Page 47 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

Cade nosed his pickup truck into the garage, and Everleigh parked behind him. He climbed out of the truck and walked over to her SUV as she got out. “Youlost the bet.”

Her expression was playful. “Who said we were betting?”

“You said you didn’t believe I’d show up, which means I won.” He pointed to himself.

Her grin was coy and adorable. “Actually,Iwon because I convinced you to go. It was more of a dare than a bet.”

He had to admit she had a point. “Fine. You won.”

Seemingly satisfied with that, she hefted her giant tote bag onto her shoulder. “I’ll get changed and then give the Sunrise Suite a once-over before the Newtons get here.” She started toward the inn. “I’ll leave the beach chair in my trunk in case I need it again,” she called over her shoulder.

“Hold up.” He started after her. “Why didn’t you swim?”

She stopped in her tracks but turned toward him. “I don’t swim in the ocean.” Her fingers moved over the stitching on her tote bag strap, and her expression was suddenly solemn. This wasn’t an emotion he was used to seeing on her face.

“Did something happen?” he asked gently.

“I...” She swallowed. “I don’t like to talk about it.”

He held his hands up. “Didn’t mean to overstep.”

She nodded, started toward the house again, and then stopped. She seemed to be working through something in her mind. Thenshe pulled in a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling before she faced him.

He took in the pain in her eyes and braced himself for her words.

“When I was ten,” she began, “I almost drowned.”

His eyes widened, and he closed the distance between them. Her scent wafted over him—cocoa butter combined with something sweet—and he basked in it.

Her dark eyes glistened. “I normally don’t talk about it, but since you asked... I feel safe sharing it with you.”

He was so honored that she trusted him with something so personal. A lock of her hair cascaded down from her messy bun and floated over her cheek. Without thinking, he pushed it behind her ear. “What happened?”

“I... I was almost swept out to sea in a riptide.”

“Everleigh,” he breathed. “How scary that must have been.”

She looked past him as if gathering her words. “I was swimming with my brother and a couple of his friends, but I remember going under.” She sniffed. “I panicked all of a sudden and couldn’t breathe.”

Her gorgeous eyes met his again, and tears leaked down her cheeks. His chest constricted as he took in her fear and anxiety. He brushed the tears away with the tip of his finger, and he was almost certain that she shivered at his touch. Surely she was only reacting to the horrible memory.

“Everything went black.” She gripped the strap on her bag. “When I woke up, my mom was screaming and crying. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the terror in her voice. The memory is so vivid, like it just happened yesterday.”

Unable to stop himself, he took her hand in his, and she held on.

“A couple of lifeguards were standing over me.” Her voice trembled. “I remember choking and coughing up water. It was in my lungs, and they had to do CPR.”

He couldn’t imagine the depth of her fear. She had been so young. And her family must have thought they’d lost her. He ached for her and for them. “You must have been terrified.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, her voice reedy. “I spent a few days in the hospital, and my mom stayed with me every second. But ever since then, I’ve stayed away from the water.” She sniffed and then laughed. “I guess you think I’m a big chicken, huh? It happened so long ago, but I still can’t bring myself to even put a toe in.”

He shook his head, and he was silent for a moment. But an idea gripped him. “Would you want to go in with me?”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“We could go back in the water together,” he suggested. “Maybe I could help you overcome your fear—if you want to, I mean.”

She released his hand and shook her head. “I don’t think...” Her words trailed off, and she wiped her eyes.

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