‘Nonsense. I’ll never see him again. Anyway, I’ve got my lovely Dan.’

‘I could think of many descriptions for your Dan, but lovely isn’t one of them,’ Dulcie said tartly. ‘He’s dull, he’s limited, you’re only dating him because you’ve known him since the year dot, and he takes you for granted.’

‘Well, I take him for granted, too. It’s cosy.’

Dulcie muttered, ‘Give me patience,’ and returned to her work, but only after Gina had made her promise yet again that not a word would pass her lips.

It was true that she’d known Dan since childhood, and was comfortable with him, but what was wrong with that? she thought, a tad defensively. The long years of suffering a crippling disability had left her willing to count her blessings.

She was meeting him that night in a tiny restaurant a couple of miles away. She booked a taxi, then, on impulse, called the garage and asked about her car.

‘You’re lucky,’ the head mechanic told her. ‘It’s not easy to find a new engine for that make, but for Mr Page we pulled out the stops.’

‘Excuse me-did you say a new engine?’ she asked faintly.

‘Only thing that will do it. New steering, too.’

‘But it’ll cost a fortune.’

‘Well, it’s going on his bill, so why worry?’

‘Oh, no, I don’t want this-’

‘Too late. It’s in pieces now.’

Dazed, she put the phone down. She needed that new engine, but to owe a stranger so much!

But, of course, Carson Page was a rich man who’d simply bought off trouble because it was quicker that way. She needn’t give him a second thought, any more than he would give her a second thought.

CHAPTER TWO

GINA went to change for the evening ahead, slipping off her smart business suit and donning a simple green dress. It was sleeveless but had a high neck against which rested a dainty pendant.