Of course, nowhere was perfect, not even Paradise. Which was why he was missing valuable sleep in order to attend the Share the Love volunteer meeting. The sheriff’s department was pairing with the county’s department of children’s services in a fundraiser, a Valentine’s Day dance. The money raised would be used to start up a mentor program for at-risk kids. Some were in foster care and many had parents serving time or were in trouble themselves. When the department had posted a flier about the program, he’d been the first to volunteer. He’d been on the other side of that story; it was time to give back.
It took only a few minutes to cross the island and reach the Sandpiper Inn, the venue for tonight’s organizational meeting. The largest building on the island, it often was the site of community events.
Pulling into the gravel lot, he was surprised to see most of the parking spaces were full. Either the Sandpiper had a lot of midweek guests or the meeting was going to be larger than he’d expected.
He grabbed the box on the passenger seat and left the engine running, thankful for the special environmental controls that kept things safe for his furry partner. Late January in Florida tended to be mild, but could sometimes still hit dangerous temperatures. “Sorry, buddy, but I think this is a human-only kind of thing.”
Rex grumbled but settled down, his big head resting on his paws when Alex locked the car.
“Are you following me?” The voice came from behind him and sounded hauntingly familiar.
The prickly veterinarian from the bakery.
She was standing where the parking area opened onto the shaded path to the inn’s entrance. Her strawberry-blond hair caught the rays of the setting sun, strands blowing in her face with the breeze. Eyes snapping, she waited for him to respond.
“I’m not stalking you, if that’s what you mean.” His jaw clenched at the insinuation. “I’m a law enforcement officer, not a criminal.”
Her face softened slightly, and he caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. “Sorry, it’s just that in this town, there isn’t always a difference.”
Well, that was embarrassing. Cassie truly did try to think before speaking, but some days she was more successful than others. What had she been thinking, accusing him of following her? It had been months since the accident; she needed to stop jumping at shadows.
“Mommy, look what Miss Jillian helped me make!” Cassie’s daughter, Emma, came bounding down the stairs of the picturesque inn with the energy and volume befitting a marching band, not a four-year-old. “I made Valentine’s cards!”
Behind, at a more sedate pace, came Cassie’s best friend and employee, Jillian Caruso. With her mass of black curls and pale skin, she looked like a princess out of a fairy tale, despite her casual jeans and sweater. Right now she also looked a tad guilty. “Before you say anything, this wasn’t my fault. I told her I would help her make some, but all the ideas were hers.”
Cassie arched an eyebrow, but let it go. She was just grateful Jillian had been willing to entertain Emma. Normally her mom watched Emma after her preschool let out, but today there had been a schedule conflict. Emma was much happier playing at the inn than being stuck with Cassie at the clinic yet again. “Hi, sunshine. I missed you.” She swept her up in a hug, letting go of the tension that had dogged her all day. This was why she worked so hard. This little girl was the most important thing in her world and worth all the long hours and missed sleep of the past few months. “Are you having fun?”
“She should be,” Jillian broke in. “She’s been here less than an hour and we’ve already played on the playground, looked for seashells on the beach and made brownies.”
“Are you a policeman? Did my mommy do something bad?”
Cassie had almost forgotten the deputy behind her. Blushing, she set Emma back down and turned to find him a few feet away, smiling as if she hadn’t just bitten his head off.
“Hello, sweetie. I’m Alex. What’s your name?”
“I’m Emma. Are you going to take someone to jail?”
“Not today. Unless there are any bad guys here?” His dimples showed when he smiled. Cops should not have dimples.
“Nope, just me and Miss Jillian and Mr. Nic. And Murphy. He’s their dog. And a bunch of people for the meeting. But they’re going to help kids, so they can’t be bad, right?” Her little brows furrowed as she thought.
“Probably not. Helping kids is a good thing. Are you going to help?”
Emma’s curls bounced as she nodded. “Yup, I get to help with the decorations. Mommy said so. And I get to come to the big Valentine’s Day dance. I’m going to wear a red dress.”
“A red dress? Sounds like a great party.” He raised his gaze to the third member of the group.
“Hi, I’m Jillian. Welcome to the Sandpiper Inn.” She offered her hand to the handsome deputy.
“Nice to meet you. Alex Santiago. Thanks for offering to host the meeting here.”
Jillian smiled, her face lighting up. “We’re happy to do it. I grew up in foster care myself—I know how hard it can be. Even the best foster families often can’t always give the kids as much attention as they need. It will be great if we can get a real mentor program started.”
If Alex was surprised by Jillian’s casual mention of her childhood, he didn’t show it. He just nodded and held out the box he’d picked up at the bakery. “I brought cookies, if you have somewhere I can put them. I figured at least a few people might not have had a chance to grab dinner yet.”
Oh, boy. Shame heated Cassie’s cheeks. She’d been stereotyping him with the old cops-and-doughnuts line when he’d actually been buying refreshments to share with others—at a charity event, no less.
The sight of the uniform might set her teeth on edge, but that was no reason to be openly rude to him. The car accident that had injured her father so badly had been caused by a single out-of-control deputy, but she couldn’t blame the man in front of her just because they both wore the same badge.
“Ooh, can I have a cookie?” Emma looked up at Alex, practically batting her eyelashes. “I’ve been very good.”
He laughed, and the lines around his eyes softened. “That’s up to your mom, princess.”
Emma turned pleading eyes to Cassie, whose heart melted. “Since you’ve been good, yes, one. But just one. Jillian said you’ve already had a brownie, and I don’t want you bouncing off the walls on a sugar high.” She nodded a thank you to Alex for letting her make the decision. “Now, let’s see those valentines you were telling me about.” She brushed off the niggling bit of envy that she hadn’t been the one making valentines with her daughter. Maybe that was why Jillian looked concerned about them?
“Cassie, maybe you should wait and read those later?” Jillian cautioned, nodding toward Alex.
Cassie darted a glance at the cop still standing on the stairs with them. He shrugged, then moved past them. “I’ll just go find a place to set these down. See you inside.”
Why was Jillian acting so tense over this? They were just paper hearts and glitter, not a manifesto. Taking them from Emma’s slightly grubby fist, she continued up to the massive front door of the Sandpiper.
The first card boasted a crudely drawn bouquet of flowers, and the words MOM and LOVE circled by pink and purple