"I FOUND ONE!" Sam shouts from the water, startling Mathias out of whatever he'd been about to say. She runs back to the towel and proudly displays a handful of seaweed to Neil, then says, "Look!" and points to a round, flat rock in the middle of all of it.

It isn't a sand dollar, but if she wants to take that home, Mathias will be more than happy to let her.

"That's very nice," he tells her, but she frowns at him.

"Neil look," she insists. "Not you."