‘Only if you decide to,’ he says. Is he imagining us taking off our clothes and running into the sea? I picture it too.

Bloody hell. Bloody hormones.

‘So what do you think of my folks?’ I want to pivot the conversation into safer territory.

‘Your dad is fun and your mum’s hilarious. Though she kept asking me about how much I earn. I got the impression she’s worried I’m after your money.’

‘Yeah. There’s a lot less than she thinks, before you get too excited.’

He frowns. ‘I’ve never taken anything from a woman, and I never will.’

I shrug. ‘I was kidding.’

‘Good. Anyway, me and your mum have bonded over a love of 1980s heavy metal. I’ve bought her affections with the promise of an old Motörhead tour T-shirt. And your dad’s a legend. Your sister-in-law too. You were right when you said you’d lucked out on the family front.’

‘Other people’s families always seem so much nicer than your own.’

Dan laughs. ‘Tell me about it.’

‘Why don’t you tell me about it? I’d like to know about your family.’

He arches the ball-thrower back from his shoulder and chucks the ball with such force that Bear almost disappears as he thunders after it, paws scarcely touching the wet sand. ‘It’s boring. Like I said, my mum died when I was born and my dad wasn’t around after I hit my teens.’

‘That’s a big thing. Having no one, when you’re the same age Casey is now?’

Dan shakes his head. ‘Listen, Gemma, like most men, I can talk about myself for hours. But I prefer to talk about now – not mistakes people made twenty years ago.’

Maybe I should just enjoy this glorious afternoon. Except the balance between us feels off now. I’m revealing so much about myself by introducing him to my family, and I might soon reveal even more. If I can trust him.

‘I can’t help being curious,’ I say. ‘But the more you change the subject, the more I wonder if you’re keeping something hidden.’

Chapter 30: Dan

Keeping something hidden.

You could say that. As I throw Bear’s ball again to buy myself time, I try to work out which of my lies is the least damaging: the penthouse, my criminal record, the reason I walked away from fatherhood, what I did to my own dad . . .

Perhaps someone like Gemma could forgive one of these. But together they’re way too much.

I could kiss her instead of answering. I’ve wanted to all day, and it would make her forget her question. But her mother is watching.

OK then. Let’s roll.

‘I’ve never told anybody this, but my dad went to prison,’ I say. ‘That’s why I lost him.’

Gemma stops. ‘Bloody hell, Dan. What happened?’

Her mother’s pointed questions about money still ring in my ears, so already I need to lie about what he did. ‘Petty theft. Nothing violent. He couldn’t do regular work, because of looking after me, and sometimes he did the wrong thing to stay afloat.’