She parked her cart and got out, being careful to remember that she was a woman alone on an island. If she screamed, it wasn’t likely anyone was going to hear her.

Still, her training as a police officer always kept her in good stead. She knew she could take care of herself, and she always kept a concealed weapon on her. Just part of her job training, although touching a gun made her have flashbacks that she’d rather not experience.

She walked up to the car and saw no one inside. There was also no one standing anywhere near the lighthouse. Now she was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. Perhaps the best thing to do was to get inside of her cottage and lock the door until she could figure out who was lurking around her property.

She got back in her cart and pulled closer to the cottage. As she stepped out of the golf cart, she saw someone off in the distance standing on the beach behind her house. When she looked closer, she knew exactly who it was.

“Steve?”

Her boyfriend - ex-boyfriend - turned around and looked at her.

“Emma! Thank God I found you!” he said, running toward her. He closed the gap between them very quickly, pulling her into a tight embrace and pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

“Why are you here? How did you even find me?” She felt more irritated than she probably should have. He seemed overwhelmed with worry, although she had explained to Caroline that she was okay and that she should relay that information to Steve.

He pulled back and looked at her, his hands on her arms. “I’m a detective, Emma. I can find anybody. The better question is why did you run away without a word? You scared all of us to death!”

“I’ve been talking to Caroline. I told her that I’m fine.”

She turned to walk back towards the front of the house, Steve following close behind. “She said you didn’t sound like yourself on the phone. She was worried that you might hurt yourself, so I had to get here as soon as possible.”

“Well, I’m really sorry that you wasted a trip, but I’m fine.”

He reached for her arm and turned her around. His eyes were starting to fill with tears, and his face was red. She knew the red face was from anger, and the tears were from fear. To be a detective, Steve wore his emotions on his sleeve.

“You’re my fiancé. We’re supposed to be getting married and living a life together, Emma. How could you just run away like that?”

“Steve, we’re not getting married. The girl that you were engaged to died that night. I am no longer her, and I can’t marry you.” She put the key into the lock of her cottage and walked inside, Steve following behind her. He pushed it closed behind him and stood there like he didn’t know what to do.