‘Around that point and into the next bay.’ Ninni pushed the boat away from the pier and put out the oars. She smiled when he looked confused. ‘Not all boats have engines. This boat belongs to the children and it’s a lot easier to handle.’

She soon managed to turn the boat around and started to row. Jack looked fascinated.

‘Would you like to try?’ Ninni lifted the oars out of the water.

He smiled so suddenly her heart jumped and she almost lost her grip on one of the oars. ‘I’d love to.’

‘You have to sit next to me,’ she said, trying to hide how awkward she felt.

He carefully climbed over and sat down, making the boat rock and himself turn pale. Ninni hid a smile.

‘Just hold onto the oar, make sure it stays in the oarlock. If you lose it, we’ll have to swim to shore.’

Jack had an expression of fierce concentration on his face. He gripped the handle of the oar with both hands.

‘Turn it so the blade goes in the water sideways and follow my rhythm.’

He missed the surface on the first attempt and almost fell over, then, a bit more gently, he got it right. He laughed out loud. ‘Oh, this is brilliant.’

‘Here, take this one as well.’

‘Are you sure?’ Jack looked thrilled at the thought.

‘Go on. Worst thing that can happen is we fall into the water. And we have life jackets for that.’

Ninni waited until he had a good grip on both oars before moving away, hoping he didn’t see the relief on her face. It was too … intimate to sit that close.

‘Now, don’t go too fast. We are just going around the point, then you have to slow down and turn towards land.’

He smiled at her. ‘This is not the same as a rowing machine in the gym.’

‘I should think not. This is a proper wooden boat,’ Ninni huffed.

He looked good rowing, even if he was slightly out of breath.

‘How do I stop this thing?’ Jack was rowing too fast and he knew it.

‘You can lift up the oars; the boat will slow down.’

Jack tested and looked slightly worried when the boat didn’t slow down much. ‘I hope there’s an easier way,’ he said.

The boat glided past the point and a narrow bay without a beach appeared.

Ninni waved her arm. ‘Go right. No, I mean your left. Lift up the left oar and gently press against the flow with the other.’

She was secretly impressed when he executed the orders perfectly and the boat turned, but she didn’t want him to get all smug again.

‘Fine. Do you see the pole closer to land?’ She pointed towards a tall pole sticking out of the water.

Jack looked over his shoulder. ‘That one?’

‘I need you to get as close as you can.’ Ninni leaned carefully over the gunwale.

He made a complete mess of it and they missed the pole by metres. Then he laughed as he barely managed to avoid hitting land.