Page 67 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

Logan Double was standing in his house.

With his arms around his fiancée.

“You deserve a man who won’t hold you back.”

The words had sliced deep, a quick sting that grew, burning through him.

He should have known.

As though sensing his presence, Daisy’s head had snapped up, her eyes meeting his. If he didn’t know any better, he might have mistaken that look of shock splayed across her face. But he’d been here before.

Without a word, he’d turned on his heel and walked away.

“Hunter, wait!”

Now the cold that hadn’t touched him on the way up clawed over him as he reached the sidewalk. The coffees in his hands felt like lead weights, and he tossed them in the muddy ditch, not stopping as Daisy’s voice called over the wind.

He couldn’t believe he’d fallen for it. Again.

“Hunter, please!” Daisy called after him, her footsteps pounding against the sloshy pavement.

Hunter kept walking, each purposeful stride putting distance between him and the Bad Luck Barrett House. Long shadows grazed his face as he entered the wooded portion of the road, blocking the meager sun from what little warmth it could spread.

“Hunter, stop! It’s not what you think!” Daisy’s voice was closer now, breathless and pleading.

Hunter slowed, his jaw pulsing. He wanted to keep going, to disappear into the gray day, to leave her hurting the way he was hurting. But there was something in her voice that made him pause. Maybe it was desperation. Maybe it was that stubborn bit of him that refused to believe that everything between them had been part of the ruse. Slowly, he turned to face her.

Daisy stood a few feet away, snow crowning her honey-brown hair, her cheeks flushed from the cold, or maybe from running after him. Her blue eyes brimmed with emotion, wide and imploring. “Let me explain,” she said, reaching for him.

Hunter’s jaw clenched, emotions fighting for purchase in his head. All of him wanted to hear her out, to believe there was an explanation for what he’d just seen. And all of him wanted to throw the walls back up.

“Explain what, Daisy?” he finally said, his voice thick and low. “How you’ve been playing me this whole time? How all of this was a setup, a publicity stunt for your precious show? What was it, a ratings thing?”

Daisy flinched, her lips downturned, pressed into a tight line. “It’s not what you think?—”

“You want to know what I thought? I thought…maybe we were getting a second chance after all these years.” He swallowed, his eyes searching hers as the words scraped from his throat. “But I guess it really was all part of the show. It’s fine. I read into things. That’s on me. But do me a favor. Stop acting like you care about me, because I can’t keep falling for you.”

Daisy’s lips parted, her eyes bright with surprise. “Hunter…”

He stepped back. “We don’t have to talk about it, Daisy. We’re good. Let’s just get through the next week, and then?—”

He turned, meant to walk away, but Daisy’s hand slid into his, her soft fingers curling around his calloused palm. A moment later, she stepped into his path, the balls of her cheeks pink and wet. “Would you just let me talk, for like two seconds?”

His lips pressed into a tight line. “Fine.”

“Thank you,” she said, an exasperated smile tugging at her lips.

She was really smiling.

He had bared his soul, and she wassmiling.

He raised his brows.Well…?

“First of all,ouch. To all of that,” she said, though her voice held no bitterness. Her fingers curled into his, and for the life of him, he couldn’t pull away. “Second of all, Logan showed up two weeks ago, right around the time your dad ended up in the hospital. He’s doing a reno project in town. And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to add anything to your plate.”

Hunter took a steadying breath, willing himself to listen. To hear her words for what they were.

“He stopped by today, asking me to come back to the show and to him.” Her features softened with every word. “And I’ll be honest, it made me think.”

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