‘Do you want any help?’ asks Matt, pausing momentarily from stacking their cereal bowls in the dishwasher.

She’s immediately irritated. Why has he assumed he’s not coming with them? They’re still a family, aren’t they?

‘You don’t have to,’ she says with some coolness.

‘I don’t think Chloe would be up for it. And she’s still in bed.’

‘You don’t need to babysit her,’ Amy says. ‘She’ll be fine here, if you do want to keep us company.’

‘Okay,’ he says, but he sounds reluctant.

‘I’m not up for what?’ asks Chloe, walking in.

She’s wearing an extremely short nightshirt and her feet are bare. Her hair is tangled and falls over her face. She tosses it back and flops into a chair at the table, her eyes half-closed, as if she’s just returned from working a night-shift. Amy frowns. Chloe looks so like Bethany: the same beautiful, thick chestnut hair, the pale gold of her skin. No wonder Joe is attracted to her sister.

‘Do you want to come shopping with us and go to a cafe in town, sweetheart?’ asks Matt.

‘Nope,’ says Chloe, shaking Cheerios into her bowl.

Luca strolls in at the same time as Bethany and Joe.

‘We’re thinking of going for a long old run,’ says Joe. ‘Into the hills and far away. Anyone up for it?’

‘Thought you’d just done your workout?’ Nick says. He’s just come downstairs and he yawns and stretches.

‘That was a baby one,’ Joe tells him. ‘Come on, before it gets too hot. You know you want to.’

‘Can we have the breakfast first?’ asks Luca.

‘Espresso and a banana. That’ll turn you into a fat-burning machine.’

‘Okay, I will have that, and then I come with you,’ says Luca and he grins at Joe.

‘Amy.’ Matt clears his throat. ‘Would you mind if I—’ he nods his head towards Joe – ‘go for a run with the guys?’

She frowns again. ‘If that’s what you want. Come on – teeth, faces, clothes on,’ she says to Lotte and Theo, who are still in their pyjamas and are playing Minecraft on Chloe’s rhinestone-encrusted neon-pink iPad. Chloe notices and snatches it out of their hands. Matt doesn’t say anything. He’s so lenient with her.

‘Nick. You up for it, mate? Get you Fit in Five,’ says Joe.

Her brother hesitates. ‘I’m pretty tired. Didn’t sleep that well.’

‘Should have had a sleeping pill,’ says Bethany. ‘I have no trouble getting a good night’s kip, in spite of the snoring going on around here. Stopped Dad wandering around at night too,’ she says, looking smug.

‘Go on,’ says Matt.

Her brother still seems reluctant. He’s so out of shape, she can’t imagine him being able to keep up with the others.

‘Who’ll look after Chloe?’ Nick asks.