Page 16 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

She popped a fry into her mouth and scrolled further, letting the comments distract her.

@CraftyKatie: Forget about Logan, can we talk about that contractor? The chemistry between you two was

Daisy’s brow furrowed. Did they mean Hunter?

@Malawimamma: The way that guy looked at you when he fixed the door…girl, love at first sight!

@Kelsiewiththekid: Please tell me Cutie Contractor is going to be a regular on this renovation!

@PosieDarling: I ship it already! Daisy + Mystery Man 4ever!

Heat crept up Daisy’s neck. She hadn’t realized the camera had captured that moment. Her mind flashed back to Hunter’s face when he’d opened the door, the shock and…something else in his eyes. Something that had made her chest flutter.

What her followers hadn’t seen was that “cutie contractor” turn into the world’s biggest jerk about two seconds later.

Daisy rolled her eyes and set the phone down. “Sorry guys, that’s one ship that’ll never set sail.” They’d already tested those waters. No, no matter how cute he was, with his chocolate-brown hair and dark eyes, those long lashes that had made her melt time and time again, she wasn’t going to fall for Hunter Barrett again. But at least she could appreciate the little boost in engagement she’d gotten thanks to him.

She reached for her drink just as Vera swooped in, snatching it up onto her tray before setting down a replacement. “Pardon my reach, sweetie.” Her eyes hitched on Daisy’s open screen. “Is that the Barrett house?”

“Hmm?” Daisy replied, still caught on thoughts of Hunter. “Oh, yeah…I was touring it this morning.”

Vera brows rose. “Oh really?”

“Yeah.” Daisy ran her hands over the fresh condensation on her glass. “The realtor I was with said it might be for sale.” She watched the water bead up and fall. “Turns out she was wrong.”

“You should count yourself lucky,” came a shout from across the room. Daisy jumped, not realizing the old coots had been listening to the conversation. Roger gave a purse-lipped nod. “House is bad luck!”

Vera shot him a look of disapproval, her red lips pressing into a tight line. “It is not.”

“Sure it is.” Roger gestured to his friend across the booth. “Augo, tell ’em.”

Augo glanced between his friends, the tiebreaker. “Well, I don’t like to gossip…but they do call it the Bad Luck Barrett House for a reason.”

Daisy’s brows shot up. “TheBad LuckBarrett House?”

“Sure!” Roger said, as though confirming the sky is blue. “There’s not a person on the island who hasn’t heard one thing or another about something bad that happened to that house.” He took a long drink of his beer, savoring his rapt audience of one: Daisy. “I heard, back in the thirties, they had a party at the house with guests from the Grand.” Roger leaned out of the booth. “Chandelier fell right out of the ceiling and almost killed Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

“Oh stop!” Vera said, waving the story away. “Franklin D. Roosevelt never stayed on island.”

“You don’t know that!” Roger’s eyes were alight with mischief. He turned toward Augo, dragging his friend back into the conversation.

“I don’t know about FDR,” Augo said carefully, “but I do know the house has had some rough times.”

“Been hit by lightning.” Roger lifted up two bony fingers. “Twice.”

“Twice?” Daisy echoed, horrified.

Vera set her tray down on the bar top and slid onto the green leather barstool beside Daisy. “Don’t let that scare you away,” she said gently, a smile sliding into the corner of her mouth. “It might be called the Bad Luck Barrett House now, but itusedto be called the Honeymoon House.”

Daisy blinked in surprise. “Well, that sounds a lot nicer.”

“Doesn’t it?” Vera said warmly. “It’s been passed down generation to generation. Gifted from father to his son on his wedding day.” She shot the boys a scathing look and returned her attention. “That’s how Joe Barrett got it. It’s a shame he wants to sell it.”

Daisy felt a pang of guilt. That was such a beautiful notion. A family home, filled with history and love. She could see why Hunter didn’t want to lose it.

“Probablywhyhe wants to sell it too,” Roger cut into her thoughts. “Not one good thing happened to that family since the day Joe and Lisa said, ‘I do.’”

Vera’s expression shifted from warm to serious in a heartbeat. “That’s enough.”

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