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asleep.

FOUR
    LIVING IN A resort community has its own special set of problems. People on vacation are relaxed. Josie was always in a rush, trying to get jobs done on time, before the season ended, before the autumn storms arrived. People on vacation spend money impulsively. Josie was constantly worried about where each dollar went, both in her private life and on Island Contracting’s books. And people on vacation sleep late. Josie’s alarm went off at 5:30. Today, after hours of tossing about on sheets that desperately needed to spend some time in a washing machine, it was almost a relief to get up and get going.
    Josie’s morning routine was more “no maintenance” than “low maintenance,” and she was out the door less than five minutes after setting her feet on the floor. Driving to her office, she stopped worrying about Tyler and focused on work. First problem: insurance. Second problem: a new and unknown crew. Third problem: well, she wasn’t sure what the third problem was, but she suspected she would know in a few hours.
    Island Contracting’s office was a converted fishing shack which hung over the bay dividing the island from the mainland. Remodeled by Noel Roberts, former owner of the company and Josie’s mentor, it was both charming and practical. Josie dedicated as much of her free time as was necessary to maintaining it, and the first rays of daylight bounced off paint applied only the month before. Making a mental note to water the nasturtium seedlings beginning to emerge from the soil in the window boxes, she unlocked the front door, switched on the overhead light, and headed straight for the coffee maker.
    A caramel-colored tabby kitten, dozing on the counter, lifted her head off a packet of coffee filters and meowed a greeting.
    “Coffee for me, then kitten chow for you,” Josie promised, reaching for a bag of ground beans.
    In minutes the scent of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the ever-present aroma of tidal mud, and the kitten, happily fed, was playing with a brilliant red crab shell on the floor while Josie worked at her computer.
    Her insurance agent had sent a long e-mail explaining that Leslie Coyne could not be covered by Island Contracting’s insurance policy. Josie dutifully printed out all the information and then poured her first mug of coffee of the day. She had no idea what she was going to do. According to the man she had been buying insurance from for almost a decade, Leslie Coyne was uninsurable because he had “a previous medical condition,” although the agent couldn’t say more because medical information is confidential. But she was assured that once the condition cleared up—and remained cleared up for a certain, unspecified number of years—he would be eligible for health insurance again, at a premium.
    Her coffee grew cold as she considered the situation. She couldn’t afford the liability of an uninsured worker. But if Leslie left, would Vickie leave as well? She also couldn’t afford to be two workers short at the beginning of the season and she had no idea how, or if, she could replace them. Damn! She got up and stomped out onto the deck overhanging the bay behind her office. The sun was sparkling off the water. A lone kayaker paddled by and smiled up at her. Josie waved and plunked herself down on one of the ragged captain’s chairs to think.
    She was still thinking when she realized she was no longer alone.
    “Hi . . . you didn’t hear me come in, did you?” Leslie Coyne was standing in the open doorway; the kitten, dwarfed by his huge biceps, was nestled in his arms.
    “No. But I was thinking about you.”
    “Shit. I guess you’ve heard from your insurance company.”
    “How did you know?”
    He shrugged. “It happens. Usually sooner rather than later. But you don’t have to worry. I don’t mind working without insurance.”
    “But you can’t do that! What if you get hurt?”
    “I’ll be careful. I won’t.”
    Josie stood up. “You