Alice sat on a large towel, staring out to sea as Holly and Hunter tore down the beach, chasing the marauding seagulls who’d tried valiantly to pinch their fish and chips. Earlier, they’d all been rock pool rambling as part of Alice’s preparation for the mural. Initially, Alice had called Harry asking to borrow Hunter.

“I want to capture what kids see and he’s got the perfect mix of enthusiasm and interest.”

“He’s also reckless, plunging his hand in first and looking second. So, if it’s okay with you, I’ll tag along too.”

Alice could hardly say no and she found she didn’t want to. She kept remembering the way Harry had looked at her the night he’d dipped her. The way he’d winked at her and how her body had reacted with a rush of delight and lust. But sexy Harry was absent this evening and Alice kept wondering if she’d imagined the whole thing.

They’d spent a companionable hour exploring the rock pools and both she and Harry had grabbed Hunter by the back of the T-shirt at least once to avoid disaster. Holly, who now had occasional moments of being a disdainful teen, had been a kid again and equally as enthusiastic as Hunter about their finds. “How about this, Alice?” They’d held up all sorts of things while Alice rapidly sketched outlines and scrawled notes she hoped she’d be able to decipher later.

“Penny for them?” Harry asked.

In the distance, Holly caught her brother and tackled him to the sand. “I was just thinking how normal this is.”

“You mean the constant negotiations over who has the most chips and the three of us telling you in no uncertain terms exactly what you should draw in your mural?” Hunter’s shout of protest as Holly sat on him drifted on the air. Harry sighed. “And violent sibling affection.”

Alice laughed. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

She pushed her hands into the warm sand and thought about Jess. She’d been discharged from the hospital and although she had little physical stamina, she wasn’t completely bedridden—yet. Karen had drawn up a care roster and Alice wasn’t certain if her mother was shielding her from too much one-on-one with Jess or giving her space while she could still have it.