‘Don’t be so ridiculous. Charlie might be a letch,’ I watched Donna throw her head back and laugh throatily as my phone began to ring, ‘but he’s definitely not into boys. Not unless I’m losing my instinct as well as my marbles.’ I eyed the phone warily. ‘Can you get that please, Sal?’

‘Sure.’ Sally’s dimples deepened. ‘Trying to impress someone?’

‘Hardly,’ I muttered, keeping one eye on Charlie.

‘Oh, right,’ she said knowingly. ‘Avoiding someone?’ Her hand hovered over the receiver with great nonchalance. ‘Alex, perhaps?’

‘It won’t be Alex.’

Perhaps I was losing my marbles, though, I thought. I certainly felt pretty odd at the moment, cornered by life and circumstance. My phone was still ringing at all hours in the last few weeks – at home, at work, the mobile going day and night. Too often there was silence on the other end: too often to be a coincidence. It was starting to seriously scare me.

‘I’ll just see if she’s here.’ Sally clapped her hand over the mouthpiece dramatically. ‘Someone called Seb,’ she stage-whispered. ‘Nice voice.’

I felt my skin go hot as I flapped my hands at her, shaking my head fervently.

‘I’m so sorry, Seb, she’s in a meeting. Can I take a message? Okay, sure. I expect she’d love to. Eight o’clock. Bye.’ She hung up with a triumphant look. ‘Now let me see. He said it was nice to see you this morning. And, more importantly, he said he’s got two tickets for a screening of Love All at the BAFTA cinema tonight, the one on Piccadilly. He’d love you to come, he said. How exciting – a film star!’

I frowned. ‘I can’t go tonight. I’m cooking dinner for Bel.’

‘Bel’ll understand, won’t she?’

‘She might, but she’s leaving next week.’

‘So?’

‘So I want to spend as much time as possible with her. God knows when I’ll see her again.’

‘How very honourable, Maggie – and how very dull.’

‘It’s not dull to put your mates before men.’ I was indignant. ‘Is it?’

‘No comment. And what exactly were you up to this morning with the lovely Seb anyway, you saucy minx?’ Sally’s round face was beaming with complicity.

‘Sally, for God’s sake! I just bumped into him downstairs. It’s hardly Cathy and Heathcliff. I don’t even know him.’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You know what, Maggie, it may be none of my business, but you can’t keep hankering after Alex forever you know.’

‘Hankering?’ I felt my brows knit. ‘That’s hardly fair.’