Meanwhile, the visitors treated Briarhook like a stage set built for their pleasure. They balanced champagne flutes on bait barrels. They sat on coils of rope. They asked fishermen to “look more natural” and complained when gulls screamed during voiceovers.
One afternoon, Elias found Lila Monroe leaning against the Nora May. Her boots, soft brown leather with gold buckles, were planted on the freshly painted gunwale. A photographer crouched below her, clicking rapidly while she gazed toward the horizon.