She likes getting in the sea at all times of the day, but there’s something profound about going in at sunset. It makes her feel in touch with the spinning of the earth, as if, in the sea, she can ride it out, going with time, rather than racing to fight against it like a roadrunner on land. ‘Shall we?’ She nods to the water.

Claire stands, slightly knock-kneed with fear and Dominica wants to tell her to stand up tall and to own the space she inhabits. She remembers how Chris had always made a virtue of her height. Her height, and her skin and her smile. Without him, it’s like she’s permanently in shadow.

‘If you’re not used to it, don’t stay in for long,’ Helga calls out to Claire who smiles gratefully for the advice.

Dominica walks into the water. ‘That’s it,’ she tells Claire, who follows, letting out a squeal of shock at the cold. ‘Take slow breaths. Don’t panic.’

The tide is midway out, so it’s not long before the stones suddenly dip under foot and turn into sand. Dominica is used to it, but Claire loses her footing and cries out as her shoulders dip unexpectedly. Dominica grabs her and helps her stand up.

‘Bloody hell, it’s cold,’ she gasps. She has that wide-eyed shock of a new swimmer.

‘Just relax,’ Dominica coaxes, gently. ‘Breathe.’

She swims alongside Claire, who does an anxious breaststroke, her teeth chattering. Helga swims over and they chat and Dominica nods, knowing that Helga will instantly calm Claire and give her confidence in the water. She swims further away now to join Tor.

‘And … there it goes,’ Dominica says to Tor, as they tread water and watch the sun sink into the sea. ‘The shittiest year. Done.’

‘It’ll get better.’ Tor’s face is lit with a rosy glow and Dominica smiles at her. Behind her the water is a deep bluish purple. She reaches out and puts her black glove out and holds Dominica’s hand under the water.

The gesture shocks Dominica – mainly because it’s so unexpected, but also because it’s so heartfelt.

Tor smiles.

‘Let’s wash away all the bad juju,’ she suggests. ‘Come on, you go under. I’ll hold your hat.’

Dominica, seeing the challenge in Tor’s face, relents and takes off her bobble hat and hands it over. She ducks underneath the water and she kicks furiously, swimming towards the horizon, her face freezing. She comes up crying out.

‘Brain freeze,’ Dominica gasps.

‘That’ll do it.’ Tor laughs, swimming over and giving Dominica back her hat where she’s held it out of the water. Tor does the same and soon they are both gasping.

And, as they bob side by side, watching the last tiny sliver of sun, like a golden cursor, Dominica is buzzing all over. Perhaps Tor is right. Maybe things will start to get better.

12

Dog Ambush

Claire is a good new addition to the group, Helga thinks. She’s a sweet girl. No confidence. Anyone can see that, but she has the glow now that she’s been in the sea. You can slap on all the anti-ageing cream you want, but nothing does the trick of taking off the years like a dip in cold water.