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Chapter One

She needed a drink—that scratchy thirst that proceeds fro to be not-Anna for an hour, or auche, hopeless version The gauche, hopeless version was intolerable now, at six o’clock, outside the office, between the office and the pub, looking down at the hot, gubacks, at the coral varnish

She relived, with creeping dread, that horrible lunch hour faux pas, al on the chicken when she realised that it was Rob and not Lia to splutter and blurt soo back to the office and face Lia Heof it; a little death repeating itself in her soul

But a cocktail in the cool plate-glass bar, sain, would cure all that Mimi couldn’t come, but this was 2011 and a woman could drink alone at a bar now, surely If she kept an eye on her drink If she didn’t catch a man’s eye If she folded herself away into the shape of a bar stool or a chalkboard Yeah, a woman could drink alone in a bar

No, a woman could not drink alone in a bar Not when she pushed the plate-glass door and walked two steps in and saw Rob holding a war conference in a corner with the harpies fro, and he had seen her and he knew that she’d lied to hio back to work, not ever, unless she wore a T-shirt with Pariah emblazoned across the front because everyone loved Rob Even though none of the him

There could be a way out though There could be a way to elude this social suicide… At the bar, alone on a stool, in a sharp suit…

“I hope you don’t think I’m awful, but could you pretend to know?”

He tilted his head, s, and was certainly curious, leant forward and, in the pretence of an air kiss, whispered, “Take a seat”

Relief, conspiratorial exciteht for ascendancy in Anna’s fluttering chest, but thirst was the eventual winner

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Oh God, I would kill for one What a day Oh, anything What you’re having will be fine Thank you somy life”

He nodded at the bartender, and Anna had never seen this lass of white wine appeared on the bar top before any words were exchanged She looked properly at thethat he had somehow proven himself worthy of closer inspection, but she couldn’t draw any fir a very good suit, so he ood job

“It’s all in a day’s work” He smiled He had the kind of smile that made the years fall away, and Anna sahat he looked like as a boy

“Really? You’re a superhero then?”