Page 293 of Hide and Keep

He’s not exactly wrong.

“Yeah, the beaches here can stink sometimes.” It’s not all the time. Most of the time though.

You get used to it.

We have.

We’ve tried. Some days are easier to ignore it than others. It depends on a lot of factors, like the heat and wind. Today’s breezy, so it shouldn’t be too bad.

“That’s the Sound for you,” my mom says. “A lot of sewage gets discharged into it unfortunately.”

“The salt marshes and decaying seaweed don’t help either,” my dad adds.

“Just don’t dig at all and you should be fine. That’s where a lot of it settles,” I tell her.

“So, no burying you in the sand?”

Ever finally smiles, and even though my first reaction is to give her whatever she wants, I’m not being buried in that fucking sand.

“No, sorry.”

She tilts her head to show her dislike for the word, but I can’t fold on this one. I haven’t been buried in the sand since I was a kid. I’m an adult now. An adult who knows better. That sand is not only gross but full of—

“Ooh, you should let her bury you. After the crabs latch on, we’ll pull you up and collect them so we can have a feast tonight.”

—crabs. We have so many crabs here, you can’t even walk barefoot on the sand without getting pinched. We usually catch them using raw chicken on string, but apparently my mother thinks I’d make better bait. I’d definitely be bigger bait. I’m just not convinced I’d be better.

And I’m not willing to find out.

“Not happening,” I tell everybody, earning boos from both parents…and eventually Ever after they prompt her to join in.

Keeping the smile from my face so they can’t see how much I’m enjoying this, I fold my arms over my chest and watch the three of them gang up on me.

That didn’t take long for her to fit in. Not long at all.

“Did you bring your swimsuit, Ever?” my mom asks her after they finish their heckling routine.

“Um, no. I didn’t bring…” She eyes me. “Anything.”

Relocating condiments from the fridge to the counter, my mom nods. “It was one of those nights, huh?”

“Unfortunately.”

“That’s okay. It’s still early in the season that it might not be hot enough to swim. And you don’t need one to kayak.”

All the ingredients for grinders in front of her, my mom grabs a plate and utensils.

“Oh…good.”

“You’ve never kayaked, have you?” I ask Ever, going over to start opening everything.

“No. But I did stand-up paddleboard in the Maldives once.”

My mom raises her eyebrows at me.

I shrug. My girlfriend’s not like us.

Suddenly, Ever appears on my other side, completing the assembly line.

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