Page 26 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

“Good,” she shot back.

“Good.”

“Great,” she said, her head tilting, her long hair sliding over her shoulder. “Now that that’s out of the way. Why don’t you tell me what youwilllet me renovate.”

Hunter crossed his arms over his chest. Pretended to consider for a moment. And then, “The porch.”

Daisy stared at him for a moment, her eyes widening in outrage, and then released a furious snarl before storming out of the house.

Hunter let out a satisfied chuckle, watching her storm out before following.

She was already halfway across the lawn, burrs snagging the hems of her flannel, clawing at her to stay. Her brows were pinched with frustration, her face flushed with pink.

Shoot. She was really leaving…

He rushed down the steps. “Hey! Where are you going?”

Her feet pounded the pavement. “To catch a ferry.”

Hunter jogged after her, catching her by the elbow gently. “Daisy, wait.”

She stopped but made no move to turn. Her lips were pressed together. Her jaw locked tight. Hunter felt a pang of guilt for giving her such a hard time. She was trying to help him, after all.

“I’m sorry, I…I’m not ready to give you free rein over the whole house.” He ducked into her line of vision, but she refused to meet his eye. “But…maybe we can start with the porch and see how it goes. If it turns out well, we can discuss expanding the project.”

Her gaze flicked toward him, her eyes calculating, searching, and he had the sense he was being measured up. Against what, he wasn’t sure.

“The porch…and the foyer,” she said finally.

Hunter winced.

Daisy shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll just wait it out. House goes on the market in, what did you say, a few weeks?”

Hunter raked a hand through his hair. She was bluffing. She couldn’t afford it…could she? He straightened, really seeing her for the first time since she’d arrived on the island. And he couldn’t help but feel a grudging admiration for her determination. She might be infuriatingly sunny, but she certainly wasn’t backing down.

And it wasn’t like he had any other options. For now. He’d work something out. They wouldn’t have to lie for long.

Disbelieving what he was about to do, he extended a hand. “Fine. But it’s only temporary. Just until I can find a loophole or some other way around the rules of the truth. And I have final say on all design decisions.”

Daisy’s eyes lit up again, a bright smile gracing her lips as she took his hand. “So we’re doing this.”

“Apparently.”

She stepped back, turning to look at the house. She took it in with a look that sparked something inside him he couldn’t place.

A moment later, Daisy’s grin faded into a more serious expression. “So, about the engagement…”

Hunter’s pulse quickened. “What about it?”

“Well, if we’re going to do this, I’ll need a place to stay.”

Hunter’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced meaningfully toward the dusty, dilapidated exterior of the Barrett house. Daisy followed his gaze and quickly shook her head.

“Very funny.” She gave a mock laugh, wrinkling her nose. “I need running water and heat. Heat is very important.”

Hunter rolled his eyes. “Fine. I know someone with a sublet available. We can go talk to them right now.”

He started toward the town, but Daisy hesitated. “That…brings up the second issue.”

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