In that moment I decided that as soon as I had finalized the poster design I was going to head off and explore the pools. I had been waiting for the perfect time and this was it. I had made a major life choice that morning and the pools could be my reward for finally getting on with things. I only hoped I wouldn’t find anything to tarnish my memories there. It would be too much to bear if they were polluted too and I didn’t just mean metaphorically.

‘All right,’ said Sam, holding up his hands, ‘I was only worried about Hope increasing her workload, there’s no need to come over all eco-warrior on me.’

‘I didn’t,’ I pouted, but then we began to laugh. ‘Well, I suppose I did a bit, but it is important.’

Hope had already got the details of one of the charities up on her phone and I knew the venture was in the best hands to make it a success.

‘So,’ Sam asked, ‘what else?’

With Sam having to juggle customers, it was late morning by the time we had worked our way through everything. I knew there would be more additions to make, but at least we could now start officially spreading the news and making the party the best Wynmouth beach had ever seen.

‘I still fancy that walk along the beach,’ said Hope, giving me a nudge. ‘Are you up for it?’

‘All right, but I can’t be too long. I’m hoping to get this poster finished today and then copied at the post office tomorrow.’

‘You can print the first one out here if you like,’ Sam offered.

‘That would save me having to go back to the café with Sophie’s laptop.’

It was kind of her to let me keep using it and I was proud that I had still resisted the urge to check my emails and log into my social media accounts. The life I was living in Wynmouth might not have been the completely idyllic one I had imagined when I booked the cottage, but the real world, the trappings of technology and having to do everything at breakneck speed, felt like a million miles away and I was very happy about that.

‘I’ll come back later tonight then,’ I said, hopping down from the stool. ‘That way we can check the details together and make sure we’re all happy with it.’

Hope waited outside while I dropped my notebook and lists back at the cottage and then we ambled down to the sand and turned towards the beach huts.

‘How did things go at the weekend?’ I asked her. ‘Sam looks as tired as you’re feeling this morning.’

I hoped she realized I was asking about the appointment and not the more intimate details of their time away. Thankfully, she did.