She watches from the door as he throws the roses on the floor and stamps on them, then he walks away. Maddy stares after him, astounded that she hadn’t realised before how emotionally immature Trent is. Because he’s been so childish, his plans so ill thought through.

The thought rings out in her head. A kind of an epiphany. She’s better off without him.

It’s a shock, but she knows she’ll come out of the end of their marriage in one piece. She might not have found Jamie, but she knows she’s going to survive. And that’s the best birthday present she could have.

43

Shallow Water

The weather gets steadily better all week, until by the weekend, it’s a scorching June day. Claire can’t believe the scene on the seafront when she arrives to meet Tor for a swim. Maddy is busy helping Matteo pack up his apartment and Dominica has gone to see her sister-in-law for the day. Pim and the boys are glued to their game with the curtains shut. Despite the crowds, it’s a relief to be out of the house.

‘Jesus, look at all the people,’ Tor says, as she arrives, kissing Claire on the cheek.

The bandstand café is packed, whilst above it on the bandstand itself, there’s a salsa group dancing, the couples gyrating to the Latin music. They pass a gang of students playing a frenzied game of ping-pong on the public tables, and a girl in sequinned hotpants circles in an elegant plié, oblivious to the teenage boys who are attempting parkour between the concrete walls. Longboarders zoom past and the playground is packed with screeching toddlers splashing in the paddling pool. Parents drink pints as they lean against the fence around the edge. Brazen seagulls peck at the rubbish spilling out of the bins.

They cross the ambling crowds to the beach, but there’s no way they’ll be able to get anywhere near their usual spot. There are people on every inch of the pebbles, all of them in various states of undress. Claire knows she’s going to have to share the beach with the tourists now for the rest of the summer, but she hates seeing such a big crowd.

This is her patch of paradise but seeing the faces of the people basking in the sun and staring at the water, she can’t begrudge them the collective joy of being near the sea. The air is thick with the waft of barbecue smoke, the sound of beer cans opening, reggae coming from a sound system.

There’s a wide expanse of sand, reflecting the sunshine. She squints, watching a couple of dogs bound joyfully over it. Further out, there’s plenty of paddleboarders and a couple of jet-skiers churning up the water past the buoys.

They find a spot where the pebbles stop and the sand starts, knowing they have a while before the tide turns.

‘It’s weird to be going in without gloves. I never thought I’d miss the cold water,’ Tor says, ‘but I really do.’