‘I didn’t actually give him much choice,’ I pointed out. ‘And anyway, we’re supposed to be talking about you. You promised you’d tell me what the beef is between you and Sam.’

I had reckoned it was going to be all about Hope, but when Joe suggested moving into the conservatory, where it was quieter, I wasn’t so sure.

‘Sam and I used to be best friends,’ he began as soon as we were settled. ‘We’d more or less much grown up together, having gone to the same schools, but things changed when we hit our teenage years.’

So, it was likely that Sam had been around when I used to holiday in Wynmouth. I wished I could have remembered him as clearly as I did Joe.

‘In what way?’

Joe shrugged, his shoulders hunched.

‘I suppose you could say I was a bit of a rebel,’ he said ruefully. ‘Got myself into a bit of trouble around the village and upset the locals, whereas Sam never put so much as a toe out of line. We were still friendly, we still talked to each other, but we had different mates.’

‘But surely you can’t still be holding on to all that now?’ I frowned. ‘That all happened years ago, didn’t it?’

‘Yes, but that’s not the whole story.’

‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Go on then.’

Joe ran his hands through his hair and looked me straight in the eye. I couldn’t fathom his expression, but I suddenly realized I wasn’t going to like what I was going to hear and I didn’t think it was going to be anything about Hope after all.

‘One night,’ he continued, pulling in and then letting out the biggest breath, ‘just after Sam had passed his driving test, Jack and I found ourselves in need of a lift.’

‘And who is Jack?’ I asked.

‘My little brother,’ Joe swallowed. ‘We’d missed the last bus back to the village and we couldn’t afford a taxi. I knew Dad would go spare if I called him or Charlie so I asked Sam to come and get us.’

‘And did he?’

‘He did,’ Joe said, ‘but he wasn’t happy. He hadn’t had much experience of night driving and wasn’t keen on having to rescue me of all people.’

‘What happened?’ I whispered.

‘The car left the road on the journey back,’ Joe choked, ‘and ploughed into a tree.’

‘Jesus.’

‘I was in the back,’ he went on, closing his eyes and no doubt picturing the dreadful scene. ‘Somehow I managed to smash my way through the rear window and drag myself out. Then I pulled out Jack and Sam. I got them out of the way just before the whole thing went up in flames.’

A strangled sob crept up and out before I could stop it.

‘But Jack was already dead,’ Joe sobbed, ‘and Sam . . .’

‘Lost his leg,’ I whispered.