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the flowers, Tony – they’re lovely,’ Ellie said, ignoring his query and smiling noncommittally. Tony seemed to accept that he’d lost the battle. Sighing again, he followed Alan out to his car.
    After giving Tony a lift back to the factory, Alan returned, carrying a large bouquet – a much bigger and more expensive one than Tony’s had been.
    ‘Here are the flowers I couldn’t give you earlier, my love,’ Alan said, grinning. ‘I had to leave them in the car and tell Tony that they were for my wife! Luckily, I had a few unused wages envelopes in the glove compartment, and I was able to stuff one of them with the other envelopes to create a bulky package – were you impressed by my ability to improvise?’
    Laughing, Ellie hugged him. The close call added even more passion to their lovemaking. Without any preliminaries, he took her with a ferocity that delighted her – he seemed to be re-establishing his right to her body. ‘You’re mine, all mine,’ he whispered repeatedly, as though he could wish away Tony’s intentions towards her.
    Afterwards, they laughed at how well they’d performed their roles, and how close they’d come to disaster. Then Alan looked serious.
    ‘I can understand why Tony fancies you – what man wouldn’t?’ he said, his voice husky with desire. ‘But if he starts calling regularly, it could make things difficult for us.’ Then his face clouded over. ‘Unless, of course, you fancy him ? If you do, I’ll back off. After all, Tony is a good man, and a hard worker –’
    Ellie smiled at him tenderly, feeling cherished by his concern. ‘Don’t be silly, love – you’re the only one I want,’ she confirmed, tweaking his nose as they cuddled up together. ‘Besides, we’ll be together eventually, won’t we?’
    He nodded, still looking worried. ‘Sometimes I feel bad that I can’t give you what you want,’ he said sadly. ‘In fact, I can’t promise you anything for quite some time. I’ve incurred huge debts just to keep the factory going, and it’ll be a while before they can be cleared. Worse still, my debt is to my wife Sylvia’s father. Tony could at least offer you marriage straight away. Are you sure you want to wait? I’ll understand if you don’t –’
    ‘I’m sure,’ she replied, kissing him passionately.
    Now that she’d found the man of her dreams, every breath she took seemed to be just for him. The loss of her husband just over a year ago had seemed like the greatest tragedy at the time, but his death had inadvertently given her another chance to find Mr Right. And she’d definitely found him in Alan.
    She smiled to herself as they snuggled up together, watching Alan as he dozed. No other man could dazzle her the way that her beloved Alan could. When he’d repaid the loan to Sylvia’s father, he’d be free at last. Then they’d be together forever.

C HAPTER 7
    K erry was surprised to hear Laura’s voice over the apartment intercom, and instantly buzzed her in.
    ‘I’ve brought the wedding photos,’ Laura told her as she reached Kerry’s apartment. ‘I collected them on my way home from work, and they’re great! Everyone seems to have had a good time.’
    ‘Well then, let’s get a bottle of wine opened!’ Kerry declared, heading for the kitchen. ‘I don’t think I could cope with all those pictures of you and Jeff drooling over each other without at least a glass of wine to fortify me!’
    While Kerry went to get the wine, Laura took out the photographs. She was looking forward to sharing the memories of her wedding day with her closest friend. Without Kerry, she’d never have survived the death of her family and the upheaval of moving away to live with her grandfather. Although the pain of loss was always there, she’d learned to come to terms with it. Now, she was on the threshold of a new and exciting life with Jeff. Laura felt a surge of affection for her friend.
    She smiled, noticing the small, plastic model of the Eiffel