Uh-oh, and yup, there’s the first. Deana Smith is a descendant of the granite quarrying Smiths whose historic importance is Westerly lore. Classmates like me added envy to the lore; Deanna had such a handle on guys, grades, and looks that it wasn’t fair. My camera follows her down the sidewalk until she disappears under the SMITH REAL ESTATE sign, which explains her skirt and blouse, formal for Bay Bluff, but make sense if she’s a realtor. Likewise, Deana herself. She was the kind of outgoing that would make for a successful broker—knew everyone and everything, and would definitely recognize me. If she does, she’ll tell whomever she meets, which won’t be good.

But she hasn’t seen me. I’m under a ball cap and behind camera and glasses, am I not?

Not chancing that she might look out her front window and find a camera aimed her way, I quickly shift focus all the way to the corner, where—whoa—a camera is focused on me. I don’t move. Turning and running would be a sure sign of guilt. Besides, do I actually know whether this guy, who is tall and narrow in loose shorts and a baggy tee, is looking at me, rather than at the parking lot behind me? Does he actually know that I’m focused on him rather than on the periwinkle-covered pergola or the ocean beyond?

I squeeze the shutter release. When he continues to keep his camera aimed at me, it becomes a contest. I’m not quite sure where my defiance is from, but I feel something proprietary for Bay Bluff. This is my town. He is the outsider.

Zooming in, I take another shot. Then, lowering my camera, I simply stare at him. I’m afraid he took a picture of that, too.

I’m used to people taking pictures of people. What better place for street photography than New York, where faces are nameless and diverse? The same can’t be said for Bay Bluff. I’m starting to wonder about that when he lowers his camera and studies the screen on the back. He looks to be barely thirty, which makes him younger than me, but no way is he thinking MILF thoughts. I don’t radiate sexuality. Never have.

Sure enough, he raises the camera again, focusing this time on the dogs on the bench. After taking several shots, he checks the LED screen again. Then he looks around, apparently feels he’s taken enough, adjusts the camera strap on his shoulder and heads back through the pergola toward the beach.