Not possible. “Do you? I’m not trying to be a jerk. I’m just saying you weren’t there.”

“I know about crime and bad choices, about wishing you could go back.”

She waited for the phones to ring, for any interruption. None came. So early in the day on an island without much crime, the office might remain quiet for hours. She took the opportunity to broach a difficult subject.

She reached out because touching him, being his friend, seemed right. With her fingers covering his, she waded into what could be a messy situation. “You never talk about your time in the military.”

“Army. Military police.”

She squeezed his warm fingers. “That must have been tough.”

“I’ve seen some shit.”

The door opened behind her, knocking into her and pushing her into Ben. She grabbed on to his shoulders to keep from falling on her face.

Connor’s gaze flicked from her arms to Ben’s face. “Sorry.”

Ben steadied her before returning to his chair on the safe side of the desk. “Connor, come in.”

With the sharing mood broken, she gave up trying to understand Ben and what made him tick. It wasn’t exactly fair anyway since she did whatever she had to do not to give him the chance to work that mental move on her. “You missed the you-need-to-be-careful speech.”

Connor stood there, not moving. “Interesting that he had to deliver it again.”

She ignored that because he looked pretty adorable with his hair hanging over his forehead, hiding most of the damage. The bandage was gone today. She could only see the faint bottom edge of the injury through strands of straight black hair.

“This is new,” Ben said.

Her gaze followed Ben’s to the floor. To the Jack Russell terrier with the brown face and white body sitting half on Connor’s sneaker. She’d recognize that plaid bow-tie-shaped collar anywhere. “Why are you walking Mr. Higginbotham?”

Connor held the leash. “So, everyone on Whitaker knows this dog?”

“He’s Winnie’s dog.” She looked at Ben. “Though, come to think of it, I have no idea what Winnie’s last name is.”

Ben shrugged. “Probably not relevant to the story.”

“She came over to visit Paul while I was fixing his step, which was perfectly fine, I would add. It barely squeaked.” Connor rolled his eyes as he described his morning. “While I was putting the tools away, she said she needed to talk to Paul and asked me to walk Mr. . . .”

Maddie couldn’t help but smile at the picture they made. Connor, tall and looming, watching over the spoiled fourteen-pound dog belonging to a person he didn’t even know. “Higginbotham. A perfectly respectable name, by the way.”

“Of course it is.” He sounded defensive on the dog’s behalf. “I put him in the car and brought him here to check on you first.”