Page 87 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

He opened the door and found her perched on the corner of his bed, stroking Bryant’s chin. The cat lounged on his back with his eyes closed, eating up the attention.

And Everleigh was gorgeous in his clothes. The shorts showed off her long legs, and the shirt hung perfectly over her. For a moment he got lost in the yearning swirling inside him while he drank in the scene.

Focus, Cade!

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Keeping her attention glued to the cat, she shook her head.

“Want to come out to the den?”

She hesitated for a moment. When she finally nodded, his worry morphed into irritation.Talk to me!

The past five days had been pure torture without their daily conversations. Though Cade was a much better chef than mechanic, he’d agreed to help Roger work on his sister’s car, if only to get away from the inn. Handing Roger tools and watching car repair videos sounded better than hanging around after Everleigh told him they couldn’t even be friends. Aside from that, he hadn’t heard from his mother or his brother. The combined stress was slowly eating away at him.

At the same time, being away from the inn wasn’t any fun either. The only thing Cade had figured out during the past five days was that he missed Everleigh, and he regretted yelling at her. And now that she sat on his bed petting his cat, he wanted nothing more than to talk to her, reconnect with her, bring her back into his life.

Although holding her against him like he had out in the rain was another enticing option.

Stop it, Cade. Concentrate on getting her to talk to you.

When she didn’t move, he took that as his clue to leave her and Bryant alone. He returned to the kitchen and stared at the kettle. Why did boiling water always take forever? One of his grandmother’s favorite sayings echoed in his mind:A watched pot never boils.

“You were right, Grandma,” he whispered to himself.

He located two mugs and two tea bags. When a powerful gust of wind shook the windows, Cade braced himself for another loudcrackfollowed by aboom.

Instead, he heard soft footsteps, and he turned just as Everleigh climbed onto the corner of the sofa, folding her long legs under herself. She grabbed a blanket from behind her and wrapped it around her body. Bryant hopped up next to her before resting his chin on her lap. She murmured softly to him, and Cade smiled.

Cade joined her, sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa from Everleigh, who continued to pet the cat. He was sure she was avoiding his eyes, and he racked his brain for something to say. Coming up empty, he settled back on the arm of the sofa and waited for her to speak as the storm continued to roar outside.

A sniff sounded, and Everleigh covered her face while she cried.

His lungs constricted, and he shifted toward her. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re safe. We’ll get the damage to the inn fixed.”

“It-it’s not that,” she managed to say between sobs.

“Okay...” He inched closer to her. “What is it?”

She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “It’s everything.” Another sob burst from her, and she collapsed forward, bending at her waist and shielding her face with her hands.

“Everleigh,” he said softly. “Come here.”

She leaned toward him, and he took her into his arms. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. He rubbed her back and breathed in her scent: something flowery—possibly shampoo?—mixed with vanilla and something sweet. He closed his eyes as every one of his nerve endings was set aflame. Holding her close felt like heaven.

He rested his cheek on her head. “When I looked out the window and saw the tree had crashed through the roof, I was terrified something had happened to you.” He heard the catch in his voice.

She snuggled closer against him.

A wave of relief flitted through him. If she was comfortable enough to let him hold her, then maybe she hadn’t given up on him. If only she’d talk to him! After several moments, he couldn’t take it any longer.

“Please say something,” he pleaded with her. “I can’t stand the distance between us.”

Bryant hopped down from the sofa and sauntered into Cade’s bedroom, clearly bored with the conversation.

Everleigh cleared her throat. “I miss Alana so much.” Her voice was raspy. “And I’m so hurt she didn’t tell me she was sick.”

He could hear and feel her anguish, and grief swamped him. Unable to speak, he nodded.

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