By the fifth day, the town council discovered that the influencers’ arrival meant money. The café sold out of lobster rolls by noon. The inn tripled its rates. A boutique that had nearly closed began selling “Briarhook Fisherman Sweaters” for more than Elias spent on fuel.
The council held an emergency meeting and called the invasion “an economic opportunity.” Elias sat in the back with his hat in his hands. When he mentioned blocked slips, unsafe conditions, and catch that was becoming scarcer, Councilman Verne smiled politely and said, “We all need to adapt.”