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‘Can I have the sauce please?’

Jamie stared at it for a second or two, wondering if he could somehow spill it.

‘Thanks.’ She grabbed the pot out of his hand and drizzled it over her food.

‘Amrita, I don’t…’ The words choked in his throat, held there by something he couldn’t even start to describe.

He watched, helpless, as her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Wow, that’s got a kick. Anyway, I don’t think the build is that small. It’s a good size for a granny annexe in a garden. I’ve seen smaller retirement flats.’

‘Yeah, I did look at similar specs when designing this. But compared to the other projects we handle, it’s pretty small. Tiny, really. If it had been someone other than Mia asking…’

‘You probably wouldn’t have bothered?’ Her chopstick tapped the table faster.

‘Definitely not. We usually do a lot more in the way of upgrading and retrofitting existing buildings: adding extensions, making them more environmentally friendly. Quite a lot of commercial and council work. Projects like this one aren’t usually worth our time. We’re probably only just going to break even.’

‘I actually think what Mia’s doing shows a huge amount of kindness and confidence. I can’t think of many women who’d want to start married life with their mother-in-law living on top of them while undertaking a massive build… however small it is by your standards.’ The glint he was starting to recognise was back in her eyes.

He reran his last words through his mind and winced slightly. ‘That could have come out better.’

‘Probably. Otherwise, you’re risking sounding a bit arrogant and lofty. Again.’

‘Definitely don’t want that.’ He laughed. ‘For the record, I think what Mia’s doing is amazing – and I can’t wait to see Aiden’s reaction. I’m really hoping she presents these designs at the wedding, so I do get to see it!’ He shot her a wink. ‘Is that unlofty enough for you?’

‘Maybe.’ She smiled and speared a mushroom. ‘Will you tell me more about these green technologies?’

‘Of course.’ He grinned hugely. ‘But I should warn you, it’s one of my favourite topics. I can cheerfully talk about it for hours.’ He froze, his eyes locking with hers for long moments as heat flared between them, and Jamie got another flash of visions and sensations – of warm, dark silk against pale, cool satin that teased and intoxicated him.

Amrita’s lips were sticky with the sauce, and looked glossy and inviting, making him wonder if they’d taste more sweet or sour. Almost certainly sweet. Thoughts he definitely shouldn’t be thinking. Her eyes widened, tracing over his face, and the moment stretched between them, gaining weight until the room seemed to close around them, leaving him feeling like they were the only people in the world and like anything – everything – could be possible.

Then her gaze flickered and dropped and she gave herself a small shake. ‘Sorry, I, um… lost my train of thought for a second there. What were we talking…’ She looked around. ‘Right. You were telling me about your green additions. Do you want to go back to that? Come on, tell me about your solar panels and whatever else.’

‘Solar panels on a design like this? They’d look far too out of place. Try photovoltaic windows instead. They look like slightly tinted glass, and work like solar panels…’

Amrita was fascinated, and by the time Jamie had explained all his exciting green tech – and been distracted by a couple of extra tangents – it was late and so dark that he joked panels would need to be lunar instead of solar. She gathered up her things quickly, shuffling papers and brochures he’d given her into her bag with her notepad and phone.

She didn’t react to the tiny, soft tinkle that Jamie pretended not to hear as he quickly shut his office door and walked her to the car park.

‘Thank you again for this. I really do appreciate your advice. And I think that it’s going to be a much better home for Sylvie now with your input.’

‘All of my input?’

‘OK, most of it. I’m still not totally convinced about the alarm pull-strings.’

‘They’re tried and tested safety measures for patients with a high fall risk.’

‘I know, but they’re so ugly. And what happens if she falls in a different direction and can’t reach the hideous lump of string? A CCTV monitoring system linked to wearable tech will be much cleaner.’

‘Sylvie is not going to wear anything like that.’

‘Some of them are quite stylish. And less ugly than pull cords in my rooms.’

‘Your rooms. Oh, there you are.’

‘There I am?’

‘Mr Arrogant and Lofty. Your designs only exist for your patient, so they have to work for her. They’re not about you.’

‘I understand that.’ He held up his hands. ‘I really do. But it also needs to work with the aesthetic she wants to create: homely, cosy and just a bit magical. That was my brief. And clinical safety measures like panic strings don’t really fit that vibe.’