What was the Coast Guard commander doing at the Lucy Sue?
Kate’s step faltered as she turned a corner on Straight Wharf and caught sight of the tall officer standing beside her boat. The last thing she wanted was another skirmish with the line-toeing lieutenant.
For a few heartbeats she considered retreating. His back was to her, giving her a good view of his broad shoulders as he looked over the Lucy Sue. She could disappear before he noticed her.
But running from problems didn’t solve them. If he’d decided to let the citation stand, she might as well get the bad news now rather than later. And his presence suggested the news was bad rather than good. Why else would he come in person, except to turn the tables and wield his authority by scuttling her request? After the way she’d treated him in their previous encounters, she couldn’t blame him if he took advantage of the opportunity to put her in her place.
Her shoulders slumped a fraction, and she shifted the bag she was toting from one arm to the other. Then she forced her feet to carry her forward, her sport shoes noiseless on the wharf. She stopped a few feet away from the grim reaper and drew a fortifying breath.
“Planning to do another inspection, Lieutenant?” She’d intended to keep her tone neutral, but a touch of defiance crept in.
He swung toward her, his features etched with surprise. And some other emotion she couldn’t identify.
“That wasn’t on my agenda.”
“Following up on the one already done, then.”
“Yes. I was in town anyway and thought I’d drop by.”
“I got the flares.” She edged passed him on the finger pier, juggling the bag as she prepared to board.
“Let me hold that for you.” He took the sack from her before she could protest, glancing at the package of spark plugs on top. “Engine problems?”
Rather than give him a direct answer, she swung into the boat and reached for the bag. “I’m always prepared.”
“You do your own maintenance?”
“Most of it. My neighbor helps me on the trickier things. And speaking of being prepared, let me show you the new flares.” She ducked into the cabin, retrieved the flares and rejoined him thirty seconds later on the wharf. “As you’ll see, I’m covered for the new season.” She handed them over, annoyed once again at the defensive note that had crept into her voice. For the life of her she couldn’t manage a pleasant tone with this man.
The lieutenant took the flares in silence, scanned the expiration dates and handed them back. “Everything seems to be in order.”
Tipping his head, he folded his arms across his chest. His powerful, well-developed chest, Kate couldn’t help noticing, her gaze dropping in the direction of the name tag on his shirt pocket.
“So what happens next?” She forced her chin back up, toward eyes as blue as the ocean on a sunny Nantucket summer day. Tensing, she braced for bad news.
He reached into the pocket of his slacks and withdrew the original citation, which had been folded into neat, precise squares. Watching her, he tore it into small pieces, disposing of them in a trash can a few steps away.
Her eyes widened. “Does that mean…are you going to expunge it from my record?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Your request was reasonable. Even if you weren’t.” He gave her an assessing look, a touch of amusement sparking in his irises. “Do you always overreact when you’re angry?”
It was a fair, but incendiary, question, and she stiffened. “I’ve been told I don’t suffer fools gladly.”
He cocked one eyebrow but remained silent.
You idiot! Kate chided herself, hot color stealing onto her cheeks. The man has just done you a huge favor, and you insult him instead of thanking him? How ungracious is that?
Swallowing past her embarrassment, Kate shoved her hands into the front pockets of her jeans. “Look, can we start over?”
“That might not be a bad idea.”
“Okay. Good. The thing is, I appreciate your consideration. I’m sure you noticed the Lucy Sue is an older model. It’s not as jazzy as most of the other charter boats, nor does it have all the bells and whistles. A clean safety record is a selling point I can use in my advertising to help me compete. Without it…” She shook her head and shrugged.
“My executive petty officer tells me you’ve been at this a while, Ms. MacDonald.”
The wind whipped a lock of hair across her cheek, and she tucked it behind her ear. “Yes. My father-in-law started the business. He retired and passed it on to me and my husband when we married. But I’ve been fishing my whole life.” She moistened her lips as she considered whether to extend an olive branch, then decided it couldn’t hurt. “By the way, my friends call me Kate.”
She noted the flicker of surprise in his eyes, as well as the twitch that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “As in Kiss Me, Kate?”
At the mention of the Cole Porter musical based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, Kate grimaced. “I suppose that’s a fair question in light of our relationship to date. And I apologize for my bad temper. You hit me on a rough couple of days. Believe it or not, despite my red hair I usually stay on a pretty even keel.”
The skeptical tilt of his head brought a rueful smile to her lips.
“I don’t blame you for doubting that claim. But it’s true, Lieutenant.”
He returned her smile. “The name is Craig. And I suppose I’ll find out the truth for myself if our paths cross again.”
“I expect they will on occasion. It’s not a very big island. Unless you continue to be the invisible man.”
A puzzled frown creased his brow. “The what?”
Grinning, she shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her jeans. “The invisible man. That’s what the locals are calling you. You’ve hardly shown your face in public.”
“I’ve been busy getting up to speed at the station. But I’ll be more visible in the community in the future.”
“I’m sure everyone will look forward to that.”
He shot her a speculative glance, as if he was tempted to ask whether she looked forward to it, too. Instead, he smiled and edged back. “In the meantime, a pile of paperwork awaits me.”
“Thank you again for your help with the citation.”
“It was my pleasure, Kate. Take care.” With a wave, he headed toward Main Street.
She watched him leave, liking the sound of her name on his lips, waiting until he disappeared before boarding the Lucy Sue to tackle her chores.
But long after he was gone, she kept replaying their conversation in her mind. For once, it had not only been civil, but enjoyable. And he’d proved to be more flexible than she’d anticipated, bending the rules for her despite the way she’d treated him. In his place, she doubted she would have been so forgiving—or generous.
As she stored her supplies below, Kate was forced to concede that her initial assessment of the commander as a stuffy, rigid, rule follower might have been a little too hasty—and a little too harsh. Still, one cordial exchange wasn’t enough to convince her she’d been entirely wrong about his character. Before she revised her opinion, she’d have to see a whole lot more of him.
And much to her surprise, despite their rocky start and her earlier resolve to avoid him as much as possible, she found that prospect quite