Page 69 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

She groaned. “Don’t say it, Cade. He’s not my boyfriend.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Right.” She chuckled and then reached over to pat his hand. “Trevor is no one to worry about. You, on the other hand?” She let out a long sigh. “I hope you won’t give up on your mom, Cade. You can change her heart.”

“There you go again, making it all sound so easy. You really wear rose-colored glasses.”

“Maybe it’s time you tried on a pair.” She smiled and stood. “Can I make you a late lunch? I promise I won’t set off the smoke detectors.”

“No thanks. There’s some leftover quiche I can eat—unless you ate it all.”

“There’s still some left, but Idideat the last yogurt parfait.” She headed toward the door and then stopped. “You really are a talented chef, you know.”

He sighed as he watched her leave. His life was a mess, no matter what she said. But after talking to her, he sure felt a lot better.

Chapter 17

On Thursday, Everleigh walked down the path leading to the garage. It was midmorning and she found Cade crouching next to his motorcycle and running a rag over it, shining the engine and the wheels. She rested her hands on her hips. He’d hardly said more than four words to her since their conversation, only making small talk with the guests while they served breakfast. Their friendship seemed to have taken ten steps backward, and once again, she had absolutely no clue as to why.

Cade had become important to her, and she couldn’t stand to see him hurting. She had searched her mind for a way to cheer him up, and after cleaning up the breakfast dishes, an idea had finally come to her.

“All right, Cade Witherspoon,” she began. “You’ve moped around here long enough. Today, you’re coming with me.”

He stood up to his full height. “I know you’re not attempting to order me around.” His eyes sparkled.

“I sure am. Now, come on.” She waved him toward her. “Let’s go, partner.”

“Where are we going?”

“I need to get another coloring book, and you’re going to drive me to Beach Reads.”

“Coloring book?” His eyebrows drew together. “You like tocolor?”

“It relaxes me after a long shift in the NICU.” She rested her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with that?”

“You really want me to answer that honestly?” His lips quirked, and for a moment, she couldn’t take her eyes off them.

Then she shook herself. “Come on, Cade! Time’s a wastin’! Let’s go.”

“Just hold on there a minute, red.” He held up two fingers. “I have two conditions before I agree to this trip to town.”

“Really, Cade? More conditions?” she whined.

“Yup.” He propped his back against the bed of his pickup truck. “First, we take my bike.” He pointed to the motorcycle. “And second, you put on your bathing suit.”

A chill cascaded over her despite the warm October morning, and she stilled, her lips pressing into a flat line.

“What do you have against my bike?” he demanded, but his tone held a note of teasing.

“Nothing.” She paused. “But I’m not going to swim.” She pointed to the sky. “Besides, who swims in October?” She tried to laugh, but it came out as a squeak.

“You’re a local. Surely you’ve been to the beach this time of year. The water temperature is probably in the mid-seventies.”

She knew he was right, but she didn’t respond.

His eyes seemed to assess her, and another chill gripped her, a different kind. “Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice low and warm.

She hesitated but then nodded. “For some silly reason, yes. I do.”

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