‘Your turn, George,’ Jack said, when it became clear that he was beating his mother with far too much ease. He turned a splashy somersault in the water and grinned. ‘Front-crawl sprint. Although I hope you’re not going to be a bad loser about this, when I win.’

George laughed. ‘Tell you what,’ he said. ‘I’ll swim with Seren on my back and I’ll still beat you. Are we on?’

‘In your dreams!’ Jack retaliated. ‘Me against you, so you don’t have any excuses when I annihilate you. Prepare to weep man-tears of shame, George. Mum, you’re the judge. Seren, give us a Ready, Steady, Go.’

The two of them lined up in racing positions on the far side of the pool, arms bent back behind them, feet against the wall, ready to push off.

‘READY STEADY GO!’ yelled Seren at the top of her voice.

SPLASH! Forward they plunged, water foaming around their shoulders as they surged across the pool. ‘Go on, Jack!’ Em cheered, recognizing the determination on her son’s face. She dodged out of the way as they drew near, neck-and-neck, both finding an extra burst of speed for the final metre. Down slapped their hands on the pool’s edge. ‘Jack wins by a finger!’ she decreed, which made him whoop and leap in the air.

‘I’ll get you next time,’ George said, holding out a hand to shake. ‘Oh hey, Izzie,’ he said just then.

Em turned to see her daughter strutting towards them, wearing only a pair of mirrored aviator shades plus a tiny – and Em really did mean tiny – black bikini. Where had that come from? She must have picked it up in town with her mates, because Em certainly would not have willingly purchased it for her.

‘My eyes, my eyes,’ Jack groaned, clapping a hand over his face as he saw his sister. ‘Jesus, Iz, you’re scaring the horses.’

‘What horses?’ Seren asked.

Em felt flustered. There was something a bit seedy about seeing your own beautiful teenage daughter looking like a sex object. Looking womanly, with far shapelier thighs than her own mother and an enviably toned stomach. In the blink of an eye, Izzie had blossomed from a sporty, ponytailed girl in school uniform into this . . . well, this beautiful young woman, frankly, all hips and boobs. What with Jack suddenly becoming interested in girls and now Izzie turning into this goddess, Em felt as if someone had pressed a fast-forward button on her children’s lives. Or was it that she hadn’t paid enough attention to them lately?

‘Jump in! The water’s lovely,’ she urged Izzie, with just a fraction of desperation in her voice. Cover yourself up! Too much bare flesh on display here.