‘This must be what it’s like swimming in heaven,’ Dominica says.

‘It actually reminds me of a spa I went to in Bali on my honeymoon,’ Maddy says.

‘Bali,’ Tor says, teasing her. ‘Exactly. Heaven.’

‘I paid a bloody fortune, and this is free. And better. I don’t have to put up with Trent.’

‘How are things in the Trent department?’ Dominica asks.

‘Don’t ask. I ran into Helen at the vaccination centre when I went home. She’s the woman he had an affair with. Still is, by the sounds of it. I’m so angry …’

‘Don’t waste your time being angry, Maddy,’ Helga says. ‘It’s not good for you.’

‘I guess.’

‘You must keep positive,’ Helga says.

Lotte strides forward and lets out a yelp as she splashes through a wave. She comes up smiling.

‘Not as bad as I thought,’ she calls and Maddy goes to join her.

Tor stands for moment with Dominica. ‘Do you remember last year?’

‘Yes, of course I remember,’ Dominica says, the rain pattering on their skin, the drops making them squint and blink. Tor rubs her upper arms. They’d done the dawn swim a month after Chris had died. Tor hadn’t thought Dominica would come in, but she had turned up at the beach, her face drawn with grief.

‘Look how far you’ve come,’ Tor tells her.

‘You think so? I don’t feel any different.’

‘But you’ve kept going. That’s something right? Something to be proud of. You kept showing up.’

The water is murky, the waves peaking and, as Tor knew it would be, it’s difficult to get in when it’s so rough. For a moment, when she goes for it and launches herself into the shallow water and compared to the outside temperature, it feels momentarily, pleasantly warm. She ducks under a wave and Claire copies her.

‘Jeez! That’s one way to wake up,’ she says.

There’s a pull in the water and they don’t swim so much as bob as they’re dragged towards the other groyne, but it’s fun being swirled around in the water. Arek and his friends get in and Tor realises how different it is swimming with men. As they lark around, dunking each other, they bring a different kind of energy.

She’s only aware of the light changing when she sees the other beaches coming into view. As far as Tor can see along the coast, they are the only people around.

Helga announces that it’s time to head in, but Tor doesn’t want to get out of the water. She knows she must, though – that the after-drop will be mega today.

Claire is slightly behind her, but she gets tumbled by a wave.

‘Steady,’ Tor says, catching hold of her hand as she splutters. She helps her find her footing as they time it between waves to walk up from the sea to the shore.

‘Thank you. That was a bit scary,’ Claire says.

Back at their pile of bags, Tor takes her towel and wipes her face. Her whole body is tingling and buzzing.