Read An Extract From You And Me Always By Jill Mansell

The tightening didn’t mean anything, though, Lily knew that. It had evolved as a kind of Pavlovian reaction, a habit that had become ingrained over the years simply because Dan Rafferty was so physically attractive. The good thing was, the fact that he knew he was attractive, and traded on it shamelessly with all concerned, meant the idea of an actual relationship with him was the very last thing anyone in their right mind would want.

And since she was in her right mind, thankfully she was safe.

‘Lily, Lily.’ Dan’s eyes crinkled and he pushed his dark glasses to the top of his head as she jumped down from the van. ‘My most favourite girl in the world.’

See? This was what he was like. ‘And you’re the most annoying boy.’

‘I’m not a boy. I’m a man.’

He was twenty-seven, two years older than she was. Technically he might be a man, but when you’d known each other since childhood, it just seemed wrong somehow.

‘You used to put frogspawn in the hood of my anorak,’ said Lily. ‘You’ll always be a boy to me.

Where’s your car, anyway?’

‘Over in Chipping Norton.’ Dan had texted her earlier asking if she could give him a lift to go and pick it up.

‘Why?’ As if she couldn’t guess.

‘Best not to ask. The usual, basically. Good wine and bad women. Well, one bad woman taking shameless advantage.’ He gestured to the still full cup of coffee on the table in front of him. ‘Are you in a tearing hurry, or can I get you a drink?’

Lily checked her watch. It was twenty past six. She’d spent the last three hours delivering a marble-topped table and a set of Victorian chimney pots to a customer in Chippenham, but work was now over for the day and the rest of her evening was free.