‘Oh?’ He looks at Maddy and then at Claire curiously.

‘Pim and I have been talking,’ she announces. She sounds giddy with excitement. ‘We’ve decided on a new direction. We want to run a café. Tutors and Tea we’re calling it. A place where students can come and have a coffee and a half-hour tutor session.’

‘There’s a place that we’ve been looking at by the station,’ Pim says. ‘It’s a bit run down, so we’re going to need help getting it up and running. We need someone young and fit to help us deck it out. And tutors.’

‘And we thought of you, Jamie,’ Claire says.

‘Me?’ Jamie is surprised, looking between them and then to Maddy.

‘Yes. We need a hand setting up.’

‘That’s a fabulous idea,’ Maddy says. She’s genuinely touched that Claire wants to help Jamie get back on his feet. ‘And you know, Jamie would make a good tutor too. You did that once in the holidays, remember? When you started your A-levels,’ she says to him.

‘Yeah,’ Jamie says. ‘I’d forgotten, but yeah, I liked it. Helping the kids with maths.’

‘Perfect,’ Pim says. ‘Even better.’

She leaves Pim and Claire talking to Jamie and runs to help Dominica, who is carrying a heavy cool box. Luna is tucked under her arm and she lets her down on the pebbles.

‘Here, let me help,’ Maddy says.

‘What a day for it,’ Dominica exclaims. She’s wearing a long kaftan and a floppy hat. She looks like she’s on a photoshoot for an exotic holiday destination.

‘Well done for lugging this lot down. It’s going to be a lot easier doing the swim knowing there’s a cold drink at the other end.’

Dominica hugs Tor and says hello to Lotte and Alice, Pim and the boys. It feels like a party already, Maddy thinks, pleased to see that Jamie and Pim are getting on so well.

‘Oh look,’ Dominica says. She points to the steps. ‘Here comes love’s young dream.’

‘Ain’t that the truth,’ Maddy says, looking at Helga and Linus. She’s always thought of Helga as so independent, but she and Linus really do look like the perfect couple. She’s talked to Linus quite a bit whilst they moved in and she had no doubt that Helga’s feelings for him are entirely reciprocated. They are as giddy as kids going on holiday preparing for their trip on the boat.

The swimmers are gathering now by the water and Claire gets changed and walks down with Tor and Maddy to the water’s edge. A girl is standing by herself looking at the sea, her arms wrapped around her body.

‘You OK?’ Maddy asks.

‘I was going to swim with my friend, but she hasn’t come.’

‘Come with us,’ Maddy says, and the girl tags along gratefully. It feels good to be the one gathering her to the flock, just like Helga gathered her all those months ago.

‘It’s cold,’ the girl says, as she dips her toes in the water.