Her face crinkles in thought, but she soon tosses her worry aside. ‘It is what it is, cuz, and you gotta trust your gut, just like Nan always said. They can’t be too pissed at us for doin what we were told.’

It’s Rhi logic so I’m not too sure it’s sound, but I need the comfort.

‘Right now my gut says we ave to stop off and leave a note for your mum.’

‘Rhi—’

She cuts me off. ‘Non-negotiable, cuzzie. The gut says we leave a note.’

I sit in silence and sulk while she drives back to our house.

Going fishing with Rhi at Tolderodden. Should be back before you get home.

I stare at it for a second and my guilt makes me add: Sorry. T xo

I slip back into Rhi’s car and try not to look at her.

‘We’ll be back before them, right?’

She ignores my question and puts the car in gear.

‘Let’s away, to your clandestine meeting with an octogenarian where absolutely no romance is allowed with er hot nephew.’

‘Got a new word-of-the-day calendar, cuz?’

‘Shut up bitch, I’m expandin my vocabulary.’

I bust out laughing.

Bumping our way across open ground we follow the tracks. The headlights show only thigh-high grass all around us with distant shapes of trees. Good thing Rhi remembers the way because I’ve forgotten. I have zero sense of direction. She mumbles something like ‘good blackfulla you’ when I confess this and then drives us straight there. Or I hope it’s ‘there’. I have no idea.

Seeing a bank of trees ahead is the first hint we’re closing in on the river. We come across a steep drop down towards the water. Below, a fire winks at us through gaps in the scrub and I relax. There’s someone here. It has to be them.

Coming into an open space our lights fall on the Miller’s car first. Beyond that the fire beckons through the trees. I can make out two figures further back, spread out along the banks of the river, probably with fishing lines in hand. As we roll up I see Sam set up his line around a branch shoved into the ground, before going and helping May do the same.

Sam gives me the dirtiest look while helping May hobble to the fire.

‘Wow, you weren’t kiddin, he is pissed. Did he say why?’ Rhi whispers.

‘Cos I called his house. He said I wanted im to get another floggin.’ I blush.

‘Well, that’s a bit fucked up.’