Page 16 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

She lifted her hands, hoping to calm him down. “I do respect your opinion, Cade. But please, just for a moment, hear me out. If we sold the inn, we could split the money and do something meaningful with it.”

His face remained stony, and his eyes never left hers. “Do you honestly believe that’s what Alana would want?”

“Yes,” she said. “She would understand why I want to sell.”

He was silent for a moment. “When was the last time you worked here, Everleigh?”

“Right before I left for college.”

“How long ago?”

“Almost ten years ago.”

“I’ve been here almost two years.” He held up two fingers. “I know for a fact she wanted this place to stay open. In fact, she talked about leveling it up—adding a lunch and possibly a dinner menu.”

Everleigh’s mouth worked while she tried to come up with a reply. Alana had never mentioned to her about adding more dining options or expanding the inn. Maybe Everleighneededto tell Cade about the nonprofit so he could understand how important it was to her and Alana. And surely he would, since Alana had trusted him enough to leave him half of her life’s work.

She moved her fingers over the edge of the island. “Alana and I wanted to start a nonprofit. We’d been putting together a business plan, and for the past three years, I’ve been working on making it happen. But my major obstacle was financial backing.”

“She never mentioned anything like that to me,” he said.

Everleigh pointed to the doorway. “I can show you the business plan, if you’d like.”

His face remained frigid.

That was definitely a no.

“If we sell the inn, I could start the nonprofit in her memory. I know that would make her happy.” Everleigh snapped her fingers. “We can sell to someone who will keep her spirit alive—a buyer who promises to keep the inn going.” She sat up taller, and her smile returned. “That way, the inn will stay intact, and I can start the nonprofit she and I dreamed up. Two birds, one stone.”

He shook his head, clearly unimpressed. “No.”

“What if—” she began.

“Everleigh?” Mom appeared in the doorway, cutting off her words. “I think I’ve done enough for the day. Could you help me put the containers in the back of the car?”

Cade continued to stare at Everleigh. “I’ll help you, Mrs. Hartnett.” Then he whirled around and set off toward Mom.

Chapter 5

Cade was so angry, his body vibrated as he carried Mrs. Hartnett’s plastic containers outside and loaded them into the back of her Subaru. He had never imagined that Everleigh—Alana’s favorite person on the planet, the one she talked about incessantly, and the one whose smile graced nearly every framed photo in Alana’s suite—would want to sell the inn. He had expected her to tell him she was leaving for her next traveling nurse adventure by the end of the month—not that she wanted to sell the place, split the profits, and go merrily on her way.

If Alana had truly wanted to start some nonprofit, then why hadn’t she ever mentioned it to him? He’d sat with her for hours when she was in the hospital, and she’d shared endless stories about Everleigh, but she’d never once talked about a nonprofit. She had, however, implied that she wanted him to keep the inn open—so he would do everything in his power to prevent Everleigh’s ridiculous plan from coming to pass, no matter what the redhead said.

“Thank you so much, Cade.” Mrs. Hartnett pulled open thedriver’s door. “I’ll be back again tomorrow, but I’ve had enough of the emotional trip down memory lane today.”

Cade slipped his hands into the pockets of his shorts and nodded.

“By the way, how many times now have I told you to call me Caroline?” She gave him a sad smile.

“Right,” he relented. “Caroline.”

Everleigh had trotted out of the inn as well, but rather than climbing into the car, she pulled her mom into a hug. “I’ll see you at home, Mom.”

Cade pressed his lips together. “You’re not going with her?”

“No.” She pulled out Alana’s keychain. “I was hoping to borrow her Jeep since my car hasn’t been delivered yet.”

Most likely, she was staying so they could continue their heated discussion.

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