Page 2 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

“The place Eli Noble was spotted a few weeks back?”

“That’s the one!”

“It’s a little off the beaten path, isn’t it?” Daisy’s eyes trailed the shore, catching on a Victorian-style turret poking through the trees as the ferry rounded the edge of the island. “It is. But I’ve got a good feeling about it. Who knows, maybe this place has exactly what I need to make a comeback.”

The boat passed the breakwater as their destination came into view, and Daisy’s breath caught in her chest.

Tucked in the crook of the bay, Jonathon Island sprawled out along a picturesque boardwalk. Blue and yellow storefronts lined Main Street, while sailboats bobbed along the marina. Victorian-style homes climbed the hill that rose up behind the town, and at the end of Main Street stood a massive historic-looking hotel. Although the structure was obviously still under construction, it didn’t take much for Daisy to imagine the completed estate.

It was breathtaking.

It was no wonder the townsfolk had been working so hard to rebuild. It was a place worth fighting for. And from what Daisy had learned from the news article covering Eli Noble’s recent reappearance here, the townsfolk were doing everything they could to do just that. Including selling houses for a dollar.

What better way for her to make her HGTV comeback?

“I gotta go,” Daisy said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

“Call me when you’re ready to put this plan of yours into action,” Robin said, her voice touched with worry. “You know that I’m still your best friend first. Agent second. I just want you to succeed.”

There was that word. Succeed.

Daisy smiled. “I know. I’ll call you.” She ended the call, watching through the window as a rough-looking man pulled her lone piece of luggage out from the cargo space and set it on the dock for her, and she felt a flurry of excitement as she made her way to the door.

Please God, don’t let this be a dead end.

She sucked in a hopeful breath.

The ferry worker stood at the gap, his calloused hand extended to help her down the ramp.

Here went nothing.

* * *

That hopeful feeling followed her as she stepped out of The Island House Inn onto its charming wraparound porch. From the front steps of this historic building, Daisy could see the entire harbor laid out ahead of her, the late sunrise spread across the water in hues of blue and purple. A light fog crept across the pebbly beach, dissipating at the cobblestone street and the docks where the ferry, with its faded blue stripes, sat waiting for the commuters making their way down the boardwalk, chatting each other up with neighborly smiles and rosy cheeks.

This place really was a dream.

Daisy slipped her phone from her pocket, turned so the water lay behind her, and posed for a picture. The morning light touched her cheeks, giving her practiced smile a hopeful glow.

This was going to work out. It had to.

She opened up her socials and posted with a caption that read:

Big things coming, friends! Stay tuned for more from the girl with a plan!

And it was time for the first step of that plan.

Daisy dialed the number she’d looked up after settling into her hotel room the night before.

A woman’s voice answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Daisy Decker, I left a voicemail last night, but?—”

“Oh, hi! Of course,” Mia said warmly from the other end of the phone. “I—” She broke away, her voice suddenly distant. “Maggie, sweetie, let’s keep our food on the table”—and then back to Daisy—“Sorry about that. Yes, I was just about to call you back. I hear you’re interested in moving to Jonathon Island?”

Moving to Jonathon Island?Daisy bit her lip. “I’m definitely interested in buying a house…” Moving to an island a thousand miles from her home and her career, not as much.

“Great! I’ve got a couple hours—Finn, off the chair. Feet on the floor, bud—free next week. When can you get out to the island?”

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