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My father’s eyes widen. ‘Really?’ He looks horrified by this. ‘That doesn’t sound good.’

‘It’s fine,’ I say, batting a hand. ‘Mostly precautionary, to be honest. It’s off season so we’re very quiet.’

‘Hmm,’ is all he says in response.

Does he suspect that’s bullshit? Probably. But I don’t care. I just want him gone.

‘Anyway, why are you here? And what makes you think it’s okay to just storm into Bea’s bedroom?’

‘I didn’t storm in. I knocked, then waited, knocked again, then came in, thinking the room was empty, only to find you and’ – he turns to glare at Jem now – ‘ him in there. I thought for a second it was Bea in bed with you’ – he directs this fully at Jem now – ‘which, as a business decision, would have been spectacularly bad, in my opinion,’ he says, like his opinion is all that matters.

Jem shrugs, though his shoulders look tense so it seems a bit awkward. ‘I agree. Which is why I’m not sleeping with Bea.’

‘But you are sleeping with my other daughter,’ my dad says, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, like he’s acting the big boss in his own office, rather than being a gooseberry in Bea’s kitchen.

‘I’m not sure that’s such a great move at this juncture of your career either.

What if you split up and it causes a rift with Bea?

What happens to the start-up then?’ His tone holds an undertone of incredulity now, which only serves to make me madder.

Is he suggesting Jem’s making a mistake getting involved with me? Charming. Even if it is only make-believe at the moment, I’m still hurt by his reaction.

Jem must dislike his rancour too because he folds his arms in a mirror image of my dad and says, ‘We’re all adults. We can make our own decisions on that score.’

Seeing him standing up to my dad gives me a thrill of pleasure and I’m aware of my blood pulsing harder through my veins and an unexpected, stirring pressure between my thighs.

I didn’t know Jem had it in him. But maybe he’s only reacting to the insinuation that he’d be putting Bea in a difficult position and I barely figure in this equation.

My father just lets out a long-suffering sigh. ‘Okay, fine. I didn’t come here to discuss your love life. I’m here to see Bea. I need her to come away with me for a couple of days on a business trip.’

Both Jem and I stare at my dad in confusion.

Jem pulls himself together first. ‘Well, Bea’s not here at the moment. As Dee said, she’s away for a few days, so she’s not free to do that.’

My father just rubs his hand over his face like this is the worst news he’s had in a long time. ‘Dammit,’ he mutters into his palm.

‘Why do you need Bea to go?’ I ask, intrigued to see my dad looking so discouraged.

He’s very rarely out of control, in any part of his life.

Which is why he and my mum were always doomed to fail as a couple.

She’s way too flaky for him. I guess it was her beauty and charisma that snagged his attention when they first got together, and when she fell pregnant with Bea and me after they’d only been dating for a few weeks, my dad did the ‘honourable thing’ and asked her to marry him.

The rest is some very difficult history.

‘There’s a guy that I’ve been trying to persuade to take on a non-exec directorship for a while,’ my dad says, dropping his hands back into his lap and seeming to regain his poise.

‘He’s a business titan and extremely well connected and would be a real asset to have on board.

I’ve finally managed to pin him down for a meeting but he wants me to go to him, where he’s staying on his private Greek Island, for discussions because he’s time-poor at the moment.

He’s off to climb Kilimanjaro soon and this is the only window he has.

’ He pushes his fingers through his hair in agitation.

‘He’s well-known for having strong family values, so I thought I’d take Bea along to help me with the charm offensive.

He seemed keen to meet her when I suggested it.

I guess he probably thinks it’ll give him an insight into me as a man. ’

Huh. Her . Not her and me. Just Bea. I guess he doesn’t consider me charming enough.

My dad suddenly realises what he’s just implied by this too, because he glances at me and says, ‘I thought you’d be caught up at the hotel, so not available.’ At least he tries to sound convincing.

I’m not fooled, though. It wouldn’t have occurred to him for a second to ask me to go with him to help out.

This makes me inexplicably angry. And sad. And resolute. I’m going to prove the guy wrong someday, even if it kills me.

‘Perhaps I should just give Bea a call and find out when she’ll be done there,’ my dad says, starting to pull his mobile out of his pocket.

‘No!’ I shout, making him jump. ‘I mean, you shouldn’t. She’s set on being there for her friend whose mum just died . You can’t go bothering her now. Knowing Bea, she’ll feel terrible about not being able to help you and it’ll totally stress her out. You don’t want to do that to her, right?’

His hand is still on his mobile, as if he’s not sure whether to ignore my protests.

Drastic measures are in order.

‘But, luckily for you, I’m as free as a bird for a couple of days, Dad, so I’d be happy to come with you to a private Greek island and charm a boomer,’ I say with a forced smile.

I think I can actually see all my father’s many conflicting thoughts skitter across his face as he tries to think up some excuse as to why he doesn’t want my help.

But I know why. He doesn’t trust me not to mess this up for him. He thinks I’ll bad-mouth him in front of his business buddy and make him look like a fool – and the poor father figure he is.

