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as much as her new business.  
    ***
    Vicky watched as James lifted his pint. She'd smiled when she had felt the heat of his hand near her back, and couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with John. The last time she'd seen John had been when she gave James a piece of her mind, and she groaned inwardly at the memory. How wrong she had been, it seemed. But she could clearly see the scowl on James's face afterwards when she had stood at the bar with John, right before he'd left, and her smile faded.
    But she had pushed that thought aside as she followed him to a small table in the corner of the pub, looking straight across at James as their knees brushed against each other under the small table. Her smile was back in place when he lifted his pint to make a toast.
    "To a fresh start."
    She swallowed as she felt tears in her eyes and tried to blink them away. That wasn't what she had been expecting him to say. She tilted her head, wondering if he realised there was more than one meaning to his toast. Was this their fresh start? Was that what he was implying? Or was she reading too much into his words?
    She lifted her wineglass and tapped it against his glass. "Fresh starts," she said, taking a sip of her wine.  
    She dropped her gaze, suddenly feeling awkward. What am I doing here? Alone with James? She had nothing in common with him, except people they knew, and she had no idea what to say to him. Small talk wasn't usually a problem for her; she was a hairstylist, for Christ's sake. But somehow, asking him about his holiday plans didn't seem quite right.
    "So, do you have any idea when you'll be opening? The shop, I mean."
    She came back to reality at his question. "No, not yet. I need to get the inside of the salon ready, and that's going to be difficult while I'm still working for Margaret, but I'll be handing my notice in soon. I'll give notice on my flat as soon as I can so I can move in above the salon, which will make it easier."  
    Rubbing her finger over the heart on her long necklace, her gaze then shifted upwards. "There's so much to do that it's a little… It's overwhelming, to say the least."
    He smiled at her, and she noticed that dimple in his chin again. Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on the table and spread his hands out on the top of it. Her gaze was drawn to his long, tapered fingers that looked like they were used to hard work and not just pen-pushing, which surprised her. The idea of feeling those rough fingers caressing her skin surprised her even more.
    "You know, I know a thing or two about running a business. I'd be happy to help you out."
    Her eyes started to fill again, annoyingly, because she wasn't someone who cried normally. Except here James was, offering to help, and she'd done nothing to deserve it. Had been horrible to him, really. Her parents would have been ashamed of her behaviour, yet her mum was the reason she was wary of the Altenbury name. Blinking her eyes clear, she looked back up at him. "I'm sorry."
    His face turned serious before he scowled at her. He took a large gulp of his pint before he said, "For what?"
    "You've been nothing but nice to me. And, well… I was rude that first night we met in here." Swallowing down a large gulp of her wine, she spun the glass around on the table. "I was horrible, really, and that had more to do with your mother than you, but I should have asked you about it before I took it out on you. And my mum, if I'm honest. She doesn't like your mother, and I'm not sure why."
    James surprised her by laughing. "It's okay. Not many people do like my mother. She's an… acquired taste, but she's not a bad person. Not normally, anyway. I'm sorry, both for her comment and her refusal of the shop to you. I still mean to mention that to her."
    Feeling like they'd cleared the air, she relaxed a little. Draining the last of her wine, she lifted her glass towards him and asked, "Can I get you another?"  
    He took the glass from her hand. "No, but