom.”

“Of course, you did.” She smirks. “How is she?”

“Still beautiful.”

Violet blows into her coffee. “And totally wrong for you, Sebastian. Get that out of your head right now.”

“It doesn’t matter, anyway.” I shrug casually. “She was with someone else. Maybe a boyfriend. She didn’t have a wedding ring on, though.”

“You looked at her hand?” She says dryly.

I twist my lips, unwilling to admit to it out loud again, but hating that I did.

“Was he there with her?” she asks. “Her boyfriend or whatever he is?”

“Yes, he’s a football player. Pretty good one, from what I hear. He’s a Man United player.” I think for a moment, “Maybe Arsenal, I don’t know what club.”

“Good. I hope she marries him tomorrow and stays the hell away from you.”