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With every passing minute, Bex could feel herself getting angrier. Duncan’s game was so obvious. Every time Katty glanced in their direction, he would laugh louder than necessary, or shift a little closer to Bex. At one point, he even reached out to brush her hair behind her ear, but she slapped his hand away before he could, not willing to let him get away with that. By the time they’d finished the bottle of wine, she had no desire to stay – not with Duncan there. It was a shame, because she had really liked meeting the others, but the pub had gotten a lot busier, and every time one of them went to the loo, someone would ask if they could take the chair. Leaving would help free up some space for others and so, when her glass was empty, she grabbed her bag and stood up.

‘Lorna, thank you so much for inviting me tonight. It’s been lovely.’

‘You’re going already?’ Lorna made no attempt to hide her disappointment. ‘But you’ve only had a glass and a half.’

‘I know, but any more and I won’t be able to get up in the morning. I’d really like to do this again sometime, though?’

‘Of course, I’ll text you,’ Lorna replied, standing up to pull her in for a tight hug, only for Eilidh and Niall to do the same. Though when it came to Duncan, Bex had no intention of hugging him goodbye.

She turned to him and offered a curt nod instead, but as she moved towards the door, he was on his feet. ‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said. ‘I was about to leave, anyway.’

‘Well, I drove,’ Bex said firmly. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Then I’ll walk you to your car.’

‘I’m perfectly capable of walking myself to my car.’

‘I know that, it’s just…’ As Duncan’s voice faded, his eyes flickered back to Katty, and when his gaze returned to Bex, she saw it all. The desperation, the hurt. The pleading even. Her muscles clenched. She should tell him to do one, she thought. After all, he had made her feel totally uncomfortable. Why shouldn’t she make it awkward for him, too? But that wasn’t the type of person she was.

‘Fine, you can walk me to the car.’

A wave of relief washed over his face. ‘I’ll be back in a minute, Lorna. Don’t let anyone take my chair, and the next round’s on me.’

‘Fine, I’m holding you to that,’ Lorna said, kissing her brother’s cheek.

Bex headed outside without bothering to check if he was following; somehow, she could feel his presence just behind her. Whether it was because he was so tall or just intense, she wasn’t sure. Whatever spark she’d felt between them that morning had vanished. He’d swung his arm around her shoulder several times tonight, and all she’d done was grimace. Only when she heard the pub door close behind them did she turn around to face him.

‘What the hell was that?’ she demanded.

As she stood there, glowering at the man who was at least a foot taller than her, she realised she expected him to play innocent, to act as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. But instead, his face fell. With a shake of his head, he combed his fingers through his hair.

‘I’m really sorry. I am. It’s just my ex was there. I wasn’t expecting to see her, and I didn’t know how to act.’

Her anger faded by a fraction, but it was far from gone.

‘Well, that much was obvious,’ she said, crossing her arms. ‘Just so you know, I was having a really nice night until you came along – and ruined it.’

She hadn’t thought he could look any more crestfallen, but the way he bit down on his bottom lip and stared at his feet made her stomach twist with something close to pity.

‘I’m sorry. Really, I am. Look, you go back in and I’ll head home.’

‘No.’ Bex shook her head. ‘I meant what I said. I need a clear head to work tomorrow. I just hope Lorna has another day off sometime before I leave.’

‘She does work bloody hard,’ Duncan replied, then quickly realised his misstep. ‘I mean, I’m sure she’ll have some time off. Absolutely.’

A silence fell between them, but it wasn’t like the awkward tension they’d felt sitting around the table. This was different, like there was more they wanted to say but didn’t know how.

‘Look, Bex,’ Duncan said quietly, breaking the silence. ‘I really am sorry. I know it’s not much, but I did genuinely have a lovely time getting to know you – despite acting like a complete idiot for most of it.’ He flashed her one of those smiles, one that quirked ever so slightly at the corner of his lips, and it was clear he was trying to charm his way to her forgiveness, but there was a difference between understanding and accepting what he had done and why, and forgiving him.

‘That’s an understatement,’ she replied.

‘So maybe I could make it up to you?’ he said, looking down at her with earnest eyes. ‘I’d still really like to take you out for a drink, or maybe… dinner?’

As he gazed down with those big blue-green eyes, the corkscrew in her stomach twisted into something warmer. Damn him. Why did he have to be so good-looking and charming? And, apart from tonight’s fiasco, he actually seemed like a genuinely nice guy. She’d dated plenty who were far worse than him and who couldn’t admit to their mistakes as easily as he just had. But that didn’t mean she was going to say yes to him now.

‘I think tonight’s little performance showed that you are in no position to take any woman out for dinner or drinks yet,’ she replied. ‘Not when being within ten feet of your ex turns you into an absolute slimeball.’