Page 22 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove (Jonathon Island #5)

Martha excused herself and walked away, and Hunter took a deep breath. He approached the booth, sliding in across from Daisy, setting the plate of fries down between them before meeting her eyes.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said, her eyes showing no trace of the conversation he’d just overheard.

“Gladly.”

* * *

Daisy was thankful for the cold when she stepped out of the diner, her nerves still hot from Martha Kelley’s unsolicited “advice.” She sucked in a breath of frigid air, letting it wash over her as the roar of the diner faded away and Hunter stepped up behind her.

“You gotta excuse Lyle,” Hunter said, laughing as he glanced back through the window, where the old man was now hiding his card from Roger, who still peeked over his shoulder. “Those guys always seem to get a rise out of him one way or another.”

Hunter pressed a gentle hand to her back, leading her away from the busy establishment and toward the hazy glow of Main Street Jonathon Island.

The town still looked like a storybook to her, the vintage streetlamps tied with orange and blue ribbons for the fall, neat little piles of golden leaves piled up in the corners of the shops.

It was a place you almost couldn’t believe was real.

Daisy shivered as a gust of wind bit through her flannel.

“Here,” Hunter said, already shrugging out of his jacket.

“What is this, a Hallmark movie? I’m fine.” She laughed, even as another shiver ran through her.

“Sure you are,” Hunter said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “But I don’t want people thinking I let my fiancée walk around in the cold. Humor me.”

He draped his jacket over her shoulders. The warmth of the fabric, still holding his body heat, immediately seeped into her as the smell of sawdust and pine filled her senses.

“Thank you,” she said, lifting a hand to brush her wind-strewn hair away from her face, and she had to give the sleeve a little shake for her fingertips to find a way out.

Hunter nodded, his hands now shoved into his jeans pockets as they strolled toward the coffee shop.

It felt like so much had changed in the last few weeks.

Their relationship taking a turn the moment Hunter decided to stop keeping her at arm’s length.

And now, they seemed to be in that warm, glowy place between friends and more than friends.

The place where every interaction felt charged.

Every glance seemed to hold some hidden meaning.

Daisy felt like she was standing just on the edge of falling. And she knew she shouldn’t, but she craved the reckless thrill of inching closer.

They stopped in front of the coffee shop, the windows dark for the night, signaling the end of the day, but suddenly, she didn’t want it to be over.

Daisy turned. “Do?—”

“Do you want to keep walking?” Hunter asked.

Her answer was immediate. “Yes.”

Hunter’s eyes lit up, that smirk she’s just gotten used to spreading across his face. “Great. Let’s go.”

He took hold of the end of her sleeve—his sleeve—and tugged her along as he steered them away from town.

“Where exactly are we going?” Daisy asked, laughing as she stumbled over a branch. Hunter caught her easily, his warm hand enveloping hers, supporting her as he led them down a beaten path.

“What, I never told you about the old Barrett Beach?” he said, his hand warming her back as he helped her over another fallen branch.

“You have your own beach?”

“Well, no,” he admitted sheepishly. “But also…yeah, sort of.”

The sound of waves grew louder with each step down the narrow trail. The trees thinned out, and Hunter reached out, pulling a branch aside to reveal the pebbly beach just on the other side.

Daisy let out a breath. “Wow.”

The cold waters of Lake Huron were a cauldron of starlight, silver specks sinking into deep. The waves hushed back and forth over the white pebbly beach, washing away all traces of the world around.

“The view never gets old,” Hunter murmured, apparently just as awed by it as she was.

“Why do you call it Barrett Beach?” Daisy asked, head tilting.

Hunter pointed inland and she followed it up the hill, over rows of trees, to where the Barrett house overlooked the water. He took one more look and then clapped his hands together. “Come on, then.” He gripped her sleeve again and tugged her farther onto the beach.

Her feet wobbled on the uneven ground, and it shifted with every step, causing her to thrust her arms out for balance.

“You good?” Hunter called over his shoulder, from where he was now scouting the rocks—for what, she didn’t know.

“All good!” she replied, lifting a shaky thumb.

“Good, now sit,” he instructed, pointing to a dip in the rocks where he’d piled up a few twigs and branches.

Daisy did as she was told, feeling a bit silly as she tried to find a comfortable position against the icy rocks.

“Cold?” Hunter asked, concern lacing his voice.

