Page 20 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove (Jonathon Island #5)

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Engaged,” a voice called from behind him.

Hunter turned to find Mia Jonathon Franklin behind him.

Her dark hair hung loose around the shoulders of a warm fall jacket.

Hunter’s mind flashed to Daisy again. She’d been lucky so far with a warm fall, but he was starting to suspect she didn’t even own a jacket.

“Sorry, what?” he asked, trying again to get her out of his head.

“The engagement…?” Mia said, a slight frown creasing her forehead.

Hunter cocked his head in genuine bafflement and then—“Oh! The engagement— My engagement. Yes. So happy,” he spouted, trying his best to sound convincing.

“Awww. Too twitterpated to even remember you’re engaged?” Mia teased. “That’s cute.”

Hunter stood a little straighter. “Don’t ‘awww’ me, Mia Franklin. I remember when you couldn’t even ride a bike.”

She grinned. “Sure, Hunter. I’ll give you that one.

” She gestured to the line ahead of them, and they both stepped forward before they continued.

“I’m just glad you found someone who makes you happy.

Although I did think it was a little odd that she didn’t mention you at all while she was looking for a house.

” She cast him a curious look, one brow ticking upward.

Hunter’s neck heated. “I think she was as surprised by our engagement as everyone else. But…when you know, you know.” He tried to string together enough truth for it to sound believable.

“Speaking of that fiancée of yours,” Lyle Graves chimed in to their right, “where is the better half? Or am I just supposed to keep taking everyone’s word for it that she exists?”

“Oh, stop it, Lyle,” Vera chirped beside her husband.

“I’m just making conversation,” Lyle protested. “So, Hunter, when’s the wedding? Vera and I need to know if we should start planning our outfits.”

Hunter nearly choked on air. “Um…I don’t—we haven’t really settled on a date yet…”

“Oohh, playing the long game,” Lyle said, tapping his temple with a wink, as though Hunter should know what that meant.

Vera shot her husband a warning look before turning to Hunter with a sympathetic smile.

“Don’t mind him, honey. Lyle thinks he’s a comedian.

You two take your time. I mean, the engagement certainly came as a shock to everyone.

It only makes sense that you’d have a little longer engagement.

Really take the time to get to know one another. ”

You mean, before you do something stupid like, say, misread a whole conversation and wind up trying to kiss her? Hunter suppressed another groan and stepped up for his turn at the counter. He ordered two coffees and two cherry tarts and was halfway out the door before he realized what he’d done.

Just in time for him to nearly crash into the very woman he’d been trying not to think about.

Hunter froze.

Daisy was dressed in her usual work attire.

Those dang purple overalls again, this time over top a white turtleneck.

Her hair hung down to her shoulders, kept away from her face by a black velvet headband.

A few rogue strands hung around her face, and he wondered for a moment what it would be like to reach out and touch them.

Daisy smiled, a glossy sheen to her lips. “Is that extra cup for me?”

“What? No. Of course not,” Hunter blurted out, sanity seeming to take a back seat while self-preservation grabbed hold of the wheel. He had bought the coffee for her. But apparently, that was something only a lovesick fool would do. What was wrong with him?

Daisy raised an eyebrow. “Okay…?”

“You can have it,” he backpedaled. “I—Jill gave me an extra by accident.”

Amusement tugged at Daisy’s lips. “Okay.”

She accepted the coffee and took a sip. She let her eyes drift shut as she savored the caramel macchiato he had picked out just for her, and Hunter’s heart lurched.

Oh wow, he was a mess.

Daisy turned her attention back to him. “Ready to head up to the house?”

Hunter’s mind raced, trying to come up with any good excuse not to spend the day with her.

He came up completely blank.

“Ready.”

* * *

Why did it suddenly feel like the house was ten times smaller today? Like every hall they stepped into was cramped and tight. Like no matter how much he tried to avoid her, Daisy was just…right there.

Hunter winced, pulling his attention back to his project as another gust of steam stung his arm. The wallpaper he’d been working on bubbled, and Hunter peeled it away with his scraper. Just behind him, Daisy worked on the opposite wall, so close he could almost feel her back against his.

“We’ve been getting great engagement on the videos,” Daisy said, making conversation over the quiet tearing of paper.

“That’s good,” he said, trying and failing not to glance over his shoulder as she moved to a spot toward the front of the foyer.

