‘Hi, Freya,’ Bella said, giving Freya a warm smile. ‘These are for you.’ She handed her the flowers.

‘Thank you.’ Freya’s cheeks had flushed slightly red and she looked uncharacteristically shy as she took the expensive-looking bouquet of lilies.

‘You have a lovely home,’ Bella added, gesturing around the open-plan living/dining space that Freya had lovingly decorated with chalky, muted colours on the walls, offset by splashes of bold colour in her choice of cushions and rugs. She had a talent and a passion for interior design and Matt knew that Bella would have scored an immediate bulls-eye with her appreciation of it. He wondered if Ben had armed her with the information in advance or if she genuinely loved it.

There was an awkward pause as they all stood around, shuffling from foot to foot. Finally, Ben broke the silence. ‘Well, I’m starving! I hope you’ve made my favourite, Matt.’

Matt grinned back at him, pleased to see how happy and well he looked. ‘’Course I have, mate. Make yourselves at home and I’ll just go and put the finishing touches to it.’

‘I’ll get the drinks,’ Freya chipped in, already turning towards the kitchen. ‘Red or white?’ she threw back over her shoulder.

Bella and Ben exchanged glances. ‘Red for me, just water for Bella. She doesn’t drink.’ Ben nodded encouragingly at Matt as he spoke.

‘Result!’ Matt replied, thinking how fabulous it must be to have a designated driver all the time. He motioned to them to take a seat on the sofa, before following Freya into the kitchen. ‘What do you think?’ he hissed, as he stirred the huge pan of paella he was preparing.

Freya’s head was bowed, as she concentrated on pouring three glasses of wine and a glass of water, so he couldn’t read her expression. ‘She’s stunning-looking.’

‘I hadn’t noticed,’ Matt lied. ‘But she seems very nice, too, doesn’t she?’

‘Hmmm.’ Freya looked up, her large grey-blue eyes clouding slightly. ‘I wish she wasn’t tee-total.’

‘Why?’

Freya grinned sheepishly. ‘It makes me nervous. She’ll be able to remember every second of every drunken evening.’

Matt laughed. ‘Well, she can fill in the blanks for us then!’

Freya pulled a face. ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’

The evening went better than Matt had dared hope. Any concerns he might have had that Bella wouldn’t be as much fun as Charlotte disappeared almost instantly. She was charming and funny, but more importantly, she was happy to let Ben shine. Ben had always been the life and soul of the party and she had sat back, listening intently and laughing loudly, as he regaled them with hilarious stories.

She asked Matt and Freya lots of questions about themselves and seemed genuinely interested in their answers. At the end of the meal, as they were drinking their coffee, Ben tapped his spoon against his cup in a jokingly self-important way. ‘Bella and I have an announcement!’ he said, slurring slightly.

Matt looked at Freya, who seemed to have sat up a bit straighter, as if steeling herself for a blow.