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    Miri was numb with anxiety. “It’s not a date,” she mumbled, trying to believe her words. Hell, this was a mess. “Maybe he’s changed his mind about the mill. That must be it. Otherwise, why would he call?”
    Bree said quietly, “Sweetie, he wants to take you out. You are allowed to mix business with pleasure, you know.”
    Miri took an extra-large slurp of wine, positive that mixing anything with that man wouldn’t be remotely close to pleasure. “Not in this case. It will be strictly business. How did he get my number?”
    “You’re in the book, remember?”
    “Oh, right.” Miri sat down at the table and thought. The thought was of seeing Nick Brannagh again. The man was seriously under her skin, and she didn’t want him there. Spreading her hands flat on the table, she set her spine straight and tried to yoga-breathe…as if that would do it. “Just keep telling yourself you don’t like him and it will all go away,” she intoned under her breath, trying to ignore Bree’s noisy noodle slurps.
    Closing her eyes, she visualized the meeting tomorrow, then opened them again in a flash. If he’d changed his mind about selling the mill to her, the whole thing should be handled through her lawyer. Maybe she should call him back and explain? He’d be at the Endeavour, so that was easy enough.  
    Bree interrupted her thoughts. “You want more noodles?”  
    Miri shook her head and thought some more. If she cancelled she might not get another opportunity. Besides, it was just one short coffee meeting in a café. What harm could it do?
    Miri stuck a mug under the coffee machine, watching the trickle of dark coffee while she pondered the situation. “Right, well, I’ll be in the studio working,” she said, coming to a decision. She would meet him. And this time she would be ready for him. “You okay to tidy up?”  
    She left Bree downing the last of the noodles and walked through to her studio. Sliding onto her stool, she cradled the coffee mug in her hands and stared at the Egg Beater. This was bad. At least four hours catch-up work lay ahead this evening, and she wasn’t in the mood. All in all, not her best day.
    Still, if tomorrow was a disaster, she could always stick her head in the kiln.

CHAPTER THREE

    Miri had only just parked her car when she decided to be late by twenty minutes. Just long enough for him to wonder if he’d been stood up. At least, that was the plan.  
    Standing in the doorway of Dina’s Designer Boutique, she peered along the street toward the Round Bean and saw him getting out of his BMW opposite the café. Good, he hadn’t seen her. She darted inside and sneaked another look through the window to check where he’d gone. He wasn’t in sight, so he must have gone into the café looking for her.  
    Of course she was acting like a teenager; she knew that. The guy was practically a stranger and she intended to keep it that way, so that made it doubly silly. But even so, it made her feel a whole lot better about meeting him and besides, it was no hardship to browse Dina’s new-season collection for twenty minutes.  
    “Have you tried out your new skirt, Miri?” Dina inquired from behind the counter.
    Miri only just held back a slightly hysterical laugh as she flicked through a rack of summer tops. “Yes, but only once, Dina.”
    “I bet it wowed everyone. It looked sensational on you.”  
    Miri groaned at the memory. At least today’s sleeveless green silk top, skinny jeans, and linen wedges were safe enough for a meeting with the jerk.  
    She checked her watch. Twelve minutes to go. A long time to be standing around, and Dina was watching her with an expression that plainly said “buy something or leave.” Miri abandoned her strategy and made for the door.  
    When she stepped out into the bright sunshine, she saw him standing in front of the café, casually rocking on his heels and looking for all the world as if he couldn’t have cared less what time she