Page 96 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

He peered over to where Landon, Amber, and the other firefighters had started picking up debris. Landon said something to Everleigh, and she smacked his arm while he laughed. He took in their comradery, and his heart twisted. He’d missed out on so much with Declan. If they had grown up together, they could’ve been buddies. And his mother was standing in the way of them coming together as a family now. It didn’t make any sense.

His eyes darted to his father’s again. “I don’t understand why Mom doesn’t want Declan in her life.”

Dad nodded. “It’s complicated.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“But one thing isn’t complicated, Cade. Your mom loves you.”

Anger shot through him. “What about Declan? Sheabandonedhim, Dad, and now she refuses to even acknowledge him. Think about how that makes him feel.”

“It’s not that simple.” Dad’s tone remained even.

“Don’t you feel betrayed, Dad?” he demanded. “That she never told us about him?”

Dad considered that for a moment. “I feel bad that she didn’t trust me with the truth, but I don’t feel betrayed. It was her burden, her secret. Not mine.”

Cade’s posture stiffened. How could Dad always remain so calm, no matter the circumstance? He couldn’t remember one time when his father had lost his cool, not even when Cade wrecked their sedan when he was sixteen, a week after he’d gotten his driver’s license.

And at this moment, he yearned for his father to lose his temper—to feel for himself all the confusing emotions that Cade had swirling around in his chest.

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago,” Cade said, his voice trembling. “Don’t you think it’s time she accepted him into her life? He’s a part of her, which means he’sourfamily.” He pointed to himself. “He’smybrother andherson.”

Dad’s expression remained serene. “I know. I’ve been working on getting through to her.”

“You have?” Hope lit in his chest.

Dad nodded. “We just need to give her time.”

Cade watched while Landon looped his arm around Everleigh’s shoulders. “I’ve always wanted a brother. I’ve been texting Declan, but I want him to be a part of our family. I want to invite him to join us for the holidays, but I feel like I can’t do that without Mom’s blessing.” He kicked a small branch with the toe of his work boot.“I don’t know how to handle this. So I haven’t mentioned Mom to him since the disaster at the festival.”

Dad stood beside him. “Give yourself time too.”

Cade shook himself. He had work to do, and standing around talking about the unsolvable problems with his mother and brother weren’t going to accomplish anything. “I guess we’d better get back to work.”

Dad smiled. “Yes, we should, son.”

***

“I’m just so glad you’re okay,” Quinn told Everleigh while they gathered bottles of water from the pantry at the inn. She’d hastened over as soon as her shift ended at the library that afternoon. “If that tree had fallen a few feet in the other direction...”

Cade’s voice from last night echoed in her mind:

“When I looked out the window and saw the tree had crashed through the roof, I was terrified something had happened to you.”

She could hear the hitch in his breath, and it sent a swell of heat rushing through her. She picked up the pack of water. She and Cade hadn’t spoken except in passing since they’d had words about Trevor this morning. Trevor had responded that he was tied up with a project but would check in soon. She was grateful he hadn’t shown up today since he tended to cause so much friction between her and Cade, and especially since they didn’t even really need his help. After all, her family had come through, along with Amber, a few of Amber’s coworkers, Quinn, and Roger. They had plenty of assistance, and they had already made a dent in the cleanup, although it would take at least another day or two to clear out the tree debris. The demolished sunroom, however, would take even longer.

“I’m glad only the sunroom was damaged,” Quinn continued. “You must have been so scared when the tree fell.”

Everleigh smiled. “Cade took good care of me last night.” She explained how he had carried her in from the storm and how she’d slept in his room. “We’re grateful to everyone who came to help today.”

“I got off work as soon as I could. I heard that a few other places in Coral Cove got hit hard, too, but power should be restored soon.”

Everleigh tried the light switch, but the kitchen remained dark. “Hopefully tomorrow. At least the weather isn’t too hot or too cold. I’ll be all right without heating or air.”

“And Roger’s company can rebuild the sunroom after you get the check from the insurance company.”

Everleigh pointed to the stools at the island. “Sit for a minute?”

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