The rough denim of his jeans brushed the smooth linen of her slacks. He flexed his leg and her stomach fluttered. The temperature in the storeroom rose. She fanned her face with a paper plate.

"Has Zane left town?" Jen asked Dune.

"He was up and gone before my first cup of coffee," he said between bites. "He saw Tori Rollins last night."

Jen gaped. "When, where?"

"She delivered our three a.m. pizzas."

"Did it get crazy?"

"Crazy enough that he chased her Volkswagen down the dirt road in his boxers while running barefoot."

Jen nearly spewed her soda.

Sophie was confused. She could trace the Cates's history from the time William had settled the town, but she wasn't aware of any present-day involvements beyond her brother being married to Shaye.

Dune finished his own bag of sour cream and garlic chips, then stole a few of Sophie's sun-dried tomato ones. He sensed her curiosity and conveyed Zane and Tori's story.

Sophie sat there, fascinated. The two shared so much anger, so much passion. They had a great deal to settle between them.

"Opposites usually attract," said Jen, "yet Tori and Zane were so much alike, it seemed they had one mind. They agreed on everything, even finished each other's sentences."

"What happened?" asked Sophie.

Jen wiped her mouth with a napkin. "They were in total agreement until Zane chose the Air Force over her. Tori went ballistic. She never forgave him."

"How awful," Sophie said, finishing her chips.

"Zane always wanted to fly," Dune explained. "He collected model planes and helicopters as a kid. He buzzed me more than one time with his handheld-transmitter-controlled dive-bombers."

Jenna grinned. "He bombed everyone on the boardwalk."

Sophie listened intently as they continued to talk about their families. Big, happy families that came together when someone was in trouble or for the joy of celebration. Dune's and her upbringing differed greatly.

They were halfway through their meal when three young boys entered the store. They looked eleven or twelve, all sweaty and scruffy and in a hurry. "I'll see to them," Sophie said. Jenna had taught her how to use the cash register. She could ring up their sale.

She wound around the T-shirt racks and approached the boys. She'd nearly reached them when they split in three directions. She found it difficult to keep an eye on each one. "Can I help you?" she asked the kid with shaggy dark hair moving toward the dressing rooms.

He shook his head, looking uneasy.

"How about you?" she went on to ask the next boy.

"I'm looking for a pair of flip-flops for my sister," he said, drawing her attention from the front of the store.

"What color and size?"

The kid never answered.

She heard shuffling and fumbling at the main counter. She turned around just in time to see the third boy stuff several pairs of sunglasses into the pockets of his camouflage pants.

A shoplifter. Her heart nearly stopped.

Camo-boy stared at Sophie, a clear challenge in his eyes. He curled his lip, as if he dared her to call for backup. His two friends joined him at the door. They looked tough and hardened for kids so young.

Sophie wasn't afraid, only uncertain. She could call for Dune and Jenna or she could handle the situation herself. She wasn't a wimp. She found her voice and said, "Put the sunglasses back."

The boy in the camouflage pants smirked, then flipped her off. "Mine." He shot out the door after his friends.

"Not yours-" Her voice hitched. She was so stunned it took her several seconds to react.

Galvanized by indignation, Sophie took off after the boys. They would not get the better of her. This was Jenna Cates's store. Jen was her friend. There'd be no shoplifters on her shift.

She wasn't a runner, but she could walk fast. She caught a flash of camouflage pants several doors down. It appeared the boys had gotten cocky. They'd run a distance, then stopped and removed the price tags from their shades.

Sophie caught them outside Goody Gumdrops, Shaye's penny candy store. She figured they were headed inside for another five-finger discount. She cornered Camo-boy at the red-and-pink lollipop swirled door. She blocked his entry. She held out her hand. "Mine," she said, tossing his words back at him.

"Hers," Dune's deep voice insisted from behind her. His shadow now stretched alongside her own. A very long shadow from a very tall man.

Her backup had arrived.

Seven.

Reflexively, Dune Cates placed his hand on Sophie's shoulder and squeezed. "What's the problem?" he asked, knowing full well what had gone down. He'd been watching her when she'd offered to assist the boys. He'd had a bad feeling when he recognized one of the kids. Randy Cates was a known thief.

His feet hit the pavement the moment the boy pocketed the sunglasses. Sophie was already ahead of him. She darted out the door, a woman out to right a wrong.

Randy could be difficult. He was the mayor's son. His father was a single parent and too busy with city politics to control the boy's behavior. The kid was raising himself. And not doing a very good job. He was always in trouble.

Juvenile detention was a revolving door for him. He had no business stealing sunglasses from relatives or anyone else for that matter. He'd do jail time as an adult if he didn't get his act together.

The mayor faced an upcoming election in the fall. Randy was a high-profile kid, drawing bad press. People had started to question the mayor's ability to govern a town when he couldn't keep his own son in line.

The boy's friends weren't the least bit loyal. They'd split the moment Dune showed up, afraid of the consequences.

Randy's jaw was now set, a kid of attitude and stubbornness. Dune waited for the boy to come to his senses. He didn't want to call his father or cause a scene on the boardwalk.

