Page 53 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

“Thanks, Miles,” Hunter said. A beat passed and he snatched up a worn square of sandpaper, running it again over the sleek wood.

“How are things going with the house?” Miles asked, his eyes on the brightening horizon.

Hunter paused his sanding, considering his brother’s question. “The house is coming along. Better than I expected, actually.”

“Yeah?” Miles prompted, his attention shifting back to the screen. “And Daisy?”

Hunter’s hand stilled on his work. “Daisy is…complicated.”

Miles chuckled. “You don’t say.”

“Don’t you start with me.” Hunter lifted an accusing finger, but there was no real heat behind it. He set down the sandpaper and leaned against the workbench. “I don’t know, Miles. I think…maybe there’s something between us.” Hunter ran a hand through his hair, leaving a streak of sawdust. “But it’s not like last time. That was…” Hunter didn’t know how to describe the last time. He’d spent too long trying to forget it. “This just feels different.”

Scarier.

Miles nodded, letting Hunter know he was listening.

“Daisy is this incredible force. She’s creative and determined and…” His voice trailed off from the ramble, and he took a breath, recentering. “And I’m just trying to keep my feet on the ground.” While he waited for the other shoe to fall.

For the Barrett name to catch up with them.

Miles frowned. “What exactly is going on between you two?”

Hunter tilted his head back, glancing at the ceiling with a humorless laugh. “I wish I knew.”

He considered not telling him. But then, “We may have…accidentally kissed.”

Miles eyes widened in honest surprise. “Yowzah.”

Hunter hung his head and spared a glance at his brother. “Like I said. It’s complicated.” He took a cleansing breath and turned back to his work. “And I don’t know where the fake engagement ends and we begin. Are we pretending? Are we real?” He looked expectantly at his brother. “No really, tell me. I’m pretty lost here.”

Miles chuckled and rose, turning the camera so the lake was behind him, the bright sunrise splitting sky from water. “I think maybe you should ask her,” Miles suggested.

“Wow,” Hunter said, blinking in sarcasm. “Thank you, Miles. You’ve solved everything.” He swiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “It doesn’t matter anyway. As soon as this project is done, she’s headed right back to California. So…”

His brother gave him a pitying look, and Hunter suddenly wished he hadn’t brought it up. He wasn’t a lovesick fool.

“I gotta go,” Miles said, the sound of tumbling rocks spilling through the phone. “Seriously though, Hunt. Ask her. What’s the worst that could happen?”

* * *

Hunter switched positions again, crossing his arms, then dropping them, then striding across the room as he overthought his entire plan for the fourth time since he’d set up inside the house.

The morning sun spread across the gray skies, illuminating the newly refinished foyer with a warm glow. On the floor, beside the stairs, lay the secret project he’d been working on for weeks: a massive, intricately carved banister. Hours of work and a lifetime of Barrett tradition had gone into its creation. The presentation had to be perfect.

The sound of footsteps on the porch sent an excited jolt through Hunter’s chest and he threw himself against the wall, trying his best to look as though he’d been there the whole time, waiting patiently, coolly, for her arrival.

The door swung open, and Daisy stepped inside. Even in the dim light, Hunter could pinpoint the exact moment she noticed the banister.

Daisy froze, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. She approached it slowly, crouching down to trace her fingers over the intricate carvings, a look of wonder growing on her face.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Hunter shrugged away from the wall. “Morning, Decker,” he said casually. No big deal.

Daisy sprang to her feet, spinning around, eyes wide. “Hunter! What…what is this?”

Hunter gave her a quizzical frown. “Looks like a new banister.”

Daisy matched his frown, placing a fist on her hip. “Oh, thank you for that, Captain Obvious. Care to share where it came from?”

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