Page 11 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

Cade swallowed the last sip from his cup of weak coffee. The pastor had done a good job of highlighting how special Alana had been and everything she’d done for the community. But Cade was done with the tears, sad looks, and expressions of condolence. He was itching to get back to the solitude of the inn as soon as possible, so he could spend the afternoon tinkering with his motorcycle.

He was grateful his best friend, Roger, had offered to come withhim today. It was a relief to have his buddy to help deflect some of the idle conversation with people who’d barely known Alana.

“You just never know,” Mom continued. “Right, Ben?”

Dad massaged her shoulder. “That’s right. But we should get going, Trisha.” He nodded at Cade and Roger. “Take care.”

“See ya, Dad,” Cade said before hugging Mom.

Cade tossed his empty cup into a nearby trash can and then turned toward the end of the hallway, where Everleigh stood with a short woman who was vaguely familiar. He was almost certain he’d seen her at the library. The woman spoke animatedly, waving her arms around, and Everleigh’s dark eyes sparkled as she listened.

He’d witnessed a different scene earlier involving a woman he recognized from Alana’s multiple photos of the Hartnett family. It seemed Everleigh and her older sister, whose name escaped him—Harper? Hope? Hallie?—were having a bit of a tiff. After her sister had stomped away from her, Everleigh had nearly collapsed against the wall. When she saw Cade, she’d looked like she was trying to recover—but he could tell it was all for show. For a moment, he wondered what had gone on between the sisters. But it was none of his business.

“So the redhead’s your new business partner, huh?” Roger commented.

Cade nodded.

“She’s pretty.” Roger lifted his eyebrows.

Cade shrugged. He’d noticed that her black dress made the most of her slim figure and long legs. But he wasn’t interested. He was done with love and relationships and all of that garbage.

“What do you know about her?” Roger asked.

“She’s a traveling nurse.”

“Will she be an easy business partner?”

“Hopefully a silent one.” He pulled on his cuffs to straighten his suit jacket. “But I need to talk to her to find out.”

When Cade started toward her, Roger grinned and followed. “I’ll join you. Her friend is cute too.”

Cade squelched the urge to roll his eyes. Roger was always ready to flirt with an attractive woman, but he had yet to find a lasting relationship. Cade approached Everleigh, and when her eyes met his, she stood up straight and brushed her hands down her dress. Her smile was bright.

“Cade, hi.” She turned to her friend. “Quinn Evans, this is Cade Witherspoon, and...”

“Roger Hale.” Roger held his hand out to her, and Everleigh shook it before he also shook Quinn’s.

Cade focused all of his attention on Everleigh.

“It was a nice service, right?” Everleigh clasped her hands in front of her.

He was so tired of small talk. He folded his arms over his chest.

They stared at each other, and an awkward moment ticked by.

“We need some time to talk about the inn,” he finally said. He had to get this conversation going.

“Oh, yes.” She nodded with enthusiasm. “Also, my mom and I have to go through Alana’s things. How about Monday?”

“Sure.”

“All right then. I’ll see you Monday.” Her smile seemed to shine even brighter, if that was humanly possible. Then she waved at Roger. “Nice to meet you.”

Cade and Roger headed for the exit, and Roger patted Cade’s shoulder. “Keep me posted on how your first meeting with your hot new partner goes.”

This time, Cade couldn’t have stopped the eye roll if he’d tried.

Chapter 4

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