Page 58 of Reeves

I become aware of Charli before I look up. I notice the shift of her weight in the sand, the way her shadow moves at the edge of my peripheral vision.

When I finally glance over, she's standing with her arms loosely crossed, watching us. Her hair has come half out of whatever she tied it back with, and she hasn't bothered to fix it. She looks exactly like she used to on Saturday mornings. Before everything.

I make myself look back at Benjy, but it takes more effort than it should.

Benjy stands up and brushes sand off his knees, stepping back to admire our work.

"This one's perfect. The pirates will definitely fall for it because it's way harder to detect."

His confidence is absolute.

I smile and try to swallow the boulder lodged in my throat.

Benjy grabs his bucket and takes off running toward the water again.

I remain crouched in the sand, watching him move across the beach.

That’s my son.

The thought inches slowly but unmistakably. The kid running through the sand, chasing waves and filling a bucket with shells, is mine.

For the first time since I arrived in Mississippi, the constant countdown in the back of my mind goes quiet.

Seven days until deployment.

Right now, it seems distant.

Benjy races back toward us, breathless with excitement. Hisbucket clanks with shells and bits of driftwood as he drops to his knees beside the trap we built earlier.

“I found perfect decorations,” he announces, already arranging his treasures carefully around the edges. “Pirates love shiny things, so these shells will make them look closer.”

He works with intense focus, placing each shell exactly where he wants it.

When he’s satisfied, he leans back on his heels and looks up at me.

“Do you want to come back tomorrow with me to check if the pirates fell in overnight?”

The question is innocent, like it doesn’t carry any weight at all.

But it does.

I glance toward Charli without thinking. She stands a few feet away, her hands now in her pockets, watching us with the same careful attention she’s had all afternoon.

The answer isn’t entirely mine to give. For a moment none of us speak.

Benjy keeps looking at me, waiting patiently.

Like the answer is obvious.

FOURTEEN

Charli

Grief in Motion:In New Orleans, grief has always been a public thing. The streets have always been where it goes to move.

Fuck.

For a moment, I wish the tide would surge up and wash the entire conversation away the same way it will erase that pirate trap by morning. This afternoon was supposed to be simple. Reeves meets him, we talk for a while, and then everyone goes home.