Page 129 of Tourist Trap

I let out a laugh.

“Sophie—” Nate starts, but Miles puts his hand out for her to shake.

“Deal.”

“God, can anyone say no to her?” my brother mumbles, and as I watch my niece and my boyfriend shake hands, I shake my head and laugh.

At least we’ve got our spot for another year.

“You know,” I say, sitting next to Benny. “Love you; you’re the coolest person here.”

He smiles wider, that pipe moving with the movement. “An honor, darlin’.”

“But you gotta quit that thing.” His brows furrow in confusion, and I tip my chin to his pipe. “We want you to stay around for as long as you can, Ben.”

With that, his lips spread, a wide smile almost making the pipe fall before he grabs it and starts to laugh, full out. His head tips back, and even though I’m confused, I can’t help but crack a smile. It’s the only option when Benny is laughing like this.

“I’m serious,” I say once his laughter dies out.

“Not that kind of pipe, Claire,” he says, and my eyes go wide, thinking he means he puts something other than tobacco in it.

“But it doesn’t smell like weed—” I start, wondering if maybe Benny is just high all the time, which, honestly, would in fact make sense. But then I realize I don’t think I’ve ever smelled the smoke coming from Benny’s pipe. That’s when he smiles wide, closes his lips around the pipe, and blows.

Bubbles come out of the end.

Fuckingbubbles.

“Are you kidding me?” I ask with a laugh, pushing his shoulder.

Lainey laughs at my shock and comes over. “I had that talk with him years and years ago. He said he still wanted itfor his image.”

“God, you’re such a weirdo, Benny.” He shrugs like he knows, and he’s happy about it. We sit for long minutes, my parents chatting with Helen, Benny, and Sarah, before I see Miles near the shoreline of the bay.

He tips his head for me to come, and I stand.

“I’ll be back,” I say, smiling. My dad looks at me, reaching out for my hand and squeezing it. I look at him, confused.

“I love this place for you, Claire Bear,” he whispers.

My eyes water, and I blink them out, then bend to press a kiss to the top of his head. “Love you, Dad.”

He smiles again, something strange in his face, before he tips his head toward where we can see Miles waiting for me.

“Go to your boy.” Then he lets go of my hand and sinks right back into conversations with Benny.

I make my way to Miles, who stands there with his hands in his pockets before putting one hand out to me. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”

I don’t say another word before he’s intertwining his fingers with mine, and we’re walking along the water. It feels familiar, though the bay shore isn’t as pretty as the ocean, and there are far fewer shells, even without Miles tossing them down.

“Good day?” he asks.

I smile up at him. “Great day.”

I hear something fall, and I look down.

It’s a seashell.

“Miles,” I say with a laugh. “You don’t have to do this anymore.”

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