and our texts aren’t getting through …’ She hesitated. ‘I just wanted to make sure you were OK.’
Ben frowned. ‘Yeah, everything’s fine. Look, I was just about to grab a sandwich, do you want to join me?’
Freya beamed. ‘I’d love to.’
They headed for a café near Ben’s office and found a table. ‘What can I get you?’ he asked, gesturing towards the counter.
‘Oh, thanks, Ben. A cheese and ham toastie would be lovely.’
Ben smiled. ‘Of course. I should have remembered. I’ll have the same.’
Freya watched him ordering and paying for their food, trying to analyse whether there was anything different about him. He looked a bit more tired and there were shadows under his eyes but that was understandable with a new baby. Other than that, he looked pretty much the same as he ever had.
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.’
Freya hesitated, before sitting back down. ‘Lots of sleepless nights, is it?’
Ben nodded. ‘Yeah. She’s a good baby but they’re bloody hard work, you know?’ He gave a small, apologetic laugh. ‘I love being a dad but I hadn’t expected it to be so … draining. Honestly, it’s just relentless and the lack of sleep does get to you.’
‘I can only imagine.’ Freya could feel herself softening towards him again, glad that he was opening up a bit.
‘Bella’s coping brilliantly. But it gets lonely for her, at home on her own all day. She’s desperate for some adult company and for someone else to take over by the time I walk through the door. No matter how busy I’ve been at work, it’s nothing compared to the drudgery of looking after a baby all day.’
Freya smiled sympathetically. ‘I’m sure. But I bet your mum and Bella’s mum have been a permanent fixture. That must be a big help.’
‘Hmmm.’ Ben looked away, clearly embarrassed. ‘Bella’s mum is around a bit but my mum’s keeping her distance. I think she’s worried about being seen as the archetypal interfering mother-in-law.’
‘Jo would never be that!’
Ben pulled a wry face. ‘Not sure Bella would agree with you there.’
A tiny alarm bell rang somewhere in a distant corner of Freya’s mind. ‘Do they not get on then?’ she ventured tentatively, wary of setting him off again.
‘No.’ Ben shook his head slightly. ‘There was … there was a bit of an argument at Christmas. Bella overheard Mum describing her as an attention-seeking little madam.’
Freya tried to keep a straight face. It sounded like a perfect description of Bella to her. ‘Ouch.’
Ben laughed. ‘Yeah, you could say that. It didn’t make for a very happy family Christmas, put it that way. We headed back to London there and then and we haven’t seen her since.’
Freya gasped. ‘So she still hasn’t seen the baby?’
Ben suddenly looked desperately sad. ‘No.’
Freya was so shocked it took her a few moments to find her voice. ‘But … that must have been devastating for her. When is she going to see her?’
‘I’m not entirely sure. Bella’s insistent she won’t let her visit but she won’t let me take Elodie to see her alone either. Don’t think she trusts me to look after her by myself!’ He tried to laugh again but it seemed to dry in his throat.
After another stunned silence, as she tried to digest his words, Freya shook her head and spoke: ‘Well, you obviously can’t carry on like this. Why doesn’t Jo just apologize?’
