‘Push me, push me!’ yells Tui, and Kit stops abruptly in his tracks, raising his hands to the heavens.

‘It’s OK,’ I call out. ‘Wait a sec and I’ll come to you.’

I stand up and brush the dirt from my shorts, feeling a flush of heat envelop my cheeks as I gather up my bag and slip my feet back into my sandals. As I straighten up from fastening the straps, I find that two more people have joined Kit and Tui beside the water – a man and a woman, both of whom stare at me curiously as I make my way over to join them.

‘Genie,’ Kit says again, offering me one of his big hands to shake. Turning briefly, he gives Tui’s swing another gentle push.

‘Tui you know,’ he begins, then adds, ‘this is Allie and her brother Griff.’

‘Hi,’ I say, my eyes flickering over each of the group in turn. Tui is the hardest to take in, because she’s swinging around in circles so fast that her laughing face is little more than a blur. The man, Griff, who is even bigger and broader than Kit, but with straight blond hair instead of tight black curls on his head, steps forwards and offers me a hand.

‘G’day,’ he says, beaming at me.

The girl, who glanced at me briefly as she was introduced but has made no move to unfold her arms from across her chest, is tall and slim like Hayley. Her light-brown hair frames a neat, heart-shaped face, and she looks me up and down without speaking.

‘Aren’t you gonna say hello, Allie?’ teases Griff, and the girl rolls her eyes.

‘Hello,’ she says. ‘You’re Bonnie’s old friend, right? From England?’

‘I was just telling the guys about you,’ explains Kit. ‘Saying what a ’mare it was that you showed up just as Bon buggered off.’

At the mention of Bonnie, I feel myself clam up, and mutter something about it not mattering, and that I’m happy to wait for her to get back.

Allie allows her arms to fall down to her sides. She has a shrewd expression on her face, as if she’s holding back from saying something.

Kit, who is watching both of us, stops pushing Tui and picks up the puppy.

‘This little fella is Beavis,’ he says, coming so close that the dog is able to give my nose a lick of greeting. ‘He’s much less of a nitwit than Allie.’

‘Right charmer, this one, isn’t he?’ Allie deadpans in her Kiwi drawl, but she’s definitely thawed a fraction.

Tui stumbles off the swing and reaches for her dog, noticing me properly for the first time as Kit places Beavis in her arms.

‘Hello, Tui,’ I say, choking out the words through the closed fist that my throat has become.