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devastatingly amazing that if she wasn’t careful she’d be joining Lilly in openly drooling.
    How wrong had Rita got that then? And if she’d been wrong about Dexter’s physical appearance, maybe she’d been wrong about
     the rest too? Maybe Dexter Valentine was hardworking and decent and …
    Quickly remembering her manners, she stopped staring and smiled in what she hoped was a warm and friendly but definitely disinterested
     way. ‘Hi, then. Welcome to the entrepreneurial hub of Kingston Dapple. I’m Frankie Meredith, and no doubt Lilly has already
     introduced herself.’
    ‘She has.’ Dexter nodded, his tawny eyes laughing, and holding out his hand. ‘Great to meet you.’
    They shook hands. The first touch of flesh on flesh was tantalisingly electric. Dexter looked far more at ease with it thanFrankie felt. His eyes were on a level with hers and she dropped her hand and looked away first.
    ‘Not the best weather to see your new business for the first time,’ Frankie said, trying to regain control, and immediately
     inwardly cursing herself for falling back on the weather as an opening gambit. She sounded like her gran. Damn it.
    ‘It’s not.’ Dexter brushed raindrops from the leather jacket. ‘But this –’ he cast a slow appraising glance round the shop,
     and an even slower and more appraising one over her and Lilly ‘– is pretty cool. And to think I was really dreading coming
     here. I thought Kingston Dapple was going to be the carbuncle on the boil from hell. Now –’ he grinned at them both ‘– I can’t
     thank Ray enough for running off with your ex-boss to re-enact
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
or whatever it is he’s done as a result of his midlife crisis.’
    Despite herself, Frankie giggled. After all, it was pretty close to what she’d thought herself about Rita and Ray’s romantic
     adventure, wasn’t it?
    And, oops, Dexter was not just a total havoc-maker and utterly irresistible, but he also clearly had a sense of humour. It
     was an extremely heady combination.
    ‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ Lilly said happily, swaying off into the kitchen. ‘I told Dexter you’d be surprised it was him.
     I told him you said he was a lazy fat thug.’
    Frankie groaned.
    ‘She did,’ Dexter confirmed cheerfully. ‘I was very hurt.’
    ‘Sorry,’ Frankie muttered, still trying not to stare too much at the streaky-haired, tawny-eyed gorgeousness. ‘It’s just that
     you didn’t come with a very good build-up.’
    ‘Hardly surprising,’ Dexter said easily. ‘I’ve been a huge disappointment to the family. Turning me into Berkshire’sanswer to Alan Titchmarsh is the last hope of any salvation, apparently.’
    ‘Er … ’ Frankie was still horribly embarrassed. ‘So, do you like flowers? Um, horticulture? Is it your business?’
    ‘I know slightly less about flowers than I do about nucleonics.’
    ‘Right.’ Frankie pushed her hair behind her ears again. ‘So, why … ?’
    ‘Like I said –’ Dexter stared round the devastation of the frock shop ‘– it was Ray’s plan to rescue me from the bad place
     I’d, um, found myself in. And, to be honest, as I was out of work and needed to get out of Oxford – things had got a bit complicated
     – a ready-made business was too good an offer to turn down. Ray’s left me a healthy float and loads of info about suppliers
     and markets and things. I’m going to sort out the restocking tomorrow. I expect I’ll pick it up as I go along.’
    Frankie thought that while Rita may have got the physical side of Dexter completely wrong, she’d obviously been spot on with
     the rest of it.
    ‘So, what about you?’ Dexter continued, seemingly unembarrassed by admitting he was both escaping from some misdemeanour in
     Oxford, and totally inept as a florist. ‘You seem to be in a bit of a muddle here.’
    ‘Understatement. I’m hoping to reopen by the weekend but at the moment I’m a bit overwhelmed.’
    ‘You’ve inherited