Free Trapped in Tourist Town by Jennifer Decuir Page B

but please tell me you’re another Eaton.”
    The man grinned wide, showing a set of beautiful white teeth. He slapped Burke on the shoulder and laughed some more.
    “Cady would be my baby sister, Mr. Sanders. The name is Chase. I’m sure we would have met in town, eventually, but I have to say—this is much more interesting.”
    “Well, seeing as I’m standing here in my underwear and you have just witnessed the single most embarrassing experience of my entire life, I guess you should call me Burke.”
    Turning off the porch light, they left the raccoon to his dinner. Burke walked Chase back to the kitchen door and held it open. He rubbed a palm over his face while he shook his head.
    “Is there any chance we can keep this between us? Say the guy got away?”
    “Not a chance! This will keep the guys at the station entertained all summer—hell, probably into the first snowfall.” Chase flashed him a huge grin and chuckled as he trotted down the steps. “Welcome to Scallop Shores, Burke.” He opened the door to the cruiser and was about to get in when he turned. “Hey, what’s going on between you and my sister?”
    “Sadly, not a thing, man. Not a thing.”
    “Yeah, well, I’ve got my eye on you. Don’t make me sic that raccoon on you!”
    Burke slammed the door on one of Scallop Shores’s finest and went back to bed.
    • • •
    “Mornin’, sis! Your boyfriend stop by yet?”
    Cady rolled her eyes at Chase, her fingers plucking a dozen assorted cake doughnuts from the display case to pack in a box. She folded the lid down and taped the box shut. Her customer, Hazel Davenport, raised an eyebrow. Clearly she was just as interested in the answer.
    Cady shook her head and smiled patiently, trying to indicate that Chase was just being a pest. Hazel waited a few moments longer, but when no new information was forthcoming, she sighed and took her doughnuts to go.
    “Would you cut it out? Burke is not my boyfriend.” She slapped at the counter with a wet rag. “You want some coffee, or what?”
    “You want to work in a coffee shop in the city? You need to work on your customer service skills, baby sis.” Chase slid onto a stool, taking off his cap and setting it on the counter beside him.
    Knowing this exchange could go on indefinitely, Cady turned her back on her brother. She poured a mug of coffee and set it in front of him. Before he could reach for it, she sent the sugar dispenser sliding to the far end of the counter. Chase would have to get off his duff to go get it. Score two points for her!
    “So we had a little excitement last night. A 911 call down at the rental cottages off Sandy Point.” The dramatic pause would have been comical, had she not known exactly who he was referring to.
    “Oh my God! Is Burke okay? Is he hurt? What happened?” She was too concerned with what might have happened to let the triumphant look on Chase’s face set her off.
    “See! I knew there was something going on between you two.” He waggled a finger in the air.
    “Damn it, Chase, did something really happen or not?”
    She’d been warming a blueberry muffin for her brother and turned to see that the handful of customers in the bakery were eagerly hanging onto Chase’s words. She hurried around the counter, and practically shoved the plate in his lap. Standing over her brother, lips pursed, hands wringing, she waited. He blinked, seeming surprised at her reaction. Okay, maybe he hadn’t really meant to scare her.
    “He called in an intruder, about two o’clock in the morning.”
    Cady’s eyes widened. Who on earth would break into one of the summer rentals in the middle of the night? Petty crime wasn’t unheard of in Scallop Shores, but robbing a cottage that was occupied? It would have to be a very stupid crook, or—
    Oh, poor Burke.
    “Let me guess. The intruder wasn’t human?” She cringed, hoping like crazy that she was wrong. The jubilant look on her brother’s face told her otherwise.
    “It