Page 1 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove (Jonathon Island #5)

Chapter One

D aisy Decker had always been a girl with a plan.

So why did she feel like she was drifting aimlessly in the middle of nowhere?

Outside the window, gusts of wind sprayed icy water against the side of the vessel, carrying the scent of pine and autumn leaves through the nearly empty ferry.

Daisy let out a shiver and wrapped her sweater closer to her body, wishing she’d taken more than five minutes to research her destination before tossing a few “cute fall girlie” outfits into her suitcase and fleeing the city.

Apparently, Michigan had very different definitions of fall than California.

A vibration from her smartwatch tugged her attention away from the mesmerizing swells of Lake Huron and she glanced down to see the preview of a text.

Robin

Stop hiding from me. Answer your phone.

Daisy rolled her eyes, cracking a smile for the first time in what felt like days at her friend-slash-agent’s dramatics. She was not hiding. She was just taking a strategic retreat while she tried to formulate a plan to salvage the wreckage of her career.

That’s what she was good at. It was sort of her “thing”: Daisy Decker—the girl with all the plans. She cringed at the memory of that slogan being slapped across half the HGTV billboards in the Midwest a few years back.

Her watch buzzed again, flashing the name Robin across the screen.

Taking a breath, Daisy fished out her phone and winced as she answered it. “Hi…”

“Hi?” Robin asked from the other end. “You dump your boyfriend, quit your job, and then vanish into thin air for forty-eight hours and all you have to say is ‘hi’?”

“Hi…How are you?”

Her friend let out a groan. “You infuriate me.”

Daisy grinned, relaxing for the first time in twenty-four hours at the sound of a friendly voice.

Well…friendly-ish. “I’m sorry, Robin. I should have talked to you before bolting.

” A swell of water splashed against the glass as the ferry passed beside an enormous bridge.

In the distance, the outline of an island was just starting to come into view.

“I just…I had to get out of there.” Like.

Immediately. Because the moment she’d stood up in that conference room and laid down that ultimatum, making them choose between her and her hunky costar-slash-very fresh ex-boyfriend Logan, she’d known it had been a mistake.

“I know,” Robin said softly, followed by a heavy pause. “He’s a jerk. And they’re idiots for picking him over you.”

Daisy sucked in a breath, trying her best to smother the sudden ache in her chest. “Thanks, babe…but honestly, I think I’m over him.”

“Sure. Because it’s just that easy to get over someone you dated for over two years.”

Daisy stared out across the choppy water, searching for the right way to explain it.

“Really. I think we’ve been over for a while now…

I just didn’t want to admit it, you know?

It felt like we were this package deal—Double and Decker—but something was never quite right.

And I kept waiting for things to click, but they just… never did.”

The truth was, it wasn’t seeing Logan with his arms around another woman that had made her run.

It was her pride. It was standing in that boardroom, Jerry McGuire style, with the heavy silence of rejection pressing in on every side, that kept her awake at night.

She couldn’t let that be the end of her career.

She heard her friend take in a breath of her own and then, “Okay, so what’s next? I can start making calls…” Her tone turned suddenly optimistic.

“I’m glad you asked,” Daisy said as the docks came into view.

“Priority number one is damage control. I’m sure social media is already spinning out stories about the way I stormed out.

The longer I avoid the public, the more power Logan has.

That brings me to priority number two. If I’m going to get back on the radar without the network’s help, I need content.

And I need it ASAP. So, the plan is as follows:

“Step one, find myself an adorable little house on an adorable little island. Step two, film myself giving the house a total ‘Decker’ remodel and slap it up on YouTube. Step three?—”

“Absolutely annihilate Logan and Double Decker in ratings until the network realizes they made the wrong choice and come crawling back?” Robin suggested.

Daisy grinned. “Bingo.”

“I guess it’s a start,” Robin said. “So where are you going to find this adorable little house?”

Before Daisy could answer, an automated voice echoed through the ferry speakers.

“On behalf of everyone at Jonathon Island, we’d like to welcome you to the island.

We’ll be docking in just a few minutes, so please remain seated until the vessel has been secured to the dock and luggage carts have been unloaded.

Please take this opportunity to collect your things.

And lastly, please be courteous to your fellow passengers as you exit the ferry. Thank you, and have a nice visit.”

