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In a matter of seconds, I am in Adam’s arms. He caught me about as easily as a normal person could catch a tennis ball, which is impressive.

Once I am back on my own feet I playfully kiss both of Adam’s arms.

‘Thank you for catching me, thank you for catching me.’

‘Oh shit, we forgot your shoes,’ he points out.

‘You said you could get them back,’ I tell him.

‘Not from this side, we’ll have to come back when the fundraiser is finished and I’ll get them down, don’t worry.’

I give him an unimpressed look, but at least we don’t have any rain forecast anytime soon.

‘I think you need cheering up tonight,’ Adam says. ‘Shall we go out?’

‘That would be great,’ I reply. ‘But I’m going to need some shoes.’

‘Here,’ Adam says as he turns his back to me. ‘Hop on, I’ll piggyback you to the shops, buy you any pair of shoes you like and then we’ll party.’

I do as I’m told and climb onto Adam’s back so he can piggyback me – again.

‘That’s very kind of you,’ I say as we head for Main Street, where the shops are, ‘but I get the feeling you’re only saying any pair of shoes I like because you know my options will probably be limited.’

‘That never crossed my mind,’ he says through a smile.

41

After we left the beach Adam piggybacked me all the way to one of the gift shops that remained open, where he bought me an £11 pair of sparkly jelly sandals. Not ideal for autumn, but all they had on offer.

After the shops, Adam and I popped into the Ghost to kill time until Marram Bay’s only club opened. Well, it’s the closest thing we have to a club. It’s a secret bar, hidden above an arcade, but it’s the best place to go for a dance.

It’s getting late now and the place is really starting to fill up with the crowd from the Ghost who are done dry-humping one another in there, and want to do it somewhere darker, where the music is louder, instead.

I am currently sitting at the bar with Adam, who so far hasn’t had to pay for a drink.

‘I’m beginning to think you’re a regular here,’ I say after we are interrupted for the millionth time.

‘It’s amazing how many people recognise my face from the radio,’ Adam jokes. ‘I used to come here with Si, before he started taking himself so seriously.’

‘I’m not… causing trouble between you, am I?’ I ask.

‘You’re not,’ he replies. ‘But he might be. I guess, when I first saw you again, he said the two of you were on a date, and then I kept seeing you together, and he strongly implied you were a couple – he even told me to back off.’

‘He did?’ I blurt. ‘I mean, yeah, it was a sort of date type thing, that first night, but I told him after that I wasn’t looking for anything, or anyone; that I needed time.’

‘He’s just… I don’t know, I think he’s heading for a midlife crisis,’ he replies. ‘There’s no point dwelling on…’

His voice trails off.

‘Here’s the plan,’ he says, changing his tune. ‘We knock back another couple of shots, because you are not nearly drunk enough, and then we dance.’

Adam signals the barman over.

‘What can I get you?’ he asks.

‘Four shots of… something that will make me and my friend very drunk. We don’t care what it is.’

The barman laughs and fills up four little shot glasses with a bright red liquid.