‘That was quite a day,’ Pim says, as they cycle home along the prom.

‘A brilliant one,’ she says. ‘Thank you.’

‘I’m jealous of Helga and Linus. Off on a new adventure.’

‘Me too. They looked like teenagers.’

‘Didn’t they? It got me thinking – about what if you and I did something crazy.’

‘What? Take off on a yacht?’

‘No, do something else. To combine our skills workwise. Do something for a living together.’

‘For a living?’

‘Yeah. I just think it would be fun to be partners in a new enterprise.’

She smiles. ‘What did you have in mind?’

56

Round the Pier

Looking down from the top of the steps by the pitch and putt, Maddy can see that there’s quite a crowd on the beach already and, even from here, she can sense the jolly mood as the swimmers start disrobing for the round-the-pier swim. There’s a smell of doughnuts and candyfloss in the air.

The lifeguard boat bobs in the foam and she can see the markers out in the water. She was worried that it would be odd for Jamie coming back here and now she follows his gaze as they walk down the steps. The counsellor Dominica has recommended for Jamie has been working wonders and she’s happy to see him getting stronger every day, but she knows difficult stuff comes up all the time. The counsellor has told Maddy to acknowledge it when it does.

‘Wow. It’s a long way down.’ He’s sombre as he nods to the end of the pier.

She nods. ‘I know.’

‘If you hadn’t …’

He turns to her and she sees the gratitude and the fear in his eyes. ‘I know. It’s OK.’

‘But you saved my life, Mum.’

She smiles at him and his eyes twinkle in the sunshine and she shudders, because what if she hadn’t saved him? Because she’s only a beginner at going in the sea? She’s only a beginner at saving lives.

‘Anytime,’ she says, smiling back.

He nods and carries on down the steps and, as she watches him and the scruffy hair on the back of his head, which was the first thing she noticed when he was born, she knows he’s going to be OK. That they’re both going to be OK.

It’s been a whirlwind twenty-four hours getting the boxes out of the Airbnb and moving into Helga’s cottage and helping her pack up for her trip with Linus. But it’s meant that she hasn’t had any time to train for the swim and, now she’s here, she’s nervous about the challenge ahead.

‘It’s really far,’ Maddy tells Jamie, now reaching beach level and seeing the crowds of swimmers getting ready. ‘I have no idea if I’ll make it.’

‘You will. You can do anything. You’re my super-mum.’

He hasn’t called her that for years and she laughs. She’s going to have to try her best to live up to his expectations.

‘Where are Helga and Linus?’ she asks, and Jamie looks along the crowded promenade.