Kilty Pleasure Read Online Free PDF

uncle who hasn’t babysat me.”
    He grimaced. “And I do apologize. My work keeps me busy.”
    “You’re a police officer. You catch the bad guys, which is so cool. I wanna be a cop too when I grow up.”
    “Do you now?” He couldn’t help but be charmed by her. “Well, maybe when you’re a bit older you can come on a ride-along.”
    “If that means riding shotgun in your car, I’m so doing it.”
    He didn’t doubt it for a minute. “So, Emily, what do you think about some lunch and then heading to the beach?”
    “I say hell yeah.”
    Colin couldn’t even reply for a moment, just stared down at her with a gaping mouth. Finally, “Where did you learn—”
    “My dad.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Your brother. He’s got a total potty mouth, Mom says. So don’t tell him I just swore or he’ll get grounded.”
    “Ah, well we wouldn’t want that.” He hid a laugh and led her toward the door. “Are you hungry?”
    “Oh, Uncle Colin, you have so much to learn.” She heaved an overly dramatic sigh. “I’m a tween. I’m always hungry…”
     
     
    Days off. As much as she loved her job, she appreciated—and direly needed—some downtime.
    Hailey checked her rearview mirror as she headed to the island. Part of her regretted not stopping by work, even though she’d called from home this morning to see how her patient Randy was doing.
    After she’d been assured his health was improving, she still made the promise to drop by later, after she returned from the island, and say hello. Kids were her weakness. They’d always been her weakness. Which was why she loved it when her job as float nurse put her on the pediatric medical floor.
    Almost a half hour later, as she drove over Deception Pass Bridge, she had to wonder if she was stupid to even be coming to the island. But as her gaze drank in the view far below—the glittering blue water and the trees of the park—she ignored the clenching of her stomach.
    It was a huge island. The chances of her running into a McLaughlin again were slim to none. Especially being that it was a weekday and most people would be, well, working.
    Once on Whidbey, she drove into Deception Pass State Park and found a spot near the beach to park. The trail from the parking lot was just a couple minutes’ walk to the rocky northwest shoreline.
    She found a quiet spot and slid her tote bag off her shoulder. Plucking a blanket from it, she spread it on the sandier part of the beach and then sat down.
    Next, she grabbed a diet soda, her lunch and her Kindle, and set them beside her.
    It was pretty much her summer ritual for her days off. Come out to Deception Pass and enjoy a bit of sunshine—if the weather was cooperating—drink in the stunning views and just relax.
    The beach wasn’t overly crowded, maybe twenty people in the area she’d picked. Mostly families likely camping on vacation and a handful of fisherman hoping for salmon.
    It was peaceful. Beautiful. You couldn’t hear the traffic whizzing by on the bridge that was a hundred and eighty feet in the air. Instead, you listened to the waves lightly splashing onto the beach. Then there were the cries of the seagulls—almost white noise—as they flew by overhead. And, occasionally, the exciting roar of the navy jets from NAS Whidbey, which wasn’t too far away.
    She unwrapped her lunch and began to eat, enjoying the mild flavor of a turkey sandwich with wheat bread, and juicy mandarin oranges.
    The crisp, salty air she breathed in just added to the simplicity and serenity of the moment. Unfortunately, the view only distracted her for a while and then her thoughts began to shift back to last night and the family that had been such a big part of her world.
    The McLaughlins.
    Seeing Kenzie had put a knot of regret in her throat. It wasn’t that Kenzie had been mean while serving her, not the least. She’d been polite. Friendly in the waitress way. She’d, for all intents and purposes, acted as if they