Sandy Reid crossed the Intracoastal Waterway to the barrier island and drove on east to Highway A1A. Goddard had said meet at the Coffee Spot, and she knew about where to find it.
She had driven around the same area when she first arrived in Park Beach. It was late that day and after driving a thousand miles and getting warmer by the hour, she wanted to see the ocean immediately. She drove directly to the beach from I-95, left her car in a small beachfront park. A pleasant onshore breeze caught her hair as she walked down to the beach.
She walked barefoot in the pale sand along the wavering water's edge, daring the warm hint of tide to catch her feet and slap around her ankles. A carefree moment. She could get used to this place called Florida.
This afternoon, looking for the Coffee Spot, she headed for the beachfront area again. She remembered the arrangement of low-rise condos and beachfront hotels on one side of Ocean Drive, and the boutiques and restaurants facing them. She found the Coffee Spot down a few blocks away from the expensive beachfront hotels.
She liked the retro fifties décor-a neon-light clock above an antique jukebox-like an old-time diner without all the stainless steel. She sat at the counter on a red-topped stool. The waitress was filling her diner-style coffee mug when Goddard came in through the swinging kitchen door directly in front of her.
"I parked in back. Let's move over to that last booth," he said. "You sit on the other side."
Sandy nodded and picked up her coffee. "Remember the old movies. Never sit with your back to the door and never trust a skirt."
He grinned. "Of course, everything I needed to know I learned from old movies."
Pretty good line, she thought. How bad could he be? She raised her coffee mug, "Here's looking at you, kid."
"How do you like Florida, Miss Reid?"
"If they ever had a day like this in Philly, they'd write a song about it."
Nice smile, smelled good, taller than she remembered. His jaw was slightly large, no, on second thought just right. So far, so good. She had yet to see his eyes. "You going to sit there and watch me through those cop glasses?"
"Sorry." He took them off.
Now, up close, she got a good look at him. His steel-gray eyes were set a little deep but nicely spaced. She felt slightly timid looking at him. He was more interesting than she had anticipated, more appealing. She should have changed before meeting him; she wished she came across a little more put together right now facing this guy. "How come you don't walk and talk like a cop."