“I didn’t see anything,” he said, too quickly. His voice cracked, betraying him. “Just a swell. Nearly tipped me, that’s all.” That only drew more laughter. Someone muttered, “A swell that makes a grown man crawl onto the beach like a half-drowned pup.”
Erik clenched his jaw and pushed past them, forcing his body to look steady even though his legs trembled with every step. The weight of their eyes followed him all the way to the café, where the smell of stale coffee and fried fish clung to the walls.