Page 128 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

More silence.

“Why?” she asked.

He blew out a frustrated breath. Oh, this woman drove him crazy! “Let me know where you are, and I’ll meet you.” He crossed to his truck and leaned on the hood.

“Tell me why, Cade,” she insisted.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Go ahead and say what you need to say,” she said. “I can listen and drive.”

He moved his fingers over the cool metal hood. “I need to talk to you in person.”

More silence was punctuated with the buzzing road noise. He closed his eyes and held back a groan. Why did she have to make everything so difficult?

“Everleigh,” he began, his voice vibrating, “pleasetell me where you are. I will come to wherever you are.” After a beat, he added, “Stop being so stubborn.”

“I’m not being stubborn. I’m just being honest, Cade,” she said, her words sounding throaty. “We said everything we needed to say when we signed the offer on the inn. Our partnership is over.” She paused for a moment. “It’s time to move on.”

Oh, he wasn’t giving up that easily. There was a reason his parents called him stubborn. “No, it’snottime to move on,” he said, retrieving his keys from the workbench.

“What are you talking about?”

“I found Alana’s letter.” He touched his back pocket, where he’d stowed the handwritten pages.

Another beat of silence. “That was private.”

“Really?” he snapped. “Then why did you leave it in your bedroom for me to find?”

“I didn’t—I mean, I shouldn’t have,” she stammered. “You had no right to read that.”

“You think so?” he asked, challenging her. “Then let’s talk about thisin person.” He rested his free hand on his forehead. “Now tell me, Everleigh,whereare you?”

She remained silent.

It was time to try another approach. “Everleigh, I’m begging you to tell me where you are. We need to talk.” He took a deep breath. “Please.”

“Fine.” She sounded tenuous. “I’m on I-95 South.” She told him which exit she was near, and he recalled the area in his mind.

A smile overtook his lips. He’d taken that interstate so many times he could almost draw a map from memory. “I know exactly where that is. There’s a rest area coming up in a mile or two. If you’ll pull over there and wait for me, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay.” Then she disconnected the call.

With his pulse galloping, he spooned food into Bryant’s garage bowl and gave him a quick pet. “I’m going to get Everleigh and bring her home, buddy. Wish me luck.”

He picked up the project he’d been working on and loaded it onto the passenger seat. Then he hopped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. His hands quavered as he steered out of the garage.

He was going after the love of his life and didn’t have a moment to lose.

***

I’m standing by your Blazer.

Everleigh stared down at the text message from Cade, and her pulse picked up speed. For the past hour and a half, she’d tried to stay busy. She’d walked around the grassy picnic area at least twenty times.

She’d paced by the vending machines until she was certain the security guard considered her suspicious—or at least a bit off her rocker. She purchased snacks and ate them and then bought more snacks and ate those too. She drank three diet sodas and was so hyped up on caffeine that she’d bitten her already short nails down to the quicks. But she couldn’t blame her nutty behavior on the caffeine. No, it was her anticipation and confusion about why Cade was coming after her.

What did he want from her? And why had he found and read her letter from Alana? She groaned. She should have secured the letter in her pocket after reading it, but she’d been so distraught that she must have dropped it.

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