Page 107 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

“Excuse me?” she squeaked. “Who told you I brought home loser boyfriends in high school and college?” Then she recalled seeing him sitting with her brother earlier in the evening. “Was it Landon?”

“This is a prime piece of real estate, and some people will do anything for a deal,” he continued, ignoring her question. “They’ll take advantage of you to get what they want.”

Her hands began to quiver while hurt thrummed through her. “Now I know what you really think of me.” She gestured widely. “You believe I attract losers who use me. And you think I can’t make good business decisions.” Her voice was thick. “You also think I’m naïve, which you’ve made clear more than once. I bet you’re pretty upset Alana didn’t leave the inn to only you.” She sniffed. “Oh, that’s right. You already admitted that to me the night of the storm. You think I’ll run this place into the ground just like your partner did when you lost your restaurant.”

His lips thinned. “I didn’t say that.”

“But you’re thinking it.” She shook her finger at him. “How about this, Cade? Let’s go back to our original plan the day I interfered in your family drama.” She pointed to the garage. “You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours. Sound good to you? It sure sounds fantastic to me.”

He looked stricken. “Everleigh, I didn’t—”

“No.” She shook her head. “I know how you feel about me.” She rubbed her stinging eyes. “I’m nothing but a pain to you. An annoying little sister, right? Just like how Harlowe feels about me.”

“No, Everleigh,” he began, his expression grave. “I never—”

“It’s okay. Really.” Her words vibrated with her grief. “Once the sunroom is rebuilt, I’ll get the inn back up on the web. Maybe it will sell before Thanksgiving, but no matter what, I’ll be out of your life by December because it’s obviously time for me to leave. Deal?” Her voice broke.

He studied her. “Is that what you want?”

No!She paused for a beat. But then she nodded. She couldn’t tell him the truth—admit that she cared about him—and let him hurt her more than he already had.

“You sure?”

“Positive,” she whispered, the word sounding strained.

He hesitated for a moment, and her heart pounded in her ears.

“Fine,” he muttered before he started for the garage, Bryant trotting at his heels.

As Everleigh watched him go, her tears broke free and raced down her face. Not only had she been kidding herself thinking she and Cade could be friends, but she’d also been stupid enough to think he respected her—maybe even loved her and wanted her to stay. But it turned out she’d been wrong about everything.

Everything.

And now it was time to wrap things up in Coral Cove. She needed to sell the inn, get back on the road, and put Cade Witherspoon behind her.

***

Dad gave a low whistle as he stepped into the sunroom. “This is better than the first sunroom.” He scanned the light-yellow walls, recessed lighting, ceiling fans, and slate flooring. “You’ve been busy.”

“You could say that,” Cade quipped. It was Wednesday afternoon, and “busy” didn’t seem to do the work justice. Cade felt as if he,Roger, and Roger’s crew had been working nonstop for days on end to finish it.

“Looks like you’re done,” Dad said.

Cade plowed his hand through his hair. “We just have to hang the blinds.” He pointed toward the large windows. “Roger went to pick them up. He got a great deal with one of the vendors he always uses.”

“Where’s Everleigh?” Dad asked.

“At the store with Quinn looking for furniture.” Cade rubbed his knuckles over his sternum and looked out toward the bay just as Bryant trotted by as if on his way to take care of something important. His stomach sank as he considered how strained things had been between him and Everleigh since their argument a week and a half ago.

“Everything all right?”

Cade turned toward his father’s concerned expression. “Why?”

“You seem anxious.” Dad gave him a knowing look. “I can read your moods, son.”

Cade nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He cleared his throat. “Things have been tense around here.”

“I can understand that. You’ve had a lot of stress with the aftermath of the storm.” Embarrassment flashed over his face. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much to help. That job over in Wilmington turned out to be more than we anticipated.”

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