Page 34 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

They shared a look, and for a moment he relished being on the same side as her.

Cade pulled the business card from his back pocket and consulted it. “She’ll be back. She doesn’t seem like the type who takes no for an answer.” He nodded toward the gleaming SUV as it retreated down the driveway. “It takes a lot of yeses to afford a car like that.”

“True,” Everleigh said. “But we can handle her.”

“She might just come back and say she has a different buyer who plans to keep the place as is. Then they’ll turn around and build those luxury condos anyway.”

“You think so?” she asked, looking surprised.

“You’re too gullible, Everleigh.”

Her smile wobbled. “I am not.”

Cade snorted and then headed back to the lawn tractor. They had fought off one Realtor, but he had a sinking feeling that the game had only begun. Though he doubted it was possible, he just hoped he and Everleigh could somehow stay a united front—at least until she gave up on selling the inn.

***

Later that night Cade checked his email and found a reservation request from one of their regulars. The Newtons, an older couple from Upstate New York, had been coming to Coral Cove since the nineties, Alana had told him. According to their booking, they planned to arrive on Saturday and leave the following Saturday.

“Absolutely,” he whispered, approving their reservation. If only more would come through soon.

Bryant hopped up onto the sofa and began kneading the throw blanket beside him.

Cade gave the cat’s head a scratch before toggling back to his email. His eyes focused on a message from Declan Hewitt with the subject line: “Important.”

“Looks like a scam,” he muttered, but when his curiosity overtook him, he clicked on it anyway. He read the first couple of lines of the message:

Dear Cade,

I know this sounds crazy, but I think we might be...

“No thanks,” he muttered, deleting the message. “Hopefully I didn’t just invite a virus onto my laptop.”

He sank farther into the sofa and yawned as he scrolled through social media, stopping every once in a while to watch a motorcycle video. As he considered the day, he recalled how impressed he’d been with the way Everleigh handled the Realtor. She had stood her ground without being rude, and he admired her tenacity.

But he still didn’t trust her. He had stopped giving people the benefit of the doubt when Serena and Clark double-crossed him. When it came to personal relationships, he was better off alone. At leastheknew his own intentions. Everyone else was a mystery.

He yawned again and stroked Bryant’s back. The cat purred andburied his head in the fold of the blanket. “You got the right idea, buddy. It’s bedtime.”

The phone buzzed with a call, and he saw his mom’s number on the screen. “Hey, Mom,” he said when he answered.

“Cade!” she exclaimed. “Is it true that you’re selling the inn?”

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Itistrue?” Dad asked in the background.

He winced. “I meant to, but I’ve been busy.”

“Hang on,” she said. “Let me put you on speaker.” He heard a lot of rustling from the other end as his mom figured out the phone buttons. “Okay. Now—why are you selling it?”

“We thought you loved that place,” Dad said.

“I do.” He let his head fall against the back of the sofa. “But it’s complicated.” He explained his initial reluctance and the agreement he’d reached with Everleigh. Then he told them about the Realtor who had stopped by today. “Truth be told, I’m hoping it doesn’t sell.”

“What will you do if itdoes?” Mom asked.

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