Chapter 1

London was everything Sophie dreamt it would be. After a long day of sightseeing, she was exhausted yet satisfied. She had one last stop on her tour before she could finally retire to her hotel room for the night. Although she was seriously considering skipping the last stop and sneaking away to her luxurious hotel bed early, she knew she'd regret it tomorrow.

She decided sugar was the only solution. She stared longingly through the patisserie window and tapped her bottom lip with her index finger, eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated the very serious choice between the slice of chocolate cake or the lemon tart.

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Excuse me?"

Sophie looked up to see a curious looking red-haired man staring at her with an appreciative smirk on his face. He wasn't handsome in a conventional way, but she immediately noticed his blue eyes and the hint of mischief in his expression.

"You have no idea how distracting you are. Here I am, taking the same walk I take every day. About to walk into my favourite cake shop, when suddenly I notice the most peculiar creature perusing the selection from the shop window."

Unsure of what to say or what he meant by peculiar, she found herself staring back at the stranger with a dumbfounded expression.

"Come..." he held out his hand, "Let me buy you that slice of chocolate cake you were so fixated on."

She hesitantly placed her hand in his and let him lead her into the store. This was fine, she thought. It was a busy, public place. Surely no harm could come from a slice of cake... She cringed inwardly at how "famous last words" that thought process seemed.

"How did you know I'd pick the chocolate cake?" She asked shyly as he handed her the cute little takeaway box that held the single slice of cake.

"Oh... well. I guess I just knew you weren't a lemon tart kinda lass..."

He smiled awkwardly. His charm and confidence seeming a little less dominant now. He was a Scot, she decided, at first, she might have guessed Irish, but the slight roll to his r's and the melodic way he spoke indicated that he was definitely not from Ireland. As an Australian in London, she was slowly beginning to understand the mix of accents she frequently encountered, and she'd only been here a week.

"What about me told you that?"

"Ha. Well, at risk of coming across as a total slice of cheese.... you looked too sweet."

Sophie erupted with laughter.

"Is this your thing? Picking up tourists and wooing them with cake and cheesy pick-up lines?"

"Well, that all depends. Is it working?"

They laughed together for a time before settling into a comfortable silence. They'd taken a seat on a bench in the park across from the patisserie and were watching some ducks on the small pond.

"Sophie..." she finally said, breaking the silence and extended her hand for a handshake.

"Callum." he smiled warmly and took her hand in his.

Sophie studied his face closely. She felt comfortable with him, even though they'd just met. He was warm and seemed genuine, and despite her teasing, she didn't believe he made a habit of picking up strange girls on street corners. She looked away from him and stared thoughtfully at the pond.

She'd taken the plunge to make this trip solo. Having finally broken free from her dead-end job and her stagnant relationship. She was 27, single and travelling abroad. When she boarded the plane in Sydney she told herself that she wanted a real adventure, and should the opportunity present itself; she wouldn't hesitate.

Callum looked like an adventure.

"You live here in the city?"

"Temporarily. For the duration of my current job. Then home to Scotland. And you?"

"Visiting. My first time."

She contemplated whether she should let him know she was travelling alone. She'd seen the movies after all...

"My friends and I took different tours today..." she lied, feeling a little guilty, but she needed to play it safe. "So, I have time to kill, if you're not busy?"

His face lit up at her suggestion.

"Tell me where you want to go, Sophie...."