Through her goggles, the water is green and opaque whilst she’s near the shore, but as Claire swims further out it clears. She can see the rippled sand way below and a crab scrabbling across it as her shadow crosses. Who needs to go abroad when it’s like this?
She’s motoring now and she notices the bubbles as she blows out through her nose, rhythmically breathing every third stroke. She’s heading for the furthest swimming buoy and she feels giddy with her own bravery. Claire felt the call of the sea so strongly this morning, she had to get in. This is the first time she’s swum on her own. Dominica is busy, Tor and Lotte have gone to see Alice, and Helga should be on her way to see Linus. Maddy says she’s flat-hunting with Jamie, but so far it sounds has if it’s been a bit stressful trying to find somewhere they can afford.
At water level, as she turns her head one way, she can see the wind farm turbines, and, to the other side, she can see the Grand Hotel like a big vanilla ice cream cake. The pier is in the distance, the rides whirring and she can hear the faint screams of delighted thrill-seekers on the breeze. It’s horrifying to think that Jamie fell all that way.
She’s so glad Maddy has got her son back and she thinks about her boys Ash and Felix at home cleaning, hardly able to believe it.
‘Saturday when you swim is going to be our cleaning day,’ Ash announced this morning. ‘Dad, Felix and I agreed. We’re going to put on really loud music and we’re going to clean while you’re out.’
‘We thought about what you said,’ Pim said. ‘We’ve decided it’s about time we pulled our weight.’
Claire finishes her swim and feels tired, but exhilarated when she gets home. She’s expecting to hear the boys in the living room, but instead, the house is gleaming. Pim greets her with a herbal tea. ‘Have a quick bath,’ he says. ‘Then get dressed. We’re going on a trip.’
‘A trip?’
‘We’re going on a boat to the wind farm,’ Felix says.
‘Are we?’
‘And we’re taking a picnic,’ Ash announces and then remembers something and runs downstairs. She can hear the timer on the oven.
Claire pulls an impressed face at Pim as Felix follows him.
‘We were talking about careers,’ Pim explains. ‘Felix is serious about engineering.’
‘Oh?’
‘And Ash quoted you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, something about just needing to look outside our own front door for all the answers.’
‘I said that?’
‘You did. You’re very wise,’ he says, giving her an affectionate squeeze and then pushing her into the bathroom. ‘Hurry up. We’re leaving soon. I’m getting the bikes ready.’
Forty minutes later, as Claire locks the front door, she sees an estate agent is knocking a ‘For Sale’ sign to Rob and Jenna’s fence and she smiles at Pim, who beams back. She’d heard a rumour that they were moving, since they couldn’t get planning permission, and she listens briefly for a second to the birds chirruping in the tree she saved.
‘Good riddance,’ he tells her.
They all set off together, cycling down to the marina. It’s been so long since they spent a whole day together that it feels as if they’re on holiday. She takes a selfie as they wait in the queue for the boat that will take them out to the Rampion Wind Farm and puts it in the WhatsApp chat. She’s so proud of Pim and his initiative, she wants to share it with the Sea-Gals. Helga gets straight back: ‘I’ll be in the marina later. Come and meet Linus. We’ll be at the end of the dock. Everyone come. I want you to meet him.’
The trip to the wind farm is magical and the boys are utterly enthralled. Claire takes lots of photos as they glide around the huge sails. The land looks miles away, Brighton just a tiny dot in the distance. It’s good to get this perspective. It’s been a while since she had it.
Felix talks to one of the other people on the trip and then comes and joins Claire where she’s standing with Ash.
‘Look at the water. It’s so clear,’ she says. ‘I just want to jump in.’
‘Those people were telling me about the swim,’ Felix says.
‘The swim?’
‘There’s a swim out here. It’s a relay apparently. You should do it, Mum.’
‘Me?’
‘If you can swim round the pier, then why not?’
Claire laughs, but she can tell he’s serious and it makes her proud that he thinks she could do something so daring.
‘You’re always telling us to challenge ourselves. Why don’t you have a go?’
‘Let’s see if I can get round the pier first,’ she says, looping her arm into his and grinning at Pim, who takes a snap of them.
By the time they chug back to the marina, it feels as if she’s been abroad. It helps that, as the sun lowers, Ash spots a pod of dolphins. It’s magical watching them play in the wake of the boat.
