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Traynor, whole food retail – nearly bald. Seth Bridley … not bad looking. Decent value too, but suspiciously quiet. Rumour had it, he was gay but not out. Sally didn’t understand why he didn’t just come out and be done with it. Seth was talking to a tall, blond man in glasses. Sally narrowed her eyes. If Seth was flirting with this guy, he was certainly not responding. He seemed to be listening and smiling though.
    Sally slinked a little closer. The man laughed at something Seth said. His face creased lightly at the eyes. His attention was on Seth, giving Sally ample time to study him. He was tall and handsome in a clean-cut sort of a way. Short blond hair, blue-grey eyes, chiselled jaw. It was the smile that was interesting. Smile lines that deep must mean that he did it a lot. She drained her glass, set it down and waited until there was another waiter bearing a tray near the man. She stood where the man could see and hear her, then pretended to try and fail to catch the attention of the waiter. A flicker on the eyes told her he’d spotted her. She ignored him for a moment before making eye contact.
    ‘Hi.’ She gave him her best smile. ‘I’m dying for a drink, but I can’t seem to catch the waiter’s attention. Could you …’ She looked up at him, pleading.
    ‘Oh, of course.’ He turned, raised a hand, and waved to the waiter. ‘Here you go.’ He handed a glass of champagne to Sally.
    ‘Thank you so much,’ she said.
    ‘No problem.’ There was that smile again. She found herself smiling back. It came naturally. She liked this man.
    ‘I’m Sally, Sally Cummings.’ She held out her hand. Hopefully the manner in which she said it, would encourage him to introduce himself in the same way.
    He shook it. ‘I’m Peter Wesley.’
    ‘And what do you do Peter Wesley?’ Her mind churned through her internal who’s who file. Wesley. Something to do with IT. Not hugely wealthy, but had potential. Besides, she thought, taking in the broad shoulders and lack of paunch, he’s nice to look at. A quick glance at his left hand to double check he was single. Married men were lucrative, but she was twenty-five now. She needed to find someone before she had to start worrying about the aging process. Yes. He would do nicely.
    ‘I’m an IT consultant. I do mostly knowledge management.’ His gaze skimmed over her, resting fractionally on her hair when she flicked it over her shoulder. ‘How about you?’
    ‘I’m an estate agent,’ she said. By this time, Peter’s former companion had wandered off. They were standing together in a crowd. Perfect.
    ‘How funny,’ he said. ‘I’m looking for a house to buy at the moment.’
    ‘Fate.’
    He seemed amused.
    She gave him her most dazzling smile. ‘So, tell me, what sort of thing are you looking for?’
    He explained what he was after. She translated in her head – a house big enough to leave his options open, but not so big that it suggested a family. Good money, but nothing ostentatious. He seemed to be looking at moving along the ladder from a bachelor pad to something more grown up. This all sounded very promising.
    ‘I believe I can help you with that,’ she said. ‘I can think of a couple of places on our books that might interest you. Here, let me give you my card.’ She pulled a card out her clutch bag and scribbled her phone number on the back. ‘I’ve put my personal mobile on the back. You know … in case …’ She lowered her eyes.
    ‘Yes,’ he said. He took the card. She looked back up in time to see the flicker in his eyes when their hands touched.
    Someone else touched his arm and Sally left him alone. He would be in touch. She could tell. She knew just the houses to show him. The first would be exactly what he thought he wanted. The second would be different, but she would sell him the dream. The third would be perfect for the new dream. By the time they’d seen the third house, she would have him.
    The next morning Peter