Luke reclined in his chair, slowly swivelling back and forth whilst tapping his lower lip with his pen. ‘Do you reckon she has a partner?’

‘Don’t be silly,’ I said dismissively.

‘It’s just that I’ve—’

‘Hey, but do you think Cameron has a partner?’ I asked.

Interrupted mid-sentence and with his mouth still ajar, Luke frowned. ‘Sure. But I think that Alison—’

‘Do you think he has a partner?’ I interjected. ‘Or do you know he has a partner. Definitely know?’ I pressed, leaning towards him across my desk.

He continued to frown. ‘He hasn’t said, “Luke, I’ve got a girlfriend” and provided photographic evidence of the fact, if that’s what you mean.’

‘So you don’t definitely know.’

‘No, Rumpole, I don’t definitely know,’ he said, putting down his coffee. ‘What’s with all this sudden interest in Cameron’s private life anyway?’

‘Not just Cameron’s,’ I said defensively. ‘I’m interested in Alison’s and Roger’s too.’

His frown lifted and a slow smile spread across his face. ‘Edie, have you got the hots for him?’

My jaw dropped. ‘No, I have not!’

‘You do-oo,’ he said in a sing-song voice. ‘I knew you did. All that “anger” towards him.’ He drew the inverted commas in the air. ‘Anger, my arse. That was pure sexual tension. Soooo obvious.’

‘It was not!’ I exclaimed, feeling myself blushing. ‘It was absolutely not. I want to know whether he’s single or not because…’ I hesitated, trying to decide whether or not it was OK to confide. ‘I’m asking for a friend.’

‘Oh, for a friend,’ he said, winking and tapping the side of his nose. ‘I get it. Yeah, yeah, for a friend. Your little fluttery friend in here, is it?’ He asked, placing a hand on his chest.

‘Luke,’ I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, ‘I promise you that I am one hundred per cent enquiring about Cameron’s relationship status for a friend. I promise you.’

‘So you’re saying someone has asked you to enquire?’ He picked up his coffee and took a sip, studying me over the top of the cup. ‘Interesting…’

‘Well, not exactly,’ I said. ‘It’s more that I’m investigating the situation because they’re… a bit shy.’

‘A bit shy?’ He sounded incredulous. ‘Your friend is over twelve, right?’

‘It’s OK for a man to be shy, Luke.’

He spat his coffee out onto the desk. ‘A man?’ he spluttered, bending down, opening a desk drawer and taking out a packet of wet-wipes. ‘Look, Edie, I may not be totally sure whether Cameron is seeing a woman, but I promise you that he has not, and will never have, a male partner.’