‘Traumatised? No, it was just a recall. I was only sixteen, my first boyfriend, David. Someone I loved . . .’ She battled to keep calm. ‘Well, he got into trouble, tangled in a fishing net. I saw it all but couldn’t help.’ She had to stop and take a breath in order to say the essential words that she knew would help her to heal. ‘It ended in tragedy. So, you see, when your face lit up behind that net, it gave me quite a start.’

‘Must have been awful. You were sixteen?’

She nodded, suddenly realising she had no appetite. ‘Please, it was such a wonderful day today, I’d rather not spoil it by recalling that nightmare. If you don’t mind, Harry, I’ll tell you about it another time.’ He nodded. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly, feeling the memory of David take a respectful step back.

Harry reached across the table and touched her wrist. Shelly offered her hand and he took it, silent for a moment. ‘I lost my friend, too,’ he said simply. ‘Narcosis. It was many years ago, yet sometimes it’s like yesterday. I always remember him and use extra caution when I’m organising my tanks for a dive.’

She nodded again. ‘Like yesterday, yes, I understand that. Was it on a dive?’

‘It was, just a week after his wedding. I was in the boat,’ Harry said. We were very young; I was only eighteen. Though he was three years older than me, we’d been friends all our lives, through school, everything. He was my hero. That day, we high-fived then Spiro went down. I never saw him alive again.’ He stared at his plate. ‘Two and a half years later, I married his widow, Anita. It was such a mistake. Grief and love are not the same thing. Our break-up was a mutual decision. We’re still friends and see each other because of the boys. You must meet her when she comes over, she’s a great woman and you’d get on very well, I’m sure.’

‘I’m sorry, Harry. What a tragedy. You never quite get over it, do you?’

He shook his head. ‘He simply had a heart attack brought on by the narcosis. You prepare so carefully, it seems impossible, but when a man gets dive-drunk, it’s difficult to get some sense into him. His dive buddy thought he was filming something close up and wasn’t concerned when he didn’t move for a few minutes. When they were due to start their ascent, he realised something was wrong . . . but it was too late.’

‘Until now, I’ve found that I must keep diving, like I’m doing it for David,’ Shelly explained. ‘It’s like every experience under the water, every sensation, I’m sharing with him. Does that sound crazy?’

Harry shook his head.