I shrugged, staring out at the ruined fort that occupied a tiny island in the bay. ‘Not in so many words. But I suppose we’d all say the same thing, wouldn’t we? We all put our kids first: it’s what we’re programmed to do.’

‘It’s just that I worry about them so much,’ Jennifer said. ‘All the time. I can’t switch it off. I’ve tried to, but I can’t.’

‘Same here. But Lucy and your boys will be at a point soon where they’re big enough to look after themselves.’

‘Can’t imagine that. They’ll always be my boys. Always.’

I looked around briefly to see who might be listening in. Izzy seemed to be dozing again. Russ was dead to the world, face covered by his hat. Alistair had wandered off somewhere to take pictures. The others had gone to get an ice cream and find out about renting a pedalo.

A little way out to sea, flying low and slow, a small plane trailed a long banner advertising Luna Park fairground.

Leaning closer to Jennifer and lowering my voice, I said, ‘Is everything . . . all right?’

She looked up. ‘Of course. Everything’s fine. What do you mean?’

‘You just seemed a little, I don’t know . . . What you said earlier about life changing people. Sounded as if you had something on your mind.’

Jennifer looked away then, her mouth set in a hard, straight line. She turned back and seemed about to answer when Ethan wandered up, his hairy legs covered in a layer of sand.

‘Is there anything to eat, Mum? I’m starving.’

Jennifer reached into the cool box and held out an apple to her younger son.

He frowned. ‘Is there anything else? Any biscuits?’

‘Just fruit and water.’ She leaned forward and put the apple in his hand.

Rowan returned from the café, holding three ice lollies in their wrappers. She looked around. ‘Where’s Odette? Was she playing with you and your brother?’

‘Nope. Not seen her.’

‘I thought she was with you.’

‘She was for a bit, but she kept kicking holes in our dam. Said it was boring.’ He took a huge bite out of the apple. ‘Said she was coming back here.’

‘Well, where is she?’ She looked at her sleeping husband, laid out on his towel. ‘Russ?’

Ethan took another bite from his apple, shading his eyes with one hand as he scanned the beach. ‘Is that her, over there by the water?’

Chapter 16

16

It was Odette. Standing at the water’s edge, sun glinting off the shiny panels on her pink bathing costume, ankle-deep in the lapping surf. The tide was out and it was a good fifty or sixty metres away from our spot on the beach. It made me uncomfortable, seeing her alone near the water.