‘It’ll be rammed,’ Sophie warned Alan. ‘You’ll probably have to queue to get in.’

He shrugged. ‘We don’t mind do we, kids? We’re not in a rush. Why don’t you stay here and chill out, Soph? I’ll take Tom and Katie.’

She looked at Alan, and then at the children, and made her decision. ‘Nah, I’m coming with you. It’s got to be better than ironing. I’ll close my eyes and pretend I’m in Mallorca!’

And she went off to dig out their swimming costumes.

3

Angie looked at her calendar. She had about half an hour before her next client meeting. Picking up the phone, she called Jack.

‘What’s up?’ he answered.

‘How did it go this morning?’ she asked.

‘Yeah fine, no dramas.’

Benji had started at secondary school a couple of days ago but it was the first day of primary school for the others. Jack had offered to take them as Angie had an early client meeting. There had been a few tantrums from the children that morning as they were packing their bags, which she knew was first day nerves, and she’d been eager to find out how it went.

‘Thanks, Jack. I can pick them up from school later, I’ll be done in time, but we do need to sort out breakfast and after-school club ASAP. Have the builders been round yet?’

‘Yeah, they’re here measuring now so I’d better go.’

They’d been living in Pemberton Road for two months, although sometimes it felt like they’d only moved in five minutes ago. They’d barely had time to unpack before they had left again for their summer holiday in Italy. After the disruption of moving, the break had been just what they all needed. She’d been glad of the time away from staring hopelessly at the peeling wallpaper and dusty carpets. They’d returned home after a blissful three weeks away, sun-kissed, refreshed and, she hoped, ready to embrace their new life.

The following weekend some of their Greenwich friends, Simon, Alex and their three children had come round for a barbecue. While the younger children had water fights in the garden and the older ones watched TV inside, Angie had showed Simon and Alex round the house. Alex had oohed and ahhed in the right places, making Angie feel a bit more positive.

‘It’s got so much potential, Angie,’ Alex said enthusiastically. ‘When you do the extension and the loft, it’ll be amazing. And you and Jack have such good taste, I just know it’ll look like something from Grand Designs. What’s the area like?’

‘It’s nice,’ Angie said. ‘It’s changed a lot since I was a child. There’s a little strip of cafés and restaurants that look promising. And a decent park. But it’s not Greenwich.’

‘Do you miss it?’

‘Terribly. I’ve been fretting about whether we made the right decision. But it’s done now, so I have to crack on with it. I’m sure it’ll be fine once the children are settled into school and the work is done on the house. But heavens knows when that will be and I forgot how much I hate living in chaos. I need order in my life.’