Page 35 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

“Not sure yet.”

“Don’t say you’re going to move away again.”

He felt a twinge of guilt. He could still hear the sound of her sobs the day he’d left for boot camp. “I’m... considering options.”

Dad chuckled. “If you get what the place is worth, I imagine you’ll have plenty.”

Cade opened the listing on social media and stared at the asking price. Sure, it was a big chunk of change, but he’d give up the money to keep his promise to Alana. “We’ll see what happens,” he finally said. “Besides, we each have veto power, and I don’t want to sell. I’m not planning on agreeing to any offer.”

“What a relief!” Mom exclaimed.

“Keep us posted,” Dad added.

“And don’t be a stranger,” Mom instructed. “Stop by sometime.”

“I will. Good night.” He disconnected from the call and set his phone down. For a moment, he considered what he would do with his half of the sale if he did agree to sell the inn. One idea that had crossed his mind was that he might be able to help his parents. They had struggled financially over the years, so paying off his parents’ debts and maybe investing in Mom’s store would mean a great deal to his family.

But at the same time, he couldn’t imagine discarding Alana’s dream. The idea sat like a rock in the pit of his stomach. If only he could convince Everleigh to feel that way too.

***

Everleigh pushed her grocery cart down the aisle on Friday afternoon and stared at her shopping list on her phone. She reviewed the items in her mind—milk, eggs, cereal...

Crash!

She looked up to see that she had collided with another cart at the end of the aisle.

The owner of the cart, a man who appeared to be around her age, met her gaze. At the eye contact, heat began climbing up her neck.

She groaned. “I’m so sorry! I was staring at my phone and not paying attention.”

To her surprise, he propped his elbows on the cart’s handle. He was attractive with a square jaw and shaggy, dark hair that hung over his forehead and dark eyes. He wore a tight-fitting T-shirt featuring the logo for a local gym, and he was stocky, possibly only a few inches taller than she was. “No problem. Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” She chuckled and pretended to examine her arms. “No bumps or bruises. You?”

“Fine.” His smile was wide, showing off pearly-white, straight teeth.

“Good news.” She nodded. “Anyway, sorry again. Have a good day.”

She zipped through the aisles, careful not to hit any other carts, then took her place in the checkout line. She read the covers of gossip magazines while she waited for her turn to pay.

“Have you ever been to Tokyo Treasures?”

Everleigh turned around and smiled at the man she’d collided with earlier. He was standing in line right behind her. “No, I haven’t,” she said. “Is that a restaurant?”

“Sure is. Do you like Japanese hibachi?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“I heard it just opened a couple of months ago, and that the name fits.” He seemed to study her. “Would you like to check it out with me sometime?”

She paused for a beat. Was this guy actually asking her out? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date. “Uh, well, umm...” she stammered.

“Sorry!” He held his hands up. “I didn’t mean to be creepy. I just moved here from Florida.”

She rested against the handle of her cart. “Well then, welcome to Coral Cove. I’m sure the beaches are much more impressive in Florida.”

“More crowded, definitely. But more impressive, not so much.”

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