He carried a tray over to their small, round, marble table. ‘Dinner is served!’

Freya laughed. ‘And very nice it looks, too. Thank you.’

Ben took a seat opposite her and picked up his toastie, taking a huge bite. ‘Mmmm, I haven’t had one of these for ages. Bloody lovely!’

‘Yep,’ Freya agreed, as they chewed in comfortable silence. ‘So, how is Elodie?’

Ben smiled, as crumbs spilled out of his mouth and he wiped them with a napkin. ‘She’s adorable. Really gorgeous.’

‘Got any photos?’

‘Hang on.’ Ben finished his toastie with one final huge bite and wiped his hands on his napkin before fumbling for his phone. He frowned slightly as he scrolled through his pictures, until he found one he liked and handed it to Freya.

On the screen was a picture of Bella looking serenely at the camera, clutching a beautiful baby girl with a shock of black hair to her chest. ‘Oh my, Ben, she is so, so lovely. They both are.’ As she looked back at the screen, a message notification flashed up, blocking the photo.

Bella: Where the fuck are you?

‘Oh! You’ve got a message,’ she said, feeling embarrassed for him as she handed back the phone.

Ben raised his eyebrows in surprise and took the phone from her. He read the message and flushed slightly.

‘Is everything OK, Ben?’ Freya asked gently, knowing that she needed to seize the opportunity.

‘Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?’ Ben was immediately on the defensive, his eyes flickering from side to side.

‘It’s just that … well, we haven’t seen you. Matt’s called you several times and you haven’t called him back. We haven’t even met Elodie yet. I just wondered if there’s something going on?’

Ben’s face darkened. ‘Is that why you ambushed me?’

Freya sighed. ‘Well, yes. How the hell else are we supposed to see you if you won’t return our calls? If you change your mobile number and don’t let us have the new one?’

Ben’s eyes held hers for a moment, before sliding away. ‘I didn’t even know you’d called …’

‘Didn’t Bella mention it?’

‘No.’ Ben’s chewed the inside of his lip. ‘But she’s been a bit busy lately … it probably just slipped her mind.’

Freya’s chest quivered with irritation. ‘Really? Only Matt’s called quite a few times. He’s so hurt, Ben.’

‘For fuck’s sake, he’s not five years old!’ Ben’s cheek pulsed and he tutted to himself.

‘OK.’ Freya stood up, her metal chair scraping on the tiled floor as she pushed it backwards. ‘I don’t know what’s going on with you, Ben, but you’re behaving like a dick. Frankly, I don’t give a damn if you don’t want to see me but the least you can do is give Matt a call back.’

Ben looked up at her in surprise. ‘I will!’ he snapped. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. ‘It’s just a bit hectic right now.’ He reached out to take her arm. ‘Don’t go like this, Frey, I’m sorry. Stay and finish your toastie.’