Page 62 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

Sighing, Daisy climbed down the ladder and dusted off her hands. Another trip to Smith’s Hardware was in order. She was starting to become a regular there.

Tromping down the steps in her new winter boots, she stuffed her frozen hands into her pockets and started down the hill.

Twenty minutes later, Daisy stepped out of Smith’s with a fresh box of connectors. She was standing outside Martha’s, contemplating an early dinner, when a familiar face stepped onto the street.

Daisy frowned, recognition snagging her attention. “Lino! Hey.”

The man turned, his eyes trying to find the source. His eyes landed on Daisy, and his face lit with surprise. “Daisy!”

Beaming, he met her halfway down the sidewalk.

Lino O’Brien looked exactly how she remembered him. In his mid-fifties, he had the polished look of someone who spent most of his time in metropolitan boardrooms rather than on a remote Michigan island. His salt-and-pepper hair was expertly styled, and despite the cold, he wore a tailored wool coat that spoke more of urban fashion than Midwest practicality.

Daisy had always liked the producer.

“Crazy seeing you here. How are you?” she said, wrapping her free arm around him in a hug.

Lino smiled warmly, stepping back to look at her. “I’m good. You?”

“I’m good.” Daisy slipped back into her safe, secure smile. “What are you doing here?”

Her mind swarmed with possibilities. Was he here to talk to her about picking up the show? Or maybe something else?

A flash of awkwardness filled Lino’s face, and before he could respond, someone stepped out onto the sidewalk behind him.

Daisy felt dizzy. Like she’d been pushed through a frozen lake.

He was talking to someone, laughing, smiling. He was bundled up against the cold in a sleek, charcoal-gray wool coat that hugged his broad shoulders—a far cry from the casual attire he used to wear on set. His sandy-blond hair, once meticulously styled for the camera, was now slightly longer and tousled by the wind, giving him a more rugged look.

His face, still handsome in a way that used to make Daisy’s heart race, turned to her. His strong jaw was covered in a light stubble, and his blue eyes lifted, met hers.

Logan Double.

For a moment, no one spoke. The tension was palpable, hanging in the frigid air between them.

Logan broke the silence first. “Daisy,” he said, his voice a mix of hesitation and forced casualness. “I…didn’t expect to see you here.”

“It’s no secret where I’ve been,” she managed to say, her throat stinging. “What areyoudoing here?”

Logan glanced at Lino, who looked increasingly uncomfortable. “We’re, uh…we’re here on business,” Logan said vaguely.

Daisy frowned, her eyes darting to the door they’d just stepped out of.Miller Antiques.“Sorry…I don’t understand.”

Logan’s eyes darted to Lino. “Give us a minute?”

Lino nodded and turned to Daisy, giving her arm a polite squeeze. “It was good to see you, Daisy.” He stepped away, leaving them alone on the snowy sidewalk.

Logan took a deep breath. “The network is really interested in Jonathon Island. They want me to do a holiday special, giving a facelift to one of the houses.”

Daisy reeled back. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m doing a special, short-run series renovating one of the homes, and then we’re going to submit it for theHOMENew Year’s Virtual Parade—you know about that, right?”

“What? Yes. I know about that—but…the one-dollar homes are not up for grabs. There are none left. And even if there were, you have to open a business. You have to move here. Those are the rules. I checked,” she said, her words stringing together in a jumble.

“I didn’t apply for a one-dollar house.” Logan’s gaze dropped to her lips, the corner of his mouth tilting upward in a smirk. “I just had a great conversation with one of the owners up on Zinnia Boulevard, the Millers—nice family—and they’ve agreed to let us do a small reno, courtesy of HGTV, of course.”

“Why?” Daisy blurted out.

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