“I was being serious. Kind of.”

“But how cool is that? The Kathy Kelly Show! She’s like South Africa’s answer to Oprah. She’s…”

“I know who she is, Jamie. She has a reputation for manufacturing drama on her show, and then milking it for the ratings. I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“It’s a brilliant idea. When I was on the radio, only people in Gauteng got to hear the show. But this is the SABC we’re talking about. The whole country will be able to hear me. This is the biggest opportunity I’ve ever had. I’d be insane not to take it.”

“Just think about the danger for a moment. Kathy Kelly loves to stir up controversy. By the end of the show, your stalker will probably feel personally challenged to make another move.”

Jamie kept her face still. “That’s a chance I have to take. I owe it to my career to grab this opportunity.”

Tom held out a hand to her. When she took it, he pulled her off her chair and settled her on the sofa next to him. He stroked her hair, then took her hands and met her eyes.

“What about me?” he asked. “Don’t I get a say?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to watch someone you care about throwing herself into the line of fire.”

Jamie looked down at their joined hands. She was used to passion from Tom – the heat between them had a way of flaring up whenever they were together. But this tenderness was something new. She wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“I’m sorry it makes you worry,” she said. “It makes me worry too, to be honest. But I can’t not do it. And let’s face it, whatever he’s got in mind for me, he’s not likely to change it just because I happen to go on TV.”

“First you blog about him, then you discuss him on the radio, and then you build a whole TV show around him. This guy started out as your common-or-garden, small-time stalker, and you’re turning him into a celebrity.”