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noises.
    ‘Smells fab, I’m starving.’
    ‘Sit down,’ I instruct, leading him to a chair. ‘You need to relax.’
    ‘Are you softening me up for something?’ Sam murmurs with pleasure when I massage his shoulders.
    ‘Can’t a girl spoil her boy?’ I run a hand over his back. ‘Right, what do you want to drink? Beer or wine?’
    *
    We have just finished our first course. What’s wrong with me? I haven’t said a word about Bells. Instead, I’m listening to Sam tell me that Maguire has bought a Mini Cooper and plans to go racing at the weekend, and would I mind if he goes too?
    He leans across the table and strokes my cheek. ‘Enough of me, how’s the old soak in the corner? Has she been in lately?’
    ‘No, annoyingly not.’ I tell him about Eve instead as I clear the plates. ‘She ought to be the size of an elephant, not a mouse,’ he chuckles.
    I open the fridge, telling myself that when I put the pudding on the table, that’s when I’ll say something. It’s not so hard to say, is it?
‘Sam, my sister’s coming to stay tomorrow, is that OK? She’s not quite what you’d expect, you might be a bit taken aback …’
I’m going to scare the living daylights out of him, aren’t I?
    The pudding sits in front of him. Sam rubs his stomach and smiles. ‘I could get used to this star treatment.’
    ‘Sam, there’s something I need to … oh my God! Is that
the
watch?’ I stare at his wrist. ‘You actually bought it?’
    ‘Yep.’ He beams, shaking his wrist at me. Sam has been going on about this watch for months. It’s a special ‘emergency’ model with an electronic device you can press to alert help in moments of crisis. One of his friends works in advertising and his company was involved in its promotion. Sam and I were so excited when we met Pierce Brosnan at the launch. ‘You know, I might buy one. Imagine if I were caught in an avalanche,’ I overheard Sam saying seriously to Tim, one of his friends at work. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely, mate,’ Tim replied. ‘Or when your canoe tips up while you’re white-water rafting?’ I suggested to them both, trying not to laugh. I didn’t remind Sam that he wasn’t exactly into extreme sports. Falling into a bunker playing a round of golf was about as dangerous as it got for him.
    Now he looks at his watch proudly. ‘If you pull the emergency cord by mistake you’re fined thousands of pounds, Katie, so be careful,
capisce
? Anyway, what did you want to tell me?’ He slices the orange pudding, cream seeping out around the edges and making patterns in the chocolate sauce.
    ‘I should have asked you before but my sister’s coming to London.’
    ‘Really?’ He eats a spoonful. ‘Yum,’ he moans appreciatively. ‘
Delicioso
. Have you been secretly going to cooking lessons?’
    ‘I was hoping she could stay with us? My sister? Isabel?’ I remind him.
    ‘Sure. For how long?’
    ‘Two weeks.’
    ‘Right.’ Sam mulls this over, looking surprised that it’s for so long. ‘No, that’s OK, see no reason why not. Isabel’s younger than you, isn’t she? I could set Maguire up, he needs a bird.’
    ‘But he had a new “lady” only days ago.’
    ‘Nah, didn’t work out. Maguire likes it short and sweet. So Isabel’s coming up for two weeks? Perfect. Done and dusted.’
    ‘Sam! Don’t talk in clichés. Maguire will end up a sad lonely old bachelor if he carries on like that,’ I add.
    ‘Does she look like you?’ he goes on. ‘Just a younger, more wrinkle-free version?’
    ‘Sam,’ I say with some irritation. ‘Is that all you think about? Image?’
    ‘Yep. Well, it helps if she’s not a complete moose. Come on, girls are the same. Blokes are more honest, that’s all. Would you have fallen for me if I was ugly as sin?’
    I pick up my plate and walk over to the sink.
    He holds up his hands in a gesture of apology. ‘How old is she then?’
    ‘Twenty-two.’ I sit back down, stare at the candle I lit so hopefully.