“A little,” Daisy admitted. “But it’s beautiful here.”

Hunter nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. “Just wait. It gets better.”

He moved with practiced ease, gathering a few larger pieces of driftwood and arranging them into the loose shape of a teepee, and Daisy watched, fascinated, as he stuffed twigs and dried grass into the middle. He was a man in his element.

He stepped toward her, tugging her closer as he slipped a hand into the pocket of the jacket she was still wearing, and pulled out a lighter. Within moments, a small flame flickered to life.

As Hunter added a log to the flames, feeding the fire as it rose higher, he turned to Daisy. A cocky grin spread across his face, his eyes reflecting the dancing firelight. He didn’t have to say anything, his eyes said it all. I am man, hear me roar!

Daisy couldn’t help but chuckle as she gave him a humoring clap.

“Thank you,” he said, tilting his head in a bow. The rocks clicked together as he flopped down beside her, relaxing against his bare elbow like some sort of GQ model.

The fire crackled gently, sending sparks flying into the starry sky, the golden flakes mixing with the silver ones. Daisy nestled into the jacket, comfortable with the quiet, listening to the waves lapping against the shore.

Finally, Hunter broke the silence. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Daisy pulled her gaze from the flames, turning to find him watching her intently.

“For what you said back there,” he explained, dropping his gaze to the stone in his hand. He twirled it in his fingers, as though anchoring himself to it.

Realization hit Daisy, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks. The conversation back at the diner. “Oh,” she said. “You heard that.”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

Daisy scooped up a rock of her own, trying not to pry. “You don’t have to tell me about it…But, just so you know, she’s wrong about you. And about your family.”

Hunter dropped his stone, letting out a heavy breath as he rolled to his back, resting one hand on his chest, the other behind his head. The stars reflected in his eyes as the light of the fire was blocked out. When he spoke, his voice was low, tinged with an old pain. “She’s not completely wrong.”

Daisy stilled, waiting for him to go on.

His chest rose as he sucked in a deep breath.

“I had this girlfriend. My high school sweetheart, I guess you’d call her.

Belle,” he spoke into the dark. “Belle came into my life just after everything fell apart at home. My dad had moved us to the mainland, but he was never really around. So, after school most days, my brothers and I would hop on the ferry. Hang around town with friends until the last ride out.”

Daisy tried to envision young Hunter with his unruly brown curls and dark eyes. She had a feeling he wouldn’t have noticed her in high school.

“Belle and I were friends. And at first, she was just a shoulder to lean on. But after a while, it turned into something more. Before I knew it, her mom was saving me a spot on their pew on Sundays, Pastor Arnie tossing an extra burger on the grill, making a place for me.”

A complete family to replace his broken one.

Suddenly, Daisy didn’t want to hear the end of this story.

“We dated for three years,” he said, his eyes tracing constellations in the sky. “And when senior year rolled around, I was ready to follow her anywhere. She was an incredible athlete. And she’d gotten a full ride to play basketball for Michigan State. Her parents were so proud.”

He paused, his voice heavy, and Daisy wondered how long it had been since he’d told anyone this story.

“Anyway, there was this party,” he continued. “A bonfire on the beach in St. Joseph.”

Hunter’s jaw tightened. “I should have stopped her, but…I didn’t. I’d spent years keeping Waylen out of trouble at these parties?—”

“Waylen, the cop .” Daisy frowned.

Hunter cast her a look. “He wasn’t always a cop, you know.

He used to get in trouble a lot before he turned things around.

So, I guess, I had a lot of reason to think Belle wouldn’t listen.

So I went along with it…We showed up to the party, and she got it into her head to dive off the St. Joseph’s lighthouse.

” He shook his head. “Belle had always been stubborn, and the alcohol only made it worse.”

The fire crackled as a log fell into the flame, sending sparks across the sky.

“I’ll never forget it. She hit the water, and I just knew something was wrong.

” He paused, collecting his memories. “We grew up around water. Jumped off the pier a hundred times. It seemed like no big deal. But it was dark, and we’d never jumped that lighthouse before.

She misjudged the depth, hit a submerged rock, and shattered her leg. ”

Daisy’s stomach twisted. He looked at Daisy, his eyes filled with regret. “If the Coast Guard hadn’t been nearby, she might have died.” Hunter drew in a ragged breath. “Just like that, it was all over. Her sports career, her college plans…everything she’d worked for, gone in one night.”