He felt Sophie's sigh beneath his palm. She looked more disappointed than mad. He'd nearly had a heart attack when she'd taken off after the boys. She thought to handle the problem alone. He was with her now. He had her back.

"Sophie, this is Randy, my second cousin," Dune introduced them.

She stared at the boy. "Why did you take the sunglasses?" she asked.

"My friends dared me."

"Some friends," said Dune. "They took off and left you to hang."

Heat scored Randy's cheeks. He rolled his shoulders and stood tall. He was nearly Sophie's height. The kid clutched the sunglasses so tight his knuckles turned white. Dune was certain he'd rather break them than return them.

Randy proved Dune right. He held up a pair of the West Coast Blue sunglasses, the latest hot brand sold at Three Shirts. The men's shades were expensive. Randy's father was conservative. He'd never give his son money to blow on such an item.

The boy had a mean streak. He twisted one plastic arm, and the frame nearly snapped. He then stuck his thumb on the inside of a dark blue lens and pushed. The lens held.

Randy was on a tear. What he couldn't break with his hands he now chose to stomp with his foot. He threw the sunglasses down.

Dune was about to step in, when Sophie shaded her eyes and calmly said, "The sun certainly is bright. I can see why you need sunglasses."

Randy grunted. "Duh, it's Florida."

"You have good taste," she noted. "West Coast Blue is a popular style."

"My brand," from Randy.

"You should save your allowance and buy a pair."

"Allowance? Get real." He spat on the boardwalk, within an inch of Sophie's foot. "My dad took away my spending money with my last B&E. He calls it discipline."

Breaking and entering. Dune rubbed the back of his neck. The kid had a rap sheet.

"Perhaps you could get a job," she suggested.

"Who's going to hire me?" Randy asked. "I'm twelve. Shop owners see me coming and close their doors."

"Doors shut because you shoplift," Sophie reminded him.

Randy blinked. "I've got a rep to uphold."

"I think you're better than your rep."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"You've nothing to prove to your friends, but do you want adults to see you as a punk?" she asked.

Randy didn't have an immediate answer. He kicked the sunglasses between his feet like a soccer ball. Scratches showed on the lenses.

Sophie was surprisingly formidable. She didn't give an inch. Dune sensed she wouldn't give up until Randy paid restitution on the shades. She cleared her throat and kept her voice low. "It takes a man to own up to his mistakes."

"A man, huh?" Expectancy flashed in his eyes, soon replaced by cocky smugness. Dune could tell the boy had a chip on his shoulder and was mad at the world.

"Come back to the T-shirt shop, return the sunglasses, and apologize to Jenna," Sophie said.

"Don't sweat me," Randy sneered. "I'm not sorry."

"You should be," she said. "Jen doesn't steal from you and you shouldn't steal from her."

"She has more than me."

"She's earned everything she has."

"Big whoop." The kid had a smart mouth. He had no respect for adults or authority and even less for himself.

Dune listened and let it play out. Sophie was smart and sensitive and seemed to have a purpose. She wasn't put off by Randy's attitude. The kid would piss off the police.

"Square things with Jen and I'll speak to her on your behalf," she said, keeping her voice even. "I'll see if you can work with me."

She had his full attention now. Randy exhaled in a rush. "Work for money?"

"I'll pay you-"

He scooped up the sunglasses and read the price sticker. "One hundred sixty an hour?"

"Get real," Dune muttered.

Sophie shook her head. "I hired Violet's nephew Chuck last week. He works outside in the heat and earns ten bucks an hour. You'll be inside in the air conditioning. Eight bucks fits the job."

"Nine," Randy countered.

"Eight to start, with the possibility of a raise." She held firm.

Randy looked so shocked it was almost comical. Dune would never forget his face. The boy's surprise wore off quickly as he mentally calculated how many hours he'd have to work to pay off the shades. "Twenty hours," he said. "You won't cut me short, will you?"

The boy was afraid Sophie would take back her offer. Dune knew she would not. She would keep her word.

"I'll support you as long as you show up on time and don't screw me over," she said.

Screw her over? Dune almost smiled. She'd laid down the law, along with a solid groundwork for Randy to achieve a goal, however small. The boy needed to uphold his end, too.

"What time tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"You start today," Sophie informed him. "Dune will give your father a call. You're underage. We need his approval."

"My dad doesn't give a rat's ass what I do."

Dune pulled out his cell phone and had a quick chat with the mayor. "We're good to go," he told Sophie.

Dune knew the shop owners would be pleased to hear Randy Cates was off the boardwalk for the rest of the afternoon. Word would spread rapidly. Randy and his friends were sly and sticky-fingered. Inventory disappeared in the blink of an eye. Complaints brought the cops.

The Detention Center wasn't always the answer. Sophie apparently saw more in the kid than most of his relatives. It was a wait-and-see situation. Dune hoped she wouldn't get burned.

He accompanied Sophie and Randy back to the T-shirt shop. Once inside, Sophie met the boy's hard gaze with one of her own. "I have one final rule," she told him. "You empty your pockets every afternoon before you leave the store."