‘Your salary, both our salaries, will be small, initially, but once Chevron’s initial investment has been paid off, we can look at restructuring.’

Lara could not believe her luck. When Coleman asked to see her in his office a few minutes ago, she thought he was going to fire her. He had been quite distant and standoffish since that evening when she collapsed and woke up in his office. She thought that maybe he was finally giving Shirley her way and getting rid of ‘Irish.’

Instead, with an inscrutable look on his face Coleman had told her that he would like to back her in starting her own boutique on the Kings Road.

‘Mr Chevron has agreed to put up some seed money to fit out the shop and buy the initial stock.’

Lara was utterly dumbfounded. It was a dream come true. Of course, she could not let Coleman see that. He was a gangster, and would surely walk all over her.

‘I’m interested,’ she said, keeping her voice as steady as she could. ‘What did you have in mind?’

He told her about the premises and outlined the deal. She could have her own shop! All the work she had done over the past few months, working around the clock, her hands turning to callouses from all the sewing. She would be able to employ people to sew for her, maybe buy in some stock from abroad to supplement her own designs. She could hardly believe that this opportunity was falling into her lap. The premises they were proposing were just around the corner from Granny Takes a Trip, which was bringing the in-crowd up to World’s End in their droves. It couldn’t be more perfect. She could have got up and kissed her boss on his handsome, grumpy face over and over again. At this stage, Lara didn’t care a jot if she didn’t make a penny out of it. Just to get her designs out there and have the space to display them properly was beyond her wildest dreams. However, she couldn’t look too keen.

‘Why do I only get 30 per cent if I’m doing all the work and providing all the expertise?’

Coleman sighed and raised his eyebrows. He had worked it all out so carefully. There would have to be two sets of books, one for Chevron – which was the real story – and one for Lara – which was the pretty fiction. By forgoing all of the large salary that he would claim for himself and altering Lara’s salary from high to low – he would be able to fiddle around with the figures so that it would look like she was taking a percentage share of the profits. He would get nothing out of it at all, except the pleasure of knowing he had done this for her. Coleman had been hoping that Lara might fling her arms around him in a display of untrammelled joy and gratitude. Instead of which, she was breaking his balls.

His new partner was going to be more on the ball about that side of things than he had been banking on. Another thing he might have foreseen before he went jumping in.

‘Mr Chevron is a shrewd businessman who doesn’t give his money away easily. In addition to loaning the setup money at a percentage payback, he needs to take a cut of the profits to make it worth his while.’

When you are lying, it’s best to stick as close to the truth as possible.

‘And the same goes for me.’

Although – it’s still a lie.

Lara looked at him and, for a moment, wondered if this was a good idea. By his own admission, Coleman didn’t know anything about fashion or retail. In addition to that, his personality and demeanour were impossible to read. Was it a good idea to go into business with someone like that? Bobby Chevron, whom she had never met, was an established gangster. That meant that her business would probably be founded on criminal money. For a moment Lara wondered if it was a good idea. However, before her conscience took over, Lara’s heart lured her back to a shop front on the Kings Road, with a glittering display of her fashions in the window.

‘And when do you hope to start?’

‘The lease on the premises is ready to sign.’

When the landlord heard that Bobby Chevron was interested in leasing the premises, he shaved 20 per cent off the rent, without being asked, and had the papers drawn up immediately. You didn’t mess with Chevron, and the handsome henchman who managed the club for him drove a hard bargain.

How thrilling! Lara felt like jumping up and punching the air with delight.

‘You won’t move on the 30 per cent?’

Coleman gave another, exhausted sigh. Had Lara no idea who she was dealing with here? Was she that stupid? He knew she wasn’t. Just feisty and determined, and prepared to dig her heels in. Irish.

‘We can look at it in a year’s time if Chevron’s part of the loan is paid off.’

‘When it’s paid off,’ she reminded him. Then she smiled and reached over the desk for his hand. ‘It’s a deal. Do I call you partner?’

Coleman’s lips hesitated on the word, then he nodded and said, ‘Partner.’ She thought she saw light flicker across his dark eyes. Then, it was gone.