Page 61 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

“Actually,” a doctor said as she strolled through the open door, catching a dollop of hand sanitizer from the dispenser by the door before venturing in, “you did exactly the right thing by bringing him in.”

Hunter straightened as the doctor stepped up to the bed, her eyes falling on his dad.

“I’m Dr. Patel. How are you feeling?” she asked, glancing at the monitors.

“Ready to get out of here,” his dad replied firmly.

Dr. Patel smiled, a light of sympathy in her eyes. “I understand. Nothing worse than being poked and prodded in a hospital without answers. Trust me, I get it. But we need to discuss your condition before you can get out of here.” She glanced at Hunter before continuing. “The echo we took showed that you’ve experienced what’s called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy.”

Hunter’s father frowned. “In English, please.”

“You have a condition that was brought on by intense stress, where the muscles of your heart become suddenly weakened, affecting its ability to pump blood effectively.”

Hunter felt the air rush out of him. “Is it serious?”

“It can be,” Dr. Patel replied. “But the good news is that it’s usually treatable and reversible.” She turned her attention back to his dad. “Have you been under unusual stress lately?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “No more than usual. Business is business.”

Hunter felt a pang of guilt. “Dad, why didn’t you say anything?”

His father shot him a look. “There was nothing to say. I’ve handled worse.”

Dr. Patel interjected gently, “Your body is telling you otherwise. This condition is your heart’s way of saying it needs a break.”

“So, what now?” Hunter asked, looking between his father and the doctor.

“We’ll keep you here for observation for a day or two,” Dr. Patel said to Hunter’s father. “Then, you’ll need to make some lifestyle changes. Reduce stress, delegate more at work, maybe consider cutting back your hours.”

Hunter braced himself as his dad scoffed.

“Dad,” Hunter chided.

“What?” he replied, his shoulders rising. “I’m not going to sit around while my business dies.”

Hunter ran a frustrated hand through his hair. How had it come to this? “I can handle the business, Dad. I promise.”

His father’s eyes softened slightly. “Hunter…you’ve got enough going on. Your own life…”

The tension in Hunter’s shoulders eased in understanding. His dad hadn’t said anything because he didn’t want to bother him. “I’ve got it under control, Dad. Please.”

A long moment stretched between them, and finally his dad gave a curt nod before turning back to the doctor.

She glanced between them, then nodded. “All right, so let’s talk about your treatment plan…”

As the doctor continued explaining, Hunter’s mind raced. He’d let his father down, let the business slide. All for what? A fake engagement? A home that had been abandoned for years? He pushed thoughts of Daisy aside. His family needed him now. Everything else would have to wait.

ChapterThirteen

Daisy glanced again over her shoulder, her eyes skating over the thin layer of snow on the street of Sunset Cove. She didn’t know what she was looking for. She knew he wasn’t coming. Even still, she glanced again.

Her breath swarmed the winter air as she turned back to her task, her cold fingers wrapping around the old, rusted light fixtures that framed the front door.

It had been a long week. Hunter had spent the majority of his time holed up in the office, trying to keep the business running on his own while his dad recovered from his medical emergency. Daisy had made the effort to go see Joe at the hospital. After all, he was her fake future father-in-law. But for the most part, she had been left to her own devices, given the space to let her imagination roam in these wild woods.

She’d spent the better half of the week throwing herself at the renovation, making daily trips to the mainland for supplies. She’d ordered furniture for staging, picked out new light fixtures for the foyer and porch, installed the new stair runners, and anything else she could think of to keep herself from overthinking the fact that Hunter had simply disappeared.

She finished disconnecting the last of the old lights and frowned. Two…four…ten…Shoot. She’d miscalculated. She was short on wire connectors for the updated fixtures.

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