Free Tide Will Tell (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans) by Lesley Ann McDaniel Page B

corner.
    Partway down the street, a small building that looked like it had once been a house grabbed her attention. A sign reading ‘A Scoop in Time’ hung from the edge of a shingled overhang above a cute little porch. Ice Cream. Trying to ignore the pain in her knee, she willed herself toward it.
    The bell on the door made an unnecessarily loud jangling noise as she slunk inside, an array of reassuring sweet scents filling her nose. The only other customers, a couple with a little girl, eyed her curiously as she slid behind an old fashioned coat rack next to the door. Mortified, she turned her gaze back to the window.
    A moment later, Josh bolted into the shop. “Kate, what are you—”
    “Shh…!” She motioned for him to join her as she peered out the window, straining to see the corner she’d come around.
    Josh patiently moved next to her as directed. She held her breath, but no one on the sidewalk outside seemed to be paying any attention.
    “Don’t worry.” He touched her shoulder. “It looks like we lost them.”
    Her guard melted a little. “I’m just so tired of them taking pictures of me every time I step out in public.” Her hands moved to the sides of her face. It felt good to talk about it, but she had to take care not to let her defenses down too much.
    He pulled his hand away, and a wave of inexplicable disappointment rushed through her. What was the matter with her, anyway?
    “Look.” His voice sounded soft and kind. “This is going to blow over. People will get used to seeing you around the islands and they’ll stop acting this way.”
    She looked up into his eyes, which were a richer shade of brown than she’d realized. Though her heart beat like a steel drum, her voice came out barely above a whisper. “Promise?”
    A hint of amusement shaded his smile. “I can’t exactly ‘promise’ anything, but if I know human nature, people around here will move on to the next big thing before too long. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? You get your picture taken a few more times and people speculate about your motive for marrying the local billionaire. In the big scheme of things, that’s really not so terrible.”
    She looked away, not wanting to let on that the ‘worst thing that could happen’ was actually far worse than just that.
    “Kate.” Josh looked down at her, a little more perceptively than she would have liked. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
    Oh no. Why did he have to be so smart? Forcing a contrite expression, she thought fast. “Yes. I have a confession to make.” Her attempt at lightheartedness came out too shaky to convince even herself. She tipped her head toward the ice cream case. “I have a secret passion for coconut.”
    “Oh?” One corner of his mouth lifted. “I’m a chocolate fan, myself.”
    “And I owe you that shake, right?” Casting another nervous glance out the window, Kate moved carefully toward the counter, where a young girl stood wiping off the glass case. She pulled a five dollar bill out of her purse and pushed it along the counter. “A chocolate shake, please.” She turned to Josh, who had followed her, but was keeping a skeptical eye on her. She smiled. “I’m suddenly dying for that cone you promised, so—”
    Abruptly, the man with the camera skidded past the window, giving it a quick glance as he passed. Kate grabbed the front of Josh’s shirt, using him as a human shield. Peering around him, she watched the photographer stop a couple of tourists, no doubt to ask if they’d seen her, and bounce on his toes like he might spring out in any direction.
    Kate looked around frantically, then snapped at the girl, who had her head inside the ice cream case. “Restroom!”
    Eyes widening at the urgent outburst, the girl pointed with her scoop to a door near the back of the store. “It’s a single stall, but no one’s in there.”
    Kate pivoted on the black and white checked floor just as the little girl from