‘Who doesn’t like being called pretty?’

‘Um, a guy who’s eighty-five kilos of solid muscle and has made a career out of chasing adrenaline rushes!’ She pointed a finger warningly as Matty’s mouth opened again to say something else. Clover could see from the gleam in her eyes that she wanted to pull her into her overblown fantasies. They could fall together! ‘Oh my god, stop! Do not insult me with any stupid comments. You’re very drunk right now. In the morning, you’ll remember exactly what he did and what it led to and why I find him utterly abhorrent. Okay?’

Matty bit her lip. ‘. . . Then you’re not going to like this.’

‘Not like what?’ Alarm flexed through her voice.

‘Julian wants us to have dinner tomorrow night.’

‘Again? But we just had dinner with him the other night.’

‘No. This time it’s just the four of us: you, me, Julian and . . . Kit.’

‘What?! . . . Why?’

Matty shrugged. ‘Why not? He just wants us all to get on.’

‘No.’ Clover’s eyes narrowed. ‘He wants to influence us and make sure we turn Foley back into a hero.’

‘He does not.’

‘Of course he does! He is love-bombing us, to make it impossible for us to present his pet in anything other than glowing terms. He’s manipulating us – with a smile.’

‘It is a lovely smile.’

‘Ugh, you’re in lust. You’re not thinking straight,’ Clover groaned. ‘You’re no good to me.’

‘It’ll be fun.’ Matty somehow managed to thread the word out over several syllables.

‘It will be hell on earth!’ she cried impatiently. ‘Thankfully it’s entirely academic. We can rely on Foley to be his usual charmless, obdurate self and refuse to go.’

‘It’s just so we can all bond properly.’

‘You two can, you mean. Have you kissed him?’

‘No.’ The daft smile spread over Matty’s beautiful face again and she gave a sigh of happy anticipation. The words not yet hovered, unspoken, in the air.

‘This would just be some glorified double date to legitimize you two being together! Keep me out of it.’ Clover reached over and switched off the light again.

‘Hey!’

‘Go to sleep. It’s almost two and we’re filming from breakfast.’

‘Huh?’

Clover turned over and faced the wall, making it clear the conversation was over. She heard Matty sigh, then get up and stagger into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her. She closed her eyes wearily. Matty and Julian getting together really was a complication she could do without. In the cold light of day, Matty knew full well they needed to keep the boundaries clear. No matter what he liked to think, Julian was not a main player in this film; he was a facilitator and nothing more, and this charm offensive could become obstructive. Affairs always got messy and they had several weeks here yet.