The kind who’d never had to cook, obviously. Or close car doors behind her.

Who the devil was she?

‘It gets in everything?’ she offered. Then, because there really wasn’t anything else to say about potatoes, ‘Thanks for bringing in my bag.’

‘I didn’t make a special journey,’ he said and, irritated with himself for getting drawn into conversation, he took a glass from the dresser and crossed to the sink to fill it.

‘Thirsty work?’ she asked, watching him as he drained it.

‘No matter how much water I drink on long-haul flights, I still seem to get dehydrated.’

‘Excuse me?’

He glanced back at her as he refilled the glass.

‘Are you telling me that you flew from California today?’ she demanded, clearly horrified.

‘Overnight. I slept most of the way,’ he assured her. The first-class sky-bed he could afford these days was a very different experience from his early cattle-class flights.

‘Even so, you shouldn’t be working with machinery. What about Health and Safety?’

‘Goods and Services, Health and Safety? What are you, Annie? A lawyer?’

‘Just a concerned citizen.’

‘Is that so? Well, if you don’t tell, I won’t,’ he replied flippantly, refusing to think about how long it had been since anyone, apart from his mother, had been concerned about him. It was his choice, he reminded himself.

‘I’m serious,’ she said, not in the least bit amused. ‘I wouldn’t forgive myself if you were hurt fixing my car. It can wait until tomorrow.’

‘You’re that concerned?’ Then, because the thought disturbed him more than he liked, ‘Don’t worry, I’m only there in a supervisory capacity. Xandra’s doing all the hard work.’

‘Is that supposed to make me feel better?’

‘It’s supposed to make you feel grateful,’ he said, determined to put an end to the conversation and get out of there. ‘Since you’re so eager to be on your way.’ Then, as he noticed her glasses lying on the draining board, he frowned. ‘And actually,’ he said thoughtfully as he picked them up and, realising that they were wet and muddy, rinsed them under the tap, ‘I’m hoping a taste of the real thing will encourage her to reconsider a career as a motor mechanic and finish school.’