Page 97 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

Quinn complied. “What’s up?”

“You tell me.” Everleigh rested her elbow on the island and her chin on her palm. “I want the ‘tea’ on you and Roger.”

Quinn beamed. “We’re good. Really good.”

“Details, please!”

Quinn blew out a happy sigh. “He’s sweet and thoughtful. When he’s working near the library, he’ll stop by and bring me a cup of coffee or a snack if he has a lunch break.” She shifted on the stool. “We have fun together. We like the same movies, and we never run out of things to talk about.”

“That’s amazing,” Everleigh gushed. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Now how about you and Cade?”

“What?”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “There’s definitely some tension between you two. Even Roger has commented on it.”

“Tension, huh?” Everleigh asked, and Quinn nodded. “I mean, I’m definitely attracted to him.” That was for sure. Her cheeks heated as she recalled how it felt to be tucked safely in his arms. “But I don’t think anything can come of it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m planning to go back on the road.” She motioned toward the back of the house. “We need to get this place back on the market, and hopefully someone will buy it. Then I’ll start my nonprofit, and maybe Cade will open another restaurant since working as a chef is his passion,” she explained. “And that will be that. I probably won’t see Cade unless I come home to visit my family and he’s still living somewhere around here.” And why did that thought send sadness coursing through her?

Disappointment covered Quinn’s features. “That’s a shame, Everleigh. I think you two would be a great couple.”

“If we could stop arguing, maybe.”

“Arguing about what?”

“Different things.” She shrugged. “Right now, he really dislikes Trevor and is convinced he’s up to no good.”

Quinn gave a knowing look. “He’s jealous, I bet.”

“Jealous?” Everleigh scrunched her nose. “No, he just has serious trust issues.”

Quinn shook her head. “I think it’s more than that. Cade cares about you.”

“That might be true, but nothing is going to come of it.” Everleigh hopped down from the stool. “Anyway, we should get back out there. I think everyone is waiting for some water.”

She lugged the case of water outside and handed out bottles. When she approached Cade and his father, she contemplated what Quinn said about Cade. He did seem to care about her, but did he care about her as more than a friend? Was he as attracted to her as she was to him? That possibility sent a shudder through her.

“Thanks.” Cade took the bottle, opened it, and drained almost half of it. “What should we do about supper? Should I make something for everyone? I don’t even know what we have in the fridge or freezer that’s still good since the power’s been out.”

She took in the exhaustion in his eyes and shook her head. Cade was completely worn out, but he was worried about feeding everyone who had helped. He was such a good man. “You’re too tired to cook, Cade. You’ve been doing manual labor all day.”

Landon appeared beside her and swiped a bottle of water from the pack. “Mom was talking about getting pizza at their house.” He pointed toward the sky. “It’ll get dark soon, so we need to wrap it up for the day.” He focused behind her. “Dad! Are we heading to your place for pizza?”

“Yup.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll order a bunch of pies, and we can all eat at our place since we have power.”

Everleigh’s eyes met Cade’s. “Sound okay?”

“Sure.” He examined his clothes. “I just need to get cleaned up first.”

An hour later, Cade nosed his truck into the driveway at her parents’ house and parked behind Landon’s and Roger’s pickups. He killed the engine and angled his body toward Everleigh. “This is where you grew up? At Endless Summer?”

“Didn’t your parents name your childhood home?”

“Nope. It’s just a plain ol’ nameless house.” He gave her a dramatic frown. “My folks are not nearly as cool as yours.”

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