Chapter 27

I shook my head and went to say hello to Leonard and Murphy before grabbing some barbecue chicken for myself and finding a spot to sit on a rock.

“Mind if I join you?” Murphy asked before plunking his butt down next to me some time later

“Not at all.” I bit into a chicken leg, then said, “Having a good time?”

“Yeah. The people are nice here, though I can tell they want to know more about me.”

“Be warned. Give them an inch and they’ll take a thousand feet.”

He chuckled. “Noted.” It was nice to see Murphy so lighthearted and smiling, even. Who knew he could be like this?

We ate in companionable silence, enjoying the cold night air and the fires that were lit all around us. What Maury had said earlier was food for thought, but I didn’t want to pressure Murphy in any way. He had his own path to follow.

After we finished our food, Murphy and I went to get blueberry tarts and hot apple cider before wandering down the beach, away from the crowd.