“What was that?” Robin asked, her frown sounding through the receiver. “Daisy, where are you?”

Daisy shifted in her seat, trying to get a glimpse of her destination. “Jonathon Island, Michigan.”

The ferry slowed as they passed a pair of buoys bobbing in the water. Daisy’s eye trailed up to the shore, where the water faded from blue to teal, lapping against a white pebbly beach. Above that, a wall of pine trees hugged the shoreline with pops of orange and red.

“The place Eli Noble was spotted a few weeks back?”

“That’s the one!”

“It’s a little off the beaten path, isn’t it?

” Daisy’s eyes trailed the shore, catching on a Victorian-style turret poking through the trees as the ferry rounded the edge of the island.

“It is. But I’ve got a good feeling about it.

Who knows, maybe this place has exactly what I need to make a comeback. ”

The boat passed the breakwater as their destination came into view, and Daisy’s breath caught in her chest.

Tucked in the crook of the bay, Jonathon Island sprawled out along a picturesque boardwalk.

Blue and yellow storefronts lined Main Street, while sailboats bobbed along the marina.

Victorian-style homes climbed the hill that rose up behind the town, and at the end of Main Street stood a massive historic-looking hotel.

Although the structure was obviously still under construction, it didn’t take much for Daisy to imagine the completed estate.

It was breathtaking.

It was no wonder the townsfolk had been working so hard to rebuild.

It was a place worth fighting for. And from what Daisy had learned from the news article covering Eli Noble’s recent reappearance here, the townsfolk were doing everything they could to do just that. Including selling houses for a dollar.

What better way for her to make her HGTV comeback?

“I gotta go,” Daisy said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

“Call me when you’re ready to put this plan of yours into action,” Robin said, her voice touched with worry. “You know that I’m still your best friend first. Agent second. I just want you to succeed.”

There was that word. Succeed.

Daisy smiled. “I know. I’ll call you.” She ended the call, watching through the window as a rough-looking man pulled her lone piece of luggage out from the cargo space and set it on the dock for her, and she felt a flurry of excitement as she made her way to the door.

Please God, don’t let this be a dead end.

She sucked in a hopeful breath.

The ferry worker stood at the gap, his calloused hand extended to help her down the ramp.

Here went nothing.

* * *

That hopeful feeling followed her as she stepped out of The Island House Inn onto its charming wraparound porch.

From the front steps of this historic building, Daisy could see the entire harbor laid out ahead of her, the late sunrise spread across the water in hues of blue and purple.

A light fog crept across the pebbly beach, dissipating at the cobblestone street and the docks where the ferry, with its faded blue stripes, sat waiting for the commuters making their way down the boardwalk, chatting each other up with neighborly smiles and rosy cheeks.

This place really was a dream.

Daisy slipped her phone from her pocket, turned so the water lay behind her, and posed for a picture. The morning light touched her cheeks, giving her practiced smile a hopeful glow.

This was going to work out. It had to.

She opened up her socials and posted with a caption that read:

Big things coming, friends! Stay tuned for more from the girl with a plan!

And it was time for the first step of that plan.

Daisy dialed the number she’d looked up after settling into her hotel room the night before.

A woman’s voice answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Daisy Decker, I left a voicemail last night, but?—”

“Oh, hi! Of course,” Mia said warmly from the other end of the phone.

“I—” She broke away, her voice suddenly distant.

“Maggie, sweetie, let’s keep our food on the table”—and then back to Daisy—“Sorry about that. Yes, I was just about to call you back. I hear you’re interested in moving to Jonathon Island? ”

Moving to Jonathon Island? Daisy bit her lip. “I’m definitely interested in buying a house…” Moving to an island a thousand miles from her home and her career, not as much.

“Great! I’ve got a couple hours—Finn, off the chair. Feet on the floor, bud—free next week. When can you get out to the island?”

Daisy felt a little of her excitement deflate. “Actually, I’m on the island right now. Any chance you might be available today?”

“Today?” Daisy heard a rustling of papers and then, “I’ve got a couple of minutes open this morning. But I’ve got to catch the ferry at ten-fifteen. I can give you a quick show of the houses available so you can get a look before we take next steps. How does that sound?”