Page 116 of Tempt Me

Caden kisses my temple as we leave my apartment. “You look beautiful.”

I roll my eyes but my insides are doing backflips. We get into my car and I drive us to Everton Estate. It looks majestic in the morning sunlight, the vines casting intricate shadows across the grass, the rosebushes that line the front of the house in full bloom. I can’t help thinking how different things are from the last time I drove to Everton early in the morning, all those years ago. We head to the kitchen, and I check on the dough while Caden makes us coffees. We sit at the island, and he pulls out his phone.

“Sorry,” he says. “I missed a lot of texts yesterday while we were otherwise engaged.”

“Business stuff?” I ask.

“Yeah. It’s a lot to organize. Plus, we’ve got to get Sebastian and Esme here as quickly as possible. I’m going to oversee their visa process myself.”

Caden told me everything last night over dinner. The most shocking part was the fact that Russell Everton seems to now be encouraging Caden to date me. How times change. I smile at him over my coffee cup. I like this house in the morning. It’s quiet and comfortable. It almost feels like a home. The kitchen is large and pleasant, with a clear view of the bay, the lush green lawn, and Marion’s garden.

I glance at Caden and he’s frowning at his phone.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he says, quickly stowing it in his pocket and trying to look casual.

“Caden,” I say. “What is it?”

“Daisy’s been texting me about…it’s just…” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. I have a flash of my fingers twining through it last night as I exploded in an orgasm and have to rip my thoughts back to the present. “She had already done a lot of prep for the wedding,” he says. “Ordered the wines Lucille Richards wanted, rented extra tables and chairs, that sort of thing. So now I’m trying to help her figure out what to do about it all.”

I lean my elbows on the island and sigh. “Crap,” I say.

“Lucille demanded back every penny she put down and we decided not to fight her on it. Didn’t seem worth it.”

I hate that this is putting Everton out. That seems unfair.

Suddenly, an idea comes to me.

“Caden,” I say. “What if you didn’t have to waste all that preparation?”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You could use the lodge to have your announcement party,” I say eagerly. “Celebrate you taking Everton in this new direction.”

Caden’s eyes widen. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Oh, come on. It’s a great idea!”

Suddenly, I’m swept off my stool and Caden is whirling me around the kitchen. I laugh as he kisses my neck, pressing me against the wall.

“I love you,” he says softly.

My breath catches in my throat. “I love you too,” I say. The truth of my words take root deep inside me, spreading through my chest and planting themselves in the pit of my stomach. The rightness of them is undeniable.

I am in love with Caden Everton. I always have been. And I always will be.

“Listen,” he says, releasing me. “Dad is definitely up by now. Do you mind if I go tell him? We’ll want to get the ball rolling since it’s next weekend. But I think this will be perfect. You’re a genius. And we’ll invite the whole town—Mom would have wanted it that way. This is something Magnolia Bay needs to be a part of.”

My heart swells up with pride. I place my hand on his cheek. “You sound just like her,” I say softly.

He leans into my palm. “Be right back,” he says. “Then we’ll head to Thorn and get working on those croissants.”

It feels like a different universe, Caden helping me bake, preparing for my own booth at the festival. I’m giddy. I’m so light I’m shocked I haven’t sprouted wings. I want to be outside, feel the air on my skin and hear the birds singing their morning songs. I take the French doors out to the back terrace. I remember this view from the party, when I walked to the gazebo on the end of the dock. I make my way down the wide stone steps, skirting the pool, then onto the lawn, my tennis shoes getting damp with morning dew. I stop as I reach Marion’s little pottery shed.

I have the sudden urge to look inside. I’ve spent so much time reading her autopsy, looking at the crime scene photos, tracking down pieces of this puzzle with Caden. This shed feels like the crucible, the place where it all began. Or ended. I want to see it for myself.

I turn the copper knob on the teal painted door and step inside. Everything is covered in dust. Cobwebs hang from the ceilings and cover the huge kiln by the large window that looks out over the bay. There are some recent-looking smudges and footprints and I wonder if the police came in here again.

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