Page 36 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

“Huh.” She nodded. “Interesting.”

The line advanced, and a woman with a toddler sitting in the seat of her cart began loading her groceries onto the conveyor.

Once the woman’s items slid forward, Everleigh began loading her groceries. She dropped a can of peaches, which rolled toward the stranger.

He picked it up and handed it to her. “So, what’s there to do around here?”

“Let’s see. There’s the beach, the boardwalk, plenty of stores, lots of restaurants. And if you don’t mind a little drive, we have an amusement park and some museums not too far away.”

“If you’re ever free,” he began, “we could check out some of those places together.”

He seemed nice enough, and she was flattered, but she just wasn’t interested. “Thank you, but I’m not dating right now.” When he appeared disappointed, she added, “I don’t plan to be in town long.”

“That’s a shame. What do you do?”

“I’m a traveling nurse,” she said.

“Really?”

“I’m in town to take care of some family business, but I’ll be back on the road before the end of the year.”

He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it to her.

She read it aloud: “‘Trevor Whalen Handyman Services—painting, home improvements, lawn maintenance.’” Then she met his eager expression.

“Give me a call if you change your mind.”

“Will do, Trevor.”

“And what’s your name?”

“Everleigh.”

“Nice to meet you, Everleigh.” He held out his hand, and she shook it.

She told Trevor goodbye before paying for her groceries and toting them out to her SUV.

***

Cade stopped weeding the front flowerbed when Everleigh’s blue Trailblazer rumbled down the driveway. He pulled off his gloves and met her at the back of her SUV.

“Hi.” Her smile was bright as she opened the tailgate.

He nodded toward the bags of groceries. “Need some help?”

She thanked him for offering, and they worked together to lug the bags into the kitchen and deposit them on the island. When she saw the vase of red roses, she gave him a shocked expression.

“Who sent those?” she asked.

“Check out the note,” he said.

Her happy expression dimmed as she read aloud, “‘Hope you’ll reconsider. Coral Cove Builders has offered to install benches in memory of your grandmother, along with a garden in her name.’” She scowled. “I said Alana was mygodmother, not mygrandmother. Valerie can’t even get that right!” She tossed the card into the trash and smelled the flowers before she started unpacking the groceries.

“If you’re so worried about Alana’s memory, then why do you want to sell?” he asked, setting the milk in the refrigerator.

“Alana is my guardian angel,” she said. “She gave me half the inn to make the nonprofit a reality.”

He stilled. “Your guardian angel?”

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