Tides of Hope by Irene Hannon Page B

bakery/restaurant across from the market. As Barlow had promised, the food was good, the prices reasonable. An exception on an island where he’d discovered most prices weren’t. The high cost of living on Nantucket had been a shocker.
    As he approached his destination, the packed lot and the throng at the door almost dissuaded him. But a car backing out of a spot at the far end of the lot clinched his decision. Swinging into the parking area, he made a beeline for it.
    The man behind the wheel of the departing car grinned and gave him a thumbs-up as he passed, and Craig waved in return. Claiming the spot, he set the brake and prepared to enjoy a rare high-fat, high-carb breakfast.
    As he exited the car, he turned toward the restaurant—and came face-to-face with the red-haired captain on the other side of the adjacent car.
    Her eyes widened and a flush rose on her cheeks, giving him the answer to his earlier question.
    She’d bolted from the church because she’d wanted to avoid him.
    And she’d do it again if she could, he suspected. But there was no polite way to sidestep conversation with only the roof of a car separating them.
    â€œGood morning, Kate.”
    â€œLieutenant.”
    He dug deep for his most charming smile. The one he hadn’t used in years. It felt stiff and rusty, like the hinges on a long unopened gate. “I thought we’d moved past the formalities.”
    â€œSorry.”
    He waited, but when she didn’t say anything else, he pocketed his keys and nodded toward the restaurant. “Indulging in a few treats?”
    â€œYes.”
    For a woman who’d had no trouble spewing out plenty of words in their previous encounters, her reticence bordered on alarming. “Is everything okay?”
    She blushed. “Fine.”
    He tried a different tack. “I thought the sermon was excellent, didn’t you?”
    Her face went blank. Then the flush of color on her cheeks deepened. “Yes.”
    â€œMommy, who is that man?”
    The childish voice took Craig off guard, and he shifted to better see through the windows of Kate’s car. A little girl with long, raven-colored hair stared back at him through the glass, her expression curious, her dark eyes big in a face that seemed a little too pale. He estimated her age at four or five.
    The same as Vicki’s.
    The child’s question loosened Kate’s vocal chords. “That’s the new lieutenant from the Coast Guard station, honey.”
    â€œYou mean the invisible man?”
    Sending Craig a sheepish glance, she responded to her daughter. “He’s not invisible anymore, though, is he?”
    â€œI bet he was just too busy to come out before, like I said. Weren’t you?” The last part was addressed to him.
    â€œThat’s right.” He moved out from between the cars and stepped around the back of Kate’s older-model Honda. The little girl was dressed in a plaid jumper with a red turtleneck sweater underneath, white tights and shiny black shoes. Her hair was pulled back with a red ribbon, though a few wisps had escaped to form soft waves around her face. She was charming.
    But no more so than her mother, Craig decided. Today Kate had traded her work-worn jeans, slicker and T-shirt for a slim black skirt, black pumps and a long-sleeved green angora sweater the color of her eyes. Her hair had been tamed with barrettes on each side of a center part and lay soft on her shoulders. A touch of lipstick drew his attention to her mouth, and his pulse took a leap.
    Needing a distraction, he crouched down and smiled at the little girl. “My name’s Craig. What’s yours?”
    â€œMy real name is Madison, but everybody calls me Maddie.”
    â€œThat’s a very pretty name.”
    â€œThank you.” She gave him a shy smile and dipped her head.
    â€œLooks like you’re taking some treats home.” He tapped the white bag clutched in her