Alex turned the page on the paper that she had found on the Tube, and sighed again. She had been at work for seven, as requested by her sister, but she was starting to think that Pearl was mad for wanting to be open that week. Everyone knows that the world does mostly stop between Christmas and New Year, so what trade was a café in The City going to do on a Monday between those two holidays?

The paper was crammed with useless crap about celebrities and who was cheating on who, being seen getting in and out of cars without their knickers and generally nothing of any use to her. She might not have been Brain of Britain, but something to occupy her attention was what she needed. The Sun was simply not cutting it, particularly on this slow news day.

She checked the coffee machine, and then came out from behind the counter to straighten some chairs. She had her back to the door when the bell made her start.

“You are open, yah?”

He was gorgeous, and he had a voice like Hugh Grant. She straightened her apron and nodded.