Tide Will Tell (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans) Read Online Free PDF Page A

then?”
    “I hadn’t planned on it.” Josh watched Kate wind a hank of her pretty blonde hair around her finger. Why did she seem so uncomfortable? “Actually, I wasn’t aware there was going to be one.”
    “Well, perhaps you’ll consider coming back up next weekend. It’s going to be a nice event.”
    Next weekend? Josh shifted his weight from foot to foot, not wanting to look at Kate. Did she realize how peculiar this situation was? “I’ll certainly consider it.”
    The awkward silence that followed gave Josh the distinct impression that he was the one third of the population of the room that made three a crowd. He was about to excuse himself when the boisterous sound of Jessica’s friends coming in from the deck to the living room drew everyone’s attention.
    Mr. Cole gave them a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well, this seems like a good time for introductions.” He held out an after-you hand to Kate. “Shall we?”
    Kate’s lip quivered, then she offered up a tight smile and started for the doorway. Mr. Cole gave Josh a fatherly pat on the shoulder and they fell into step behind her.
    Kate seemed to hesitate at the entrance to the living room, and Josh couldn’t say he blamed her. It would be intimidating to meet this crowd even under the best of circumstances.
    Mr. Cole positioned himself on Kate’s left, with a hand firmly placed on each of her shoulders, as if he was preparing to present her as his own personal achievement. Josh eased in on her other side, hoping to lend some sort of silent support. He sensed that she felt even more out of place here than he did.
    “Excuse me, everyone.” Mr. Cole’s deep voice cut through the high pitched chatter. All eyes turned to him then landed in judgment on Kate as the group fell silent.
    She stiffened almost imperceptibly.
    “I’d like you all to meet my fiancée.” Mr. Cole sounded more like he was announcing a new stock option at a business meeting than introducing his future wife.
    Josh cleared his throat. This felt weird. Maybe he should just take off after dinner.
    In typical Jessica fashion, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to stare out the window, while taking a long sip of her Mojito. Josh subtly rolled his eyes. She and her friends had been fun to hang out with at school, and he had certainly felt for her with the terrible year she’d had, but he’d started to see a side of her that he found totally unappealing.
    “Jessica.” Crossing to her, Mr. Cole reached out for her arm.
    Slowly, she looked up and smiled sweetly, then rose and allowed him to guide her to where Kate still stood next to Josh. Mr. Cole settled his hand domineeringly on Kate’s back, forcing her to take a step closer to Jessica.
    “Jessica,” he said. “Meet Kate.”
    Josh frowned. Kate was just now meeting Jessica? This just kept getting stranger.
    “So….” Jessica drew her glass to her lips and subtly sized up her future stepmother. “This is the famous Kate .”
    Whoa. Give the girl a little alcohol and she could win a competition with the contents of her glass over who was icier.
    Josh was about to say something, anything, to break the tension when the French doors from the patio swung open and Stuart stepped in with a drink in his hand and a girl on each arm.
    “Stuart,” Mr. Cole called to him. “Come and meet Kate.”
    The creases between Kate’s eyebrows had deepened in the last ten minutes. At this rate, she’d have to hire a make-up artist to putty them in for her wedding pictures.
    Through a poorly, if at all, concealed smirk, Stuart quickly assessed her from across the room, then raised his glass to his lips as he spoke. “Nice to meet you, Mommy .”
    Ouch . Stuart was never one to be tactful, but this was totally over the top. And why was Mr. Cole letting him—both his kids—treat Kate with such disrespect? This just didn’t add up. The group tittered, and Kate’s eyes narrowed. She glanced down, and Josh