Back at the marina, the boys cycle home together and Pim comes with her to meet Helga and Claire is excited to introduce him to her friends. Somehow having him with her makes everything complete.
Helga messages directions and they find the yacht at the end of the dock. Maddy is already on board with Jamie; Dominica is sitting with little Luna on her lap, and Tor and Lotte are squished in too.
‘More wonderful Sea-Gals,’ Linus says, welcoming them and shaking Claire’s hand and then Pim’s.
He’s lovely, Claire thinks, immediately. He’s tanned, with twinkly eyes and silver hair and, as he puts his arm around Helga, she can see that he adores her. Helga looks radiantly happy as they describe their day sailing. He fiddles with a leather pendant on his neck and Claire realises it’s the one she saw in Helga’s bedroom wrapped around the photograph.
Claire tells them all about their trip to the wind farm and seeing the dolphins.
‘It sounds much better than flat-hunting,’ Maddy says, with a sigh.
‘No joy?’ Claire asks.
‘No,’ Jamie says. ‘Although we did have some good news. Go on, Mum. Tell them.’
Maddy smiles at him. ‘Well, it’s nothing … well, it might be something.’
‘Mum’s got a consultant.’
‘Had a consultant. When I could afford her. Manpreet.’
‘She’s big in social media,’ Jamie explains. ‘She loved the post Mum did and when Mum explained about finding me, she’s going to help us find a new direction.’
‘New how?’ Dominica asks.
‘Jamie has agreed to help me,’ Maddy says. ‘We’re going to talk about our journey together. Try and help other people in the same situation.’
‘We want to reach out to people who weren’t as lucky as us,’ Jamie adds.
‘That’s great,’ Claire says, meaning it.
‘It’s going to be hard work, but Manpreet is going to help us. And best of all she’s not charging us. Well, not for the first few sessions at least. She’ll want something if it takes off, I’m sure, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I’m not convinced we can make much money, but something has to happen. We’ve been looking at places to rent and …’
Her shoulders slump and she pulls a desperate face.
‘No joy?’ Claire asks, and Maddy shakes her head.
‘Everything is ludicrously expensive. At this rate, we’ll have to live in the car.’
‘Well, we had an idea,’ Helga grins at Linus and then at Maddy. ‘Why don’t you both stay at mine?’
‘Yours?’ Maddy asks.
‘I’m afraid I have a plan to whisk this salty Sea-Gal away,’ Linus says.
‘Away?’ Dominica asks.
‘We’re sailing to the Channel Islands first. Maybe to France. We’ll see where opens up. We’ll be away for …’ Helga smiles at him and he shrugs.
‘Who knows?’ he says. ‘Let’s see what happens.’
‘What? But surely you can’t just go?’ Maddy says, looking at Claire, who knows what she’s thinking … that this is all rather sudden.
‘Why not?’ Helga says. ‘We both feel the same. We’ve been waiting for an adventure for so long. Why wait?’
‘If I can have your permission,’ Linus says, although he’s only half-joking, ‘I promise I will take very good care of her.’
‘You’d better,’ Dominica says and they talk excitedly as Helga opens the huge icebox and hands round beers, like she’s already the owner of the boat.
Maddy looks like the weight has fallen from her shoulders too when she realises that Helga is serious about her and Jamie staying at her place.
‘We’ll take good care of it,’ Jamie says. ‘I’ll fix that tile in the kitchen for starters.’
‘Do what you like,’ Helga says. ‘I’m happy you’ll get to enjoy it and it won’t be empty. But you’ll have to promise to feed Terry.’
‘Terry?’ Jamie asks.
‘My seagull.’
‘He comes into the kitchen,’ Dominica says. ‘I’m serious.’ They stay until it’s getting dark and then Claire insists that they have to go home, as they have no lights on their bikes.
‘That was quite a day,’ Pim says, as they cycle home along the prom.
‘A brilliant one,’ she says. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’m jealous of Helga and Linus. Off on a new adventure.’
‘Me too. They looked like teenagers.’
‘Didn’t they? It got me thinking – about what if you and I did something crazy.’
‘What? Take off on a yacht?’
‘No, do something else. To combine our skills workwise. Do something for a living together.’
‘For a living?’
‘Yeah. I just think it would be fun to be partners in a new enterprise.’
She smiles. ‘What did you have in mind?’