“There’s no Gray Man,” Poppy was saying. “Don’t worry.” She seemed concerned that Kimmy had fallen quiet, and she reached over to touch Kimmy’s head gently. “It’s only a silly story meant to scare people.”

Suddenly, Kimmy was afraid she had been believing some really stupid things for quite a long time.

They decided to order food in rather than cook dinner.

They ate pizza on paper plates, then went for a walk on the beach before it got dark. Lisa brought along a camera and a mai tai, and Poppy brought a daiquiri. John brought a Frisbee. Scott brought a flask. They rolled up pant legs and waded into the water. Crabs skittered across the sand, and Alex and Kimmy swatted after them and told private jokes to each other. Rae accumulated a handful of pretty shells. Lisa and Poppy linked arms. Lisa rested her cheek on the crown of Poppy’s head, and they talked about how they ought to plan an annual family vacation together. They did not discuss the likelihood that Scott would be part of this. John and Ryan threw the Frisbee back and forth. The sky was gauzy, the color of orange sherbet, the sun a shivering coin.

Back inside, they turned on the oven to reheat leftover pizza. They got so involved in playing Pictionary that they forgot about the oven and burned the pizza, which set off the smoke alarm. They rushed to open all the doors and windows so the draft would clear out the smoke. They made popcorn in place of pizza. Kimmy said she wanted to try to make caramel corn by dumping some of the caramel ice cream topping in the fridge onto her bowl of popcorn, and to her amazement, Lisa said, “Sure, give it a try.”

After eating the popcorn, they switched from Pictionary to Mouse Trap and played this around the kitchen table until Scott complained of a headache. They sacked out on couches and put the TV back on. Ryan found a documentary on unique flora in the Himalayas, and Poppy sank into John’s armpit.

Scott and Lisa retired to their bedroom five minutes into the documentary, yawning and apologetic at being the first party poopers.

John announced that he would go to bed too. He tried to rouse Poppy, whose head was in his lap, but she resisted, murmuring in sleep that she was still “wide awake” and “watching Ryan’s show.”

John chuckled, got up from the couch, and placed a throw pillow beneath her ear, to replace his thigh.

Alex and Kimmy went to bed next, around midnight. Earlier in the day the two of them had discussed sneaking out again tonight, but they were so exhausted that as soon as their heads hit their pillows, both were ready for sleep.

Rae managed to make it to the end of the documentary, silently willing Poppy to wake and go to bed, leaving herself and Ryan alone in the main room, but this did not happen: Poppy remained, snoozing peacefully, feet crossed on the couch, pillow at her cheek.