Nina flipped through her stack of cards. “Fine, I’ll focus on your strengths: What are the three smallest bones in the body?”

“The ossicles,” said Laura. “They’re three tiny bones in the middle ear.” She turned to Polly. “The smallest one, the stapes, is only three millimeters long.” Polly was smiling encouragingly, so she added, “That’s about the same size as a sesame seed.”

“Amazing,” said Polly, who really couldn’t have cared less, but enjoyed being supportive. “Did you ever watch The Big Comfy Couch?”

“No,” said Laura. “Was that a TV show?”

“Yes, and pure nightmare fuel. Speaking of which, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?”

“Yes. Books were totally encouraged.”

“Focus, people,” said Nina. “What is a pyrogen?”

“Something that gives you a fever,” said Laura.

“In what year was the first female referee featured in an NFL game?”

“Twenty twelve. That was a sports question, I thought we were doing human anatomy?”

“Laura,” said Nina, “the whole point of trivia is that they can ask anything.”

“What is a male swan called?” said Polly. “For example.”

“Or what was Alexander Graham Bell actually working on when he discovered the telephone?” added Maggie, who was an occasional stand-in member of the team. She was reading the Sunday New York Times and working on her second cup of coffee. Daisy was curled up by her feet, having been given the end of Maggie’s bagel.

“Or which US state name ends with three vowels?” finished Nina. “You have to be light on your feet, ready for anything.”

“Well, I’m not, as we already proved,” said Laura. “I have no idea what a male swan is called. Mr. Swan?”

“A cob,” said Polly. “Female ones are called hens.”

“Good to know,” said Laura. She turned to Maggie, who said “the hearing aid,” and then to Nina, who said “Hawaii.”

“Can I swim now?” said Laura calmly.

“Where was the world’s first parking meter installed?” asked Nina, with a slightly cheeky expression on her face.

Laura got to her feet. “One, I don’t care, and two, if you want to keep questioning me, you’ll have to follow me to the pool.”

Nina looked at her laptop. “Fine, I have plenty of charge, let’s do it.”

•   •   •

The pool was very different under the midday sun than it was in the evening, but the water was as cool and invigorating as ever. Laura dove straight into the deep end, and while the others arranged their towels and computers and newspapers and dogs to their liking on the loungers, Laura swam lengths and woke herself up completely.

Eventually she climbed out and went to sit by Nina, who was as much in the shade as she could be.

Nina frowned at her as she approached. “You’re a little bit too energetic, I’m not going to lie. You’re not going to try and talk me into getting fit, are you?”