Page 85 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

Everleigh’s life was falling apart. And her heart was torn to shreds just like the wreckage before her.

Soon her tears mixed with the pouring rain, drenching every part of her.

***

Cade sat up with a start. “That sounded close,” he mumbled. Through the dark he could see the silhouette of his cat sitting like a statue at the foot of his bed, ears raised on high alert.

He crossed to the window, pushed back the shade, and spotted nearly half the oak tree lying in the sunroom.

Wait. What?

He blinked and rubbed his eyes, but the scene in front of him didn’t change. Panic clawed at his chest, and adrenaline raced through his veins.

The sunroom was on the other side of the wall from Everleigh’s suite! What if she was hurt... or worse? He couldn’t bear the thought.

“Everleigh!” he hollered.

He dashed through his apartment, down the stairs, out the door, and down the path toward the back of the inn. He disregarded the rocks biting into his bare feet as the wind gusted around him and rain soaked through his hair, T-shirt, and shorts.

He spotted the outline of a person hunched on the ground, and when he recognized Everleigh’s red hair, he picked up speed. What on earth was she doing outside in the storm?

“Everleigh!” He screamed her name over and over, but his voice was lost in the sound of the howling wind.

When he reached her, he took hold of her and tried to pull her to her feet. “Everleigh! Come on!”

She remained on her knees, pushing him away.

“Come on!” he yelled before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her to her feet. “We need to go! You’re not safe here!”

When she seemed unwilling to take a step, he had no choice but to hoist her up in his arms. As he strode toward safety, another crack rang out. Cade held her tight against himself and continued to run.

Boom!

Two more large branches crashed through the sunroom, flattening the structure as if it had been built with Popsicle sticks. Another branch landed just feet from where they stood.

If they hadn’t moved...

Dismissing the terrifying thought, Cade raced toward his apartment. Everleigh clung to him until they reached the door, which he managed to wrench open. Once inside, he gently released her and set her on her feet. “Go,” he said, nudging her toward the stairs.

She wiped her feet on the doormat and then trudged up the steps while he closed and locked the door behind them. He hit the light switch at the bottom of the stairs, but the stairwell remained dark. “Great,” he grumbled.

Adrenaline continued to plunge through him as he jogged up the stairs and into the tiny laundry room. With the help of the flashlight app on his cell phone, he found two old Coleman lanterns he had used for camping years ago.

Please work!He flipped the switches, and they lit up the room with a soft yellow glow.

He carried them to the den, where Everleigh stood in the middle of the room, hugging her arms against her drenched gray T-shirt. In the dim glow of the lamplight, he could see that the shirt read “Sleep All Day. Nurse All Night.”

Cute.

He set a lantern on the counter, grabbed a beach towel from the hall closet, and wrapped it around her shoulders. She held it against her body and shivered.

“Want some dry clothes?” he offered.

Her teeth chattered as she nodded.

What on earth did he own that might fit her narrow frame?

“Come on,” he said.

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