“Did you ever make omelets at Sully’s?”

He nodded and swallowed a bite of bacon. “We had breakfast on weekends, and it was pretty popular.”

“What else did you offer for breakfast?”

He considered the question for a moment. “The basics mostly—waffles, eggs, different kinds of toast, pancakes, bacon, and sausage.”

She took in the excitement dancing in his eyes while he talked about his restaurant, the happiness reverberating in his deep voice as he shared more about the menu and his favorite dishes.

“Tell me about the menu you were working on before Alana passed away,” she said.

He stilled, something like dismay flashing over his handsome features.

“You said you and Alana were talking about taking the B&B to the next level,” she explained. “And you mentioned a menu. Remember?”

“I know what you’re talking about, Everleigh. I’m just surprised you want to hear about it.”

She smiled. “I want to know everything.”

“Okay.” He crossed to the den, opened a drawer in the entertainment center, and returned with a stack of papers and pushed them toward her.

She perused the potential menu, finding pages for appetizers, main courses, and desserts, with everything from salads to burgers to cakes. “This sounds phenomenal.”

“We discussed hosting dinners for our guests but then opening it up to the public, if only just for special occasions like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.” His eyes sparkled.

“I’m sure it would be popular. Where would you seat everyone?”

He pointed toward the windows. “We talked about erecting some sort of structure that would take advantage of the bay view. Something like a permanent tent or gazebo.” He made a face. “A gazebo would be too small, but you know what I mean. Maybe a pavilion. We’d make use of the good weather.”

Everleigh studied the mouthwatering menu. Why hadn’t Alana told her about this? She met his eager eyes again. “You and Alana couldn’t have handled the cooking and serving alone.”

“Right.” He nodded. “I would’ve definitely needed help in the kitchen, and help with service too.”

She flipped through the pages of the menu and tried to imagine bringing this to life with Cade. They might cook together, or she could help serve. A smile took over her lips as she considered how fun that would be.

But how could she stay in Coral Cove and run the inn with Cade while also making her nonprofit a reality? At the end of the day, she just couldn’t do both. And was she willing to give up nursing too? She could work at a local hospital part-time, but she’d only make a fraction of what she earned as a traveler. And how would she... ?

“Everleigh?”

She looked up at Cade, and his intense stare made her throat dry.

“Sorry.” She smiled. “Lost in thought.” She pushed the menu back over to him. “This is really something, Cade. I’m surprised Alana never told me about it.”

“She didn’t?”

She shook her head. “I had no idea she wanted to expand the B&B.”

“Well, now you know.” His expression warmed. “Your turn now. Tell me more about the nonprofit.” The sincerity in his face caught her off guard.

She took a deep breath. “About three years ago, I was working in Iowa, and there was this young couple.” She drew invisible circles on the tabletop while the memories played through her mind like a movie. “They were in town visiting family, and the pregnant wife wasn’t due for another two months. But she went into labor, and their twins were born at thirty-one weeks. They had a survival chance of maybe sixty to seventy percent.” She kept her eyes focused on the table.

“They were so young and so scared. The parents, I mean. And their medical insurance wasn’t the best. The husband had to go home for work, and the wife just sat in the NICU and cried with her babies. She worried about everything—when she’d see her husband again, how she’d afford their care, the future... The babies were going to need help beyond the NICU, and there was a possibility that they would need care for the rest of their lives.”

She sniffed, and her gaze collided with Cade’s. He was completely still, his focus on her. “One night I couldn’t sleep. I texted Alana, and she told me to call her. I told her about this couple and how I couldn’t get them out of my mind. I wanted to help them. I wished the husband could take a leave of absence and stay in Iowa with his wife and newborns, but then who would cover their bills? The extended-stay hotel was not inexpensive, and in a perfect world, a nanny could assist when they went home, help provide all of the resources they needed for their babies and give them some peace of mind. But all of that had a price tag.”

“What did Alana say?”

Everleigh smiled despite the tears filling her eyes. “She said, ‘Then find a way to do it, Everleigh. You can do anything you set your mind to.’ And I said, ‘What if we started a charity together and helped these little angels?’ She loved the idea. For the next three years I researched how to start a nonprofit, and... well, you knowthe rest of the story. I tried and tried, but I couldn’t find a financial backer willing to subsidize our dream.”