“Yeah, I’m thinking, with our popularity, we might have a chance at winning the HOME New Year’s Virtual Parade of Houses contest.”

“Cool,” Hunter replied distantly, his gaze trailing again from the rising steam off the wallpaper steamer to Daisy.

To Daisy stretching for a higher section of wall.

To Daisy biting her lip as she focused on peeling away a large section of paper.

To Daisy beaming in satisfaction at the finished section.

To Daisy as she turned and smiled at him, making his heart race again. To?—

“Hunter?” Daisy’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Are you okay? You’ve been scraping the same spot for five minutes.”

“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Just…being thorough,” he mumbled, quickly moving to a new section. He wanted to thoroughly put his head through the wall. What was wrong with him?

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Daisy asked again, closer now. “You seem a bit…distracted today.”

“I’m fine.” He scraped away another strip of paper, maybe a bit more aggressively than necessary.

From the corner of his vision, Hunter caught Daisy as she set down her steamer. A strand of hair slipped from her ponytail, brushing over her cheek, and there he was thinking about the almost-kiss again, about his fingers threading through her hair.

Focus, Hunter.

He set his gaze firmly back to the wall.

Daisy’s hand brushed his shoulder. Startled, he turned to face her.

As he did, his boot caught in the steamer chord, throwing him off balance.

His own steamer clattered to the floor as he stumbled forward, toward Daisy, and she instinctively stepped back, her back pressing against the wall.

Hunter’s hands came up to stop himself, and he managed to catch the wall with both hands, bracing himself, with Daisy effectively trapped between his arms.

For a moment, Hunter simply stared at her, as though unable to understand what had just happened. He glanced down at his feet, still tangled in the chord, and then back at Daisy, who hadn’t moved, her eyes wide with shock, her hands lightly pressed to his chest.

“Um…Hunter?” Daisy said, pulling him back to his senses.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry,” he blurted out, his face burning with embarrassment. He quickly pushed himself off the wall, stumbling backward and nearly tripping over the cord again. “I didn’t mean to…I mean, I tripped and…”

Daisy cleared her throat, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “It’s okay.”

Hunter retreated to the door, suddenly desperate for the fresh air.

Outside, the trees were in full color, leaves piling across the recently mowed lawn.

Hunter strode down the path, not stopping as his boots hit the street.

He kept walking to the other side, where a stone wall marked the edge of Sunset Cove, overlooking the lake.

He hopped up onto the wall and let his legs hang over the edge, savoring the cold stone beneath his palms.

Why was it all of Hunter’s most embarrassing moments had to do with Daisy Decker?

As though summoned, Daisy leaned up against the wall beside him.

“Well, that was…Wow,” she said. “You’ve been off all day, but I think that was a whole new level.”

To his own surprise, Hunter barked out a laugh. The cold air sweeping over the back of his neck as he hung his head. “Please tell me that didn’t get on camera?”

Daisy winced, crinkling her nose the way she had the night before. “So sorry, Mr. Barrett, but that moment will live on. Probably forever.”

His eyes flicked to hers. “You wouldn’t post that…”

Daisy laughed, and Hunter relaxed into it. “No, I won’t do that to you.”

He let out a relieved breath. “Thank you.”

Daisy nodded and hopped up onto the wall beside him, her shoulders brushing his ever so slightly. She let out a breath. “About last night…”

“I’m sorry about that too,” Hunter said, running a hand over his neck. “I wasn’t in the right head space. You were just being…well, you…and I read too much into it. But I’m good now. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice lacking the usual lightness he’d begun to look forward to. Or…was that a hint of disappointment he detected?

They fell into silence again, the tension between them almost palpable, and Hunter suddenly wanted to take it all back. To ask her if hadn’t been reading into the connection she’d felt. If maybe…she’d felt it too.

“So, uh, about that HOME New Year’s contest…” he began, relaunching their earlier topic.

Daisy seemed grateful for the change of subject. “Oh, yes! I think if we really push our social media presence and get some stunning before-and-after shots—those are due in December, by the way—we could have a real chance at winning.”

As Daisy launched into her plans for the contest, Hunter found himself relaxing slightly. This was familiar territory—talking about the house, the renovation, their shared goal. He’d protect the family home. She’d go back to California. She’d forget he existed again. Easy. He could handle this.

All he had to do was remember that their fake engagement was just that.

Fake. As long as everything went according to plan…