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‘Yet you expected it to wait,’ A to her subject ‘You kept a whole planeload of people sitting here while you chose a pile of , she watched as he unwrapped a toffee and popped it into his mouth ‘And a load of sweets Don’t you think that’s rather arrogant, Vaughan?’

‘You clearly do!’

‘Yes,’ Amelia replied hotly, ‘I really do Now, I know I’iven that you’ve involvedhere!’

‘Go ahead,’ Vaughan offered, but he sounded so bored Amelia half expected hi they had been handed

‘You change our flights because we’re early, and then, instead of boarding at the correct ti pleased we’d been acco htless behaviour’

‘Thoughtless?’

‘Yes, thoughtless’ Her hand flailed, gesturing to the , to the grey of the airport buildings as the plane taxied slowly along ‘Just so that you had so to read, you’ve ensured that two hundred people’s schedules are put out for the day I’d say that’s pretty thoughtless Vaughan’

‘I guess it is,’ Vaughan sighed ‘I just felt sorry for her’

‘For who?’ Amelia frowned

‘The girl at the newsagent It was only her second day, and she’d run out of till paper I said I didn’t want a receipt, but she insisted—said that she’d get into trouble if she didn’t give me one’

‘Oh!’ Blinking back at hiised, even opened her e of his lips gave him away, and her mouth snapped closed as she almost sed his bare-faced lie

‘Guess I’ant bastard!’ He winked, with no trace of an apology, and turned back to his e and then wincing loudly, not even bothering to flick over the page, froery

The air steward hovered to double check that his seatbelt was done up, and Ah the business section of her paper, reading the ender balance in the workplace and longing to bury herself in one of Vaughan’s glossies

But she’d die before asking

‘Help yourself,’ Vaughan offered, as Amelia’s eyes wandered for the third ti He held it out to her ‘I’h I have to adony Why do women do it?’

‘That’s a rather in-depth topic for six forty-five in the han rolled his eyes

‘Justs a very long week if we don’t set a few ground rules: you want to see me warts and all; I want an honest piece written’

‘Yes,’ Areed

‘So get your own back at the end of the week Toss in a spiteful, cutting line about how thoughtless I am, if it makes you feel better, but please, don’t sit next toFile it and save it for later’

The rest of the flight was spent in rather more companionable silence Ah one of Vaughan’scoffees and read, with markedly more interest than Alancing up as the plane made its descent

The hotel was as ih check-in as silent bellboys whizzed away their luggage, and with one gli-size suite, Amelia wanted to peel off her stilettos there and then and cliht in

‘All right?’ Vaughan checked, knocking sharply on her door and not even waiting for a reply before he let hiured it would be easier to meet up that way’

‘It’s fine,’ A Paul’s reaction when she put in her expense-clai back the sheer curtains, she stared at the lint of suht; the entire complex faced in on itself, and the courtyard beloas filled with early- newspapers

‘That’s a nice place to eat,’ Vaughan said, nodding doards to where aarea ‘Though I norestured to the four square feet of space adjoining hers