It was probably one of life's little ironies that there was, in fact, a man watching her, but not the one she was worried about. Oliver hadn't been trailing her; in fact, he'd already been at the bar when she limped in. And fortunately, it was early enough that he was not drunk yet, although that had been his plan for the evening before he saw her.

So, of course, her sudden panic was obvious to his trained eye, and on a whim, he decided to change tactics. He picked up his glass and walked over to her table. "I'm sorry, I think we've met before - are you all right?"

It read as if he had only just noticed her visible upset; this was the genuine concern of a near stranger.