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Matt?”
    Matthew
Waterhouse was one of the producers Bennie sometimes worked with.
He was also her occasional bed partner. I knew she was in love with
him but he was an arrogant arse living the playboy lifestyle that
life in the media offered him. As far as I could see, he didn’t
view Bennie as anything more than a willing body. She was far too
good for him and it always amazed me that someone so strong and
beautiful as Bennie had such a weakness for someone like Matt ‘git
features’ Waterhouse. I knew she was hoping I wasn’t going to ask
her about him, she was fully aware that he was her Achilles heel,
but I figured if I gave her a hard time often enough she might come
to her senses.
    “He might have
been there,” Bennie replied vaguely, and by the look on her face I
knew she had done more than just film lion cubs with him.
    “Bennie!” I
cried in frustration.
    “I know, I know
so send me to rehab. I just can’t help myself, he’s got the most
glorious ...” she hesitated and I winced at what was coming next.
She gave me a sideways look, “Arse.” Bennie could sometimes be
rather too graphic about her sex life and the mental image of my
best friend doing bedroom gymnastics was not one I liked to dwell
on.
    “And how’s the
charismatic Dr Hampton?” she asked sarcastically.
    “Touché! I
said, raising my glass of wine at her and gave her a crooked smile.
“He’s not that bad, I don’t know what your problem is with him.
He’s nice looking, he’s got a pretty good sense of humour and good
prospects.”
    “That’s exactly
it! You keep telling me he’s got good prospects, which tells me
that he’s obviously not lighting your fire in the sack,” she
concluded.
    “Um, I’m not
exactly sure what he is like in the bedroom yet,” I added a little
sheepishly.
    “You mean you
haven’t slept with him yet?” Her voice going up several octaves.
“How long have you been seeing him?”
    “It’s only been
three months.”
    “Three months!
For God’s sake Sophe, what are you waiting for? You’ve got to try
before you buy love, and if the goods don’t hit the spot you move
on.”
    Sometimes she
could be really annoying. “We don’t all shag every guy we meet,” I
said, defending myself.
    “Ouch!” Bennie
responded good-naturedly. She could take it as well as dish it
out.
    “You’ve never
been short of male attention,” she declared. “Just look at
yourself. Those big innocent green eyes, the slightly mad but
utterly gorgeous blonde hair and a figure that most men can only
dream about getting their hands on. Get out there and have some
fun! Even better, come and spend a weekend with me I’ll find you
someone more interesting than Dr Boring.”
    I put my plate
down on the floor by the side of the sofa.
    “He’s not
boring! He’s funny and a good kisser. In fact, for your
information, I have decided to take our relationship to the next
level, it’s about time I moved my life on.” I sat deeper into the
sofa and curled my legs underneath me. “I feel like my life has
stood still over the last year whilst I’ve been dealing with
Katie’s death, but Sunday was definitely a turning point for me. I
finally feel like I want to get on with the job of living and start
to build a future for Toby and me.”
    “Do you know
what Sophe? That’s the best thing I’ve heard all week.” She put her
plate down and picked up her glass of wine. “I’ve watched you over
the last year knowing that you were grieving and hurting, feeling
like I wasn’t being much help. It’s so good to hear that you are
coming out the other end.”
    “You have
helped, just by being my friend.” I leaned over and gave her a hug.
She squeezed me back.
    Bennie wasn’t
into big displays of emotion and she pulled away looking a touch
embarrassed. “Want more wine?”
    “Is the Pope
Catholic?”
    She refilled
our glasses. “Speaking of Toby, how is that gorgeous little
boy?”
    I knew the time
had come for me to tell