The Billionaire's Favourite Indulgence.

a boat

n Scotland

after his mother, which means he's either sweet or d

ria Street and closed her eyes. Rain ticked off the awning above her. Behind her,

ve flour i

your hair 'every' d

well Developments on my counter that I've read nine times and understood zero times

is a d

. He'll look

of Tamsin rearranging herself on whatever sofa she was sprawled across, being magnifice

er's very

re

rom number six s

ighty-one and tells

ngaged'

m both thrown out of a school assembly in 2010. Then her

thing for that bakery. Your mu

er: apron still tied under her raincoat, hair escaping in every di

s a lo

ou fake a phone call and I'll ring you. If he's lo

a lifetime suppl

equire a sec

staurant's frosted windows a violin was be

in

in

ing in. I'm hanging

g you in fo

ams

you,

door, then at the screen again. She had, in the last quarter of an h

shoulders, and rounded the corner at a speed that coul

all was n

It also said "'Christ'" in a low, flat voice, and then there was a wet, splattering sound, and Wre

, 'no.' I'm

she did she wished she'd stayed looking at the coat. Dark hair, rain-damp. A jaw that loo

etween two fingers as though

aid, "was a

dy digging in her raincoat for anything absorbent. "I've got a napkin. Somewhere. Here,

esn't

d rummaging. Her hand had brushed something in her apron pocket. She pulled it out, a little square o

is t

cy compe

n't w

ou're annoyed, you have every right, but you'll feel better in about four minutes. Please. I'm so

is

'lovely'

was already swingi

a ruined coat and an empty cup and a

looked at a contract with

saster.' h

--

adam. Do you hav

k of a man who'd recently been reminded who his most important customer

. I'm meeting him, it's a..." She waved a

e a small, respectful movement. "Of course. Mr.

frowned. "Sorry, I th

es, and she followed, because that seemed to be

the whole restaurant and the wall at his back. The man stood as s

that the maître d' near

" she

ising an eyebrow in con

e w

got a n

e the chances. I ruined your shirt, and now we're here again. Tamsin is so going

number of tables i

s 'f

at that word. "I'd rather be

hair before he'd finished the sentenc

ted. Struan Calder sat back down with the wariness of a

ack and immaculate. On the tablecloth beside his water

once and beamed a

prefer I th

uld 'ea

t eat s

She stared at

N

out at C

N

thda

N

have a

mouth. It vanished so quickly that she might have im

nced over, and Struan's eyes flicked to them with the mild threat of a man wh

h & Honey, the bakery on Cobbler's Lane, the one with the blue door, you must'v

face, then. It was s

," he r

ou kn

N

stomers across a counter, tilted her head. But then he added, "Struan Calder," an

a good name. It sounds like something you

entirely i

ist, but you don't have the hands for it. Too stead

hing in his expression recalculate

me you hav

t have

l, comically. "She said it w

and lives in Perth

topped. Her eyes

es

nk we have

t we have

'not'

am

not a

distiller

isn't a bl

be

patience of a man addressing a child who had just

er shoulders started to shake. "I sat down at a strange

ief

find Callum, he's probably at the bar lo

t d

rder either. It was the voice of a man wh

er own sur

y seen the error. It would be more efficient if you waited than i

sensible way to

had pr

ng emba

ng effi

etly this time, when his ph

egins when they check a message: a small dip of the eyes, a slight frown. But the frown did

ything a

in

like someb

Struan Calder, and read

ed this table, who was already forty minutes la

mended the succession agreement. The clause has b

pa

previous three sentences had

'll know if

n on the tablecloth, very gen

was a smear of flour along her cheekbone. A curl had escaped whatever she'd used to tie her hair, and she blew it out of her eyes without embarrassment. Sh

ruan thought. 'Chatter. Flour

apologises

are beside his water glass, then at her

ing to be a