I sit and pay attention as we eat from the breakfast buffet; the business merger sounds promising, and I take key notes on things he will want to recap. I listen intently to them thrash through proposals and possibilities with enthusiasm and can see that these men are genuine friends. They have a rapport you can only find between people who know each other well. Sarcasm and banter are interlaced with business talk; Jake is ‘one of the guys’ when he’s around Daniel.

I can’t help but notice as I’ve been sitting cross-legged that Daniel Hunter has not concealed his open appraisal of me, his eyes following my legs and...