Don't get involved

After another moments pause Sam finally nods. "Okay, I guess you know best."

He'd barely had time to finish the sentence and Lauren was already dragging him away, down the stairs through the front room and back out into the open air of the front yard.

"Come on, make it snappy." Lauren says with a chuckle, dragging him around to the side of the house and the huge swimming pool laid out beside it. "Time to get wet!" She adds, letting go of his hand and instantly diving into the water.

Sam takes a moment to look around, James is laying on a sunbed beside the pool, Joe on another bed beside him, both of them with beers in hand. Shelly and Phina are both splashing about in the water, and now Lauren has appeared between them to join playing.

Clocking Sam's arrival James holds up an unopened beer in invitation, and Sam ponders if he should join the boys or the girls.