They exited the SUV and dashed to the other vehicle. By the time Aiden got inside he was soaking wet. He hadn’t brought a raincoat to Piper’s Cove, as he’d expected to be home before the storm hit.

He buckled up and dried his face with the damp tail of his T-shirt.

“Address?” The officer’s gravelly voice indicated the consumption of many packs of cigarettes.

Sophie rattled off the address.

The officer scowled at Aiden in the rearview mirror. “This is a bad night to be out. You might exercise some common sense next time we have a hurricane moving through the area.”

Aiden frowned at the back of Sophie’s head. “We appreciate the ride.”

“There are people out there with real emergencies, you know. Woman had a chair come through a window and knock her out cold. Fire started inside a garage, and a little boy is on his way to the ER. And that’s to say nothing of the everyday emergencies like heart attacks and strokes.” He mumbled something, but Aiden only caught the words stupidity and common sense.

Sophie was apparently too busy on her phone to respond.

“Sounds like you’ve had a rough night,” Aiden said.

“You don’t know the half of it.” The officer kept up a running monologue, and he had nothing positive to say.

Of all the cops in Piper’s Cove, they’d had to get this one. Feeling tenser by the moment, he tuned out the man. What a long afternoon. Aiden tried to feel sorry for Sophie, who was in for some expensive car repairs. But she’d been the one who’d insisted on this ill-conceived adventure.

As soon as they pulled into the drive, Aiden unbuckled his belt, as relieved to escape the officer as he was to be back at the house.

“Do everyone a favor and stay put till the storm’s over,” the officer growled.

“Yes, sir.” He ground out a thank-you, then he dashed through the rain, following Sophie up the porch steps and into the house.

*  *  *

Sophie dried the last plate and set it in the cabinet. The kitchen was now sparkling clean—at least she thought it was. Hard to tell when she was working by candlelight. She dried her hands on the towel. She’d officially run out of ways to occupy herself.

Aiden was in the living room, working a crossword puzzle by candlelight. He’d been silent since that officer had dropped them off.

What in the world were they going to do for the rest of the night?

Unable to stall any longer, she returned to the living room and sat across from him on the sofa’s end. She lifted Pippa onto the couch, and the dog curled up at her side, propping her head on Sophie’s leg.