Page 37 of Second Chance at Sunshine Inn

She nodded, and her expression warmed. “I believe she wanted you to have the same opportunity to follow your own dream.”

He let her words settle over him while they continued working. What if Everleigh was right about that? What dream would he follow?

Still, it didn’t make sense when Alana loved the inn so much. He couldn’t imagine her wanting them to let go of it.

A few more moments ticked by while he lined up the new cans of peaches in the pantry. “Heard from any other Realtors?” he finally asked.

“No.” She faced him. “What about reservations?”

“The Newtons arrive tomorrow.”

“The Newtons?” Her face lit up. “Mrs. Newton always brings her homemade jam. Alana loved the apple jam the best and put it on her toast every morning.”

He leaned on the island.

“I haven’t seen them in years though.” She snapped her fingers. “Have you met the Olsens?”

“The couple with the toy poodles?”

“Yes!” She giggled. “Alana always said no pets until she met them. She loved having those little poodles running around.”

“Except when they had accidents in the foyer.”

“Oh, yuck. I guess you had to clean it up?”

“Only after stepping in the puddle.”

“Ugh. No!”

He nodded, and she giggled again. For some ridiculous reason, he liked the sound.

Her eyes lit up again. “Oh! You know what I was just thinking of? How she’d say the same thing to the guests every morning.”

“‘It’s going to be a great day at the inn. Go out and enjoy some sunshine,’” they recited at the same time, making them both smile.

Her eyes glistened as she sighed and leaned on the island across from him. “I miss her.”

“I do too,” he whispered, his voice sounding rough.

Their gazes held, and a strange emotion unfurled inside him. For the first time, he felt a connection to Everleigh, something real and palpable.

Even so, they’d been at odds since they met. How could they ever come together?

Everleigh pushed herself up from the island and wiped her eyes. Then her trademark brilliant smile reappeared. “After we finishputting away these groceries, I’ll go freshen up the Sunrise Suite. That’s the one the Newtons requested, right?”

He cleared his throat. “As always,” he told her.

She turned her back to him and slipped a loaf of bread in the breadbox. “Would you mind making breakfast while they’re here?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I don’t think they’ll want burned toast,” he teased her. “So, yeah, of course.”

She spun to face him. “Had I known guests were coming, I could have picked up something special for you to make. You should have texted me and told me.”

“I don’t have your number.”

“Oh! Let’s fix that right now.” She pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jean shorts, and Cade rattled off his cell number. She hit a few buttons on her phone before his phone dinged with a text.

“Now you’ve got my info, and I have yours, partner.” She beamed at him. “Let me know if you need me to go back to the store for you.”

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