Page 80 of Tourist Trap

“What happens if you win?”

His smile goes wide. “You get Miles’s spot.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot he won that,” I say with a smile. “So only people here today have the chance to park there? Don’t people get pissy that they won’t get a shot?”

Deck shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe?”

“It doesn’t matter. That’s how we do things here,” Benny says from his chair, watching the interaction with entertainment.

“Huh,” I say, thinking about Evergreen Park and how, even though it’s a relatively small town, compared to Seaside Point, it feels like a city. A system like this wouldneverfly there.

“The town is small, but it’s even smaller come fall. Locals know the local rules. That’s why Miles got all pissy at you when you parked in his spot,” Grant explains, sliding bait onto his hook with ease.

I fight the grimace at the look of it and instead smile and shake my head. “No, he got pissy because he’s obsessed with me, and before, that made him mad.”

“And now?” Grant asks.

My grin widens.

“Now he’s come to terms with it. He doesn’t really have a choice, you know? I’m pretty stubborn, and if I decide I want something, I’m persistent,” I inform him matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, that was what won me over,” Miles says, “Your persistence. Definitely not your ass.”

My eyes go wide and my mouth drops with shock, and I push him jokingly. “You know what? I can’t be mad. I do have a great ass.”

Deck’s eyes move to try and look at said ass, but Miles pushes him in the shoulder, and he just barely saves himself from falling into the water.

“Don’t even fucking think about it,” Miles says.

June lifts a hand and waves it at her face. “Oh my god, I never thought I’d be into possessiveness, but mygod,that was hot,” she says, and I smile at her, agreeing.

Grant, in contrast, grimaces. “That’s my best friend, June,” he says. “He’s known you since you were a baby.”

June shrugs. “Doesn’t make it less hot.”

“Totally,” Lainey says in an equally dazed voice.

“It really doesn’t matter about the spot, though, because I’m obviously going to win again,” Miles says, a hand going to my waist and tucking me in close before I push him away.

“So cocky, aren’t you?”

I prop a hand against my hips, the other holding my pole awkwardly.

“Always.”

“Well, I think I’m going to kick your ass. Then the only way you’ll get to park there is if you ask mereally, reallynicely.”

Miles rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“Someone bait me up,” I say, looking at Grant and Deck.

“No, no, no. Gotta do it yourself if you’re gonna compete,” Miles says, and I cringe at the bucket of moving worms, knowing there’s no universe where I can do that.

Parking spot be damned.

“That’s not in the rules, Miller, you don’t get to make ’em,” Benny says with a fatherly chide. “Grant, son, bait up Claire’s line.”

“I can do it,” Miles grumbles.

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