Page 59 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

Daisy’s heart skipped a beat, her cheeks warming. “Robin, come on,” she managed, trying to keep her voice light.

“I’m just saying.” Daisy pictured her friend shrugging, a coy smile on her face. “I wouldn’t blame you if there was a little more going on there…”

The image of Hunter, his warm smile in the glow of the campfire, flashed through her mind. Then the memory of his arms around her as she cried against his chest. “There’s not.”

“Whatever you say…” Robin teased. “But seriously, the audiences are eating it up. Which brings me to the reason for my call—aside from my desperate need to talk to my bestie—the network has been buzzing recently with talk of picking up the show.”

Daisy blinked in surprise. “Oh. That’s…that’s great.”

Robin continued, “Word on the street is, there are a few showrunners eyeing your channel. They’re salivating, waiting to see what you do next.”

Daisy sucked in a tight breath. Good. This was good. “Awesome.”

“Isn’t it? You were right. This was the right plan.” Her friend paused, waiting for Daisy to match her excitement, and then gave up, continuing without her. “Anyway, get ready for a call in the next few weeks. This is it. Your big comeback.”

“Wow,” Daisy said, her throat a little dry.

“I know. Very exciting. Okay, I gotta run, but I wanted to give you an update. Let you know that you’re headed the right direction.”

“Thanks,” Daisy managed.

“Of course! Love ya.” The call ended and Daisy let out a heavy breath.

Her eyes skated over the icy water, over the rocky beach and ferry pulling away. She glanced at the birds overhead, landing peacefully on the blue and yellow awnings, at the cozy storefronts and the people bustling around their little lives. And finally, her gaze dropped to the sketchbook.

She closed it.

This was good. The plan was working.

Now she just had to convince herself it was still what she wanted.

* * *

Hunter drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, humming along to the radio as he drove toward the office. A fresh dusting of snow lined the road, the sun sifting through the bare trees. A smile played on his lips as he thought about the past few days with Daisy. Everything felt…right. Perfect, actually.

So perfect, it had become difficult to get himself onto that ferry every day, knowing Daisy was just up the hill…waiting for him.

But the brightness of that thought dimmed as he remembered the growing pile of paperwork on his desk. Requests pouring in. Orders to fulfill. Estimates to finalize. Budgets to adjust. He’d been telling himself for days that he’d pull back and catch up on his real job. And yet, every day, when clock out rolled around, Hunter found himself choosing Daisy.

She was like an addiction.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts as his truck rolled to a stop at a light. He answered through Bluetooth.

“This is Hunter.”

“Hey, Hunt.” Dawn’s voice filled the car.

“Morning, Dawn. What’s up?” he asked.

“Have you heard from your dad this morning?”

Hunter frowned as the light turned green. “He’s not in the office yet?”

A slight pause and then, “Not yet.”

It wasn’t like him to be late. “I haven’t heard from him. Let me make a few calls and get back to you. I’m sure he’s at one of the job sites.”

Another pause. “Okay, thanks, Hunter,” Dawn said, her voice tinged with worry.

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