There’s the sound of a low cough beside me and I’m suddenly intensely aware that Jem’s watching this whole charade. I flush with embarrassment. He’s seeing first-hand how little my dad thinks of me and my skills and charm now – not just in a business sense, but as a member of his own family.

Great. That’s all I need.

‘I’d be happy to come along and support you too,’ I hear Jem say in what sounds like a completely serious tone.

Both my father and I turn to stare at him in surprise.

‘I can work remotely while we’re there,’ Jem continues.

‘And I’d be very interested to see how these types of business connections are made.

Learn from the best. It’s not something I’ve had much experience with yet and I’d like to improve my networking skills.

I’m sure it’ll benefit my and Bea’s venture in the future. ’

Turning back to look at my dad, I can see from the way his eyes have lit up that he’s into the idea of this. Jem will save the day.

Bloody Jem.

Boy wonder.

I know I’m being churlish and that I should be very grateful to him right now, but the sting of humiliation is still prickling my skin, so I’m not able to get there just yet.

‘Yes, okay. That could work. You could go as Bea’s proxy,’ my dad says. ‘I’ve already told Jeff about the start-up you’re growing with her so he’ll be interested to meet you. And being Dee’s, err, partner will probably be a help too, in terms of us looking like a strong family unit.’

He gives another nod, as if he’s settled in his mind about the benefits of that decision. He’s always liked and got on with Jem, so they’ll be able to talk business the whole time.

Oh joy.

‘Look, Dee, I appreciate you saying you’ll do this for me,’ Dad says, turning to me now. ‘And if you treat this completely seriously and help me pull it off, I’ll pay off your student loan. Fair deal?’

I’m stunned. He must really need this to work if he’s giving me an incentive like that not to show him up.

‘Okay. It’s a deal,’ I say. Not that I exactly have a choice. It might look odd to refuse it and I want him less suspicious of my offer to help, not more.

Dad nods. ‘That’s decided then. I’ll pick you both up at eleven. Jeff’s sending his private plane to fly us over to mainland Greece, then we’ll chopper over to the island.’

My head starts to spin. What the hell have we just walked into? An episode of Succession ?

Luckily, Jem has his wits about him because he nods and says, ‘Okay, great. We’ll be ready.’

‘You both have passports?’ my dad asks, getting up from the kitchen table.

‘Yes.’

‘Yup.’

‘Good. See you later.’

And with that, my dad strides out of the room, then vacates the building, shutting the door loudly behind him.

I turn to look at Jem. ‘Did that really just happen?’ I ask in a rush of breath.

‘Yeah,’ Jem says, sounding a bit less confident now that my dad has gone.

‘Are you really okay to go along with this?’

There’s a pause where I wonder whether he’s changed his mind and is about to run after my dad and make some excuse as to why, actually, he can’t go through with this crazy plan.

But he doesn’t.

‘Yes,’ he says again. ‘It’s only for a couple of days, right? And I meant what I said about it being a good opportunity to network. But I need to make a call and go home to pack a few things first. Do you need anything picking up from your flat?’

I blink at him. He’s efficiency personified. No wonder he gets on so well with my sister. ‘How can you be so practical about all this?’ I ask, shaking my head in wonder.

‘Needs must.’ He pauses again. ‘And practice.’

I just nod, then go to grab a pen and piece of paper to write down all the things I need him to pick up from my flat – including my passport – and where to find them. I cringe a little inside as I realise he’s going to need to rummage in my underwear drawer to pack me some pants and bras.

Oh well, he’s the one that suggested this.

I hand him the piece of paper, then limp off and return with a set of keys to my flat. ‘There you go. I’ve written my address down too.’

‘Great.’

‘And I’ll call Bea and let her know what’s going on.’

‘Good idea. We don’t want her phoning your dad for something and giving the game away.’ He rubs his hand over his brow. ‘God knows what she’s going to make of all this.’

Turning away from me, he heads for the door.

‘I was interested to hear you say that getting together with Bea would be bad for business,’ I blurt at his back.

He turns to raise that inevitable eyebrow at me. ‘I’m not discussing that subject any more, so give it a rest, okay.’

I just flash him a smile, though my insides are squirming.

He gives me a hard stare, then starts walking away again.

‘Jem,’ I call after him.

Sighing, he spins around and looks at me, impatience written across his face – and something else. Something I can’t quite make out. ‘Yeah?’

‘Look, I’m sorry about my appalling behaviour last night. I can’t believe I acted like that. It wasn’t okay,’ I say, grimacing. ‘I don’t know what got into me.’ I screw up my nose. ‘Well, actually, I do of course: meds not meant for me. They really messed with my head.’

Before he can respond, I hold up a hand. ‘Not that that’s a good excuse. You were right, I shouldn’t have taken them. It was a stupid thing to do.’

After a moment’s tense silence, he just nods, his mouth set into a firm line. ‘It’s okay. Let’s just forget it happened.’ He takes a breath, then adds, ‘I appreciate the apology.’

I nod back and swallow hard, grateful for his compassion. ‘And thanks for doing this. I owe you many more than one.’

‘Yes, you do,’ is all he says back, before leaving me alone in the kitchen wondering how the heck I always manage to get myself into such crazy situations.