Olivia was tempted to offer her daughter a snack to lift her blood sugar, but under the circumstances, she thought better of it. There had been quite enough snacking on Lara’s part already. What this one needed was activity. Olivia retreated to her chair, shrinking gratefully into the soothing shadow of her umbrella. The child would get sunburned; all her sunscreen was getting washed off by the sea.

At last, Lara rose. She felt the weight of her breasts, still so surprising, and the thickness of her new thighs. A little girl streaked by her, running into the water. Long legs, narrow torso, she looked like Lara eight months before. Lara glanced about swiftly to see if anyone was watching her. There was a man. Floppy hat, loose bathing trunks. He gave her a drilling, inquisitive look. It had all happened in an instant, this body. She hadn’t been prepared. She walked heavily over to her mother’s umbrella. In the glare, she could see only the long, brown shins and high-arched dancer’s feet.

“Sweet girl,” purred her mother from the darkness. “Come in the shade.”

The girl crouched down and hopped like a huge bunny onto a white bath towel.

“You shouldn’t use these towels,” Lara said. “These are house towels.”

“I had to,” said Olivia. “It was either that or no towels at all.”

“They’ll be dirty,” said the child, curling up. “Because of the sand.”

“Why not let me worry about that,” said Olivia. “You worry about having a good time.” The girl released a snort. “What?” said Olivia. “Are you miserable?”

“No,” said the girl. “It’s just funny to worry about having a good time. Because when you’re having a good time, you’re not supposed to be worried.”

“Wrong again,” pronounced Olivia.

The girl let her torso twist back onto the towel, her hips still stacked up, and stared at the red cloth of the umbrella above, where light pressed into the weave, wanting in. One of her feet had escaped the purview of its canopy; she felt the hot sun on her skin and wiggled her toes, grinding the wet sand between them. She wondered if God knew she was there, if he saw her at this moment. She imagined lying in the palm of his hand. It made her so peaceful to think that. It felt like a kind of hammock.