Page 27 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove (Jonathon Island #5)

Chapter Twelve

N othing was going the way she had expected. But for once, Daisy felt a sense of comfort as she tried her best just to roll with it.

The crisp November air nipped at Daisy’s cheeks as she sat on a bench overlooking the harbor.

An open takeaway box from Martha’s on Main rested beside her, a friendly note from Vera scrawled on a napkin peeking out from beneath.

Daisy munched absently on her turkey club, her attention focused on the sketchpad in her lap.

Her pencil moved across the paper as she reworked the design she’d sketched out for the sunroom all those weeks ago.

So much had changed since then.

Her pencil traced the open space of the transom, a piece of the design she just couldn’t make sense of.

There was a lot she couldn’t seem to make sense of—like the way Hunter had reacted when she’d broken something so precious to him. The way that he hadn’t been angry. Just kind. And gentle. And how there had been zero expectations attached to his forgiveness.

Or that kiss…

“Hey, you,” a voice said from over her shoulder. Daisy turned to see Mia approaching, a warm smile on her face. “Mind if I join you?”

“Yes!—I mean no, I don’t mind.” Daisy stuffed the sandwich in her mouth, using her teeth to hold it as she moved her takeaway box, making room for Mia.

“A little cold to be sitting outside?” Mia said, glancing at the dusting of snow across the beach.

Daisy laughed. “Yeah. My mom would be very upset with me.”

Mia chuckled, her eyes drifting to the sketchpad in Daisy’s lap. “Is that the Barrett house?”

Daisy glanced down at the sketch, heat rising to her cheeks. “Oh, yeah. It’s nothing…”

Mia frowned and reached for the pad. She picked it up gingerly, bringing it in for a closer look. “This is stunning, Daisy. Is this part of the plan? To redo the sunroom?”

“Oh, no,” Daisy said quickly.

“It should be. It’s really special. Touching.” She handed the pad back and Daisy took it, feeling self-conscious. “You’ve got to make the house your own. I mean, you’ll be the one living there, after all.”

Daisy’s brows pulled together in confusion.

Mia pulled in a breath. “I just thought, with all the work you guys were putting in, that you and Hunter would be staying on the island after the wedding. But I guess that wouldn’t make sense. Your job is in LA.”

Daisy’s heart squeezed at the thought. “We, uh…we haven’t really talked about it yet,” she admitted.

Mia winced. “Sorry. Didn’t mean?—”

“No, it’s okay.”

Mia nodded, understanding. “Well, I know you said you weren’t planning on opening a business, but I know a lot of people who could use the Daisy Decker—or should I say, Daisy Barrett touch. Just something to think about.”

Before Daisy could respond, Mia glanced toward the dock and the ferry, now loading a small group of passengers. “Oh, that’s me.” She hopped to her feet and took a few steps before pausing, turning back. “Let me know.”

Daisy gave a polite nod. “Will do.”

And Mia was gone.

Daisy brushed a hand over the design. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if the network never called. If her plans fell through.

She tried to imagine it. She could stay, open a design business. Renovate homes on the island and keep up her YouTube channel. Maybe she could even convince Hunter to partner with her—it would be good for his dad’s company…

She’d buy a cute little house. Make it her own. Invite her mom to see it. Maybe even help with the renos, just like old times.

Warmth fluttered through her chest the more she thought about it.

And then, she remembered the biggest problem here. She couldn’t just stay . Eventually people would notice if she and Hunter didn’t get married.

Unless…

Just then, her phone rang. Robin’s name flashed across the screen.

Daisy answered. “Hey.”

“Hey, babe!” Her friend answered. “Or should I call you love bird?”

A sad smile slipped across her face, though her friend couldn’t see it. “Just Daisy will do.”

“Suit yourself,” Robin said. “But for real. Great job on the show so far. It’s blowing up. Especially these last few episodes. I don’t know what happened between you two, but the chemistry is insane.”

Daisy let out a quiet sigh. “Thanks.”

“Are we sure you can’t keep him?” Robin asked playfully.

Daisy’s heart skipped a beat, her cheeks warming. “Robin, come on,” she managed, trying to keep her voice light.

“I’m just saying.” Daisy pictured her friend shrugging, a coy smile on her face. “I wouldn’t blame you if there was a little more going on there…”

The image of Hunter, his warm smile in the glow of the campfire, flashed through her mind. Then the memory of his arms around her as she cried against his chest. “There’s not.”

“Whatever you say…” Robin teased. “But seriously, the audiences are eating it up. Which brings me to the reason for my call—aside from my desperate need to talk to my bestie—the network has been buzzing recently with talk of picking up the show.”

Daisy blinked in surprise. “Oh. That’s…that’s great.”

Robin continued, “Word on the street is, there are a few showrunners eyeing your channel. They’re salivating, waiting to see what you do next.”

Daisy sucked in a tight breath. Good. This was good. “Awesome.”

“Isn’t it? You were right. This was the right plan.” Her friend paused, waiting for Daisy to match her excitement, and then gave up, continuing without her. “Anyway, get ready for a call in the next few weeks. This is it. Your big comeback.”

“Wow,” Daisy said, her throat a little dry.

“I know. Very exciting. Okay, I gotta run, but I wanted to give you an update. Let you know that you’re headed the right direction.”

“Thanks,” Daisy managed.

“Of course! Love ya.” The call ended and Daisy let out a heavy breath.

Her eyes skated over the icy water, over the rocky beach and ferry pulling away. She glanced at the birds overhead, landing peacefully on the blue and yellow awnings, at the cozy storefronts and the people bustling around their little lives. And finally, her gaze dropped to the sketchbook.

She closed it.

This was good. The plan was working.

Now she just had to convince herself it was still what she wanted.

* * *

Hunter drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, humming along to the radio as he drove toward the office.

A fresh dusting of snow lined the road, the sun sifting through the bare trees.

A smile played on his lips as he thought about the past few days with Daisy.

Everything felt…right. Perfect, actually.

So perfect, it had become difficult to get himself onto that ferry every day, knowing Daisy was just up the hill…waiting for him.

But the brightness of that thought dimmed as he remembered the growing pile of paperwork on his desk.

Requests pouring in. Orders to fulfill. Estimates to finalize.

Budgets to adjust. He’d been telling himself for days that he’d pull back and catch up on his real job.

And yet, every day, when clock out rolled around, Hunter found himself choosing Daisy.

She was like an addiction.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts as his truck rolled to a stop at a light. He answered through Bluetooth.

“This is Hunter.”

“Hey, Hunt.” Dawn’s voice filled the car.

“Morning, Dawn. What’s up?” he asked.

“Have you heard from your dad this morning?”

Hunter frowned as the light turned green. “He’s not in the office yet?”

A slight pause and then, “Not yet.”

It wasn’t like him to be late. “I haven’t heard from him. Let me make a few calls and get back to you. I’m sure he’s at one of the job sites.”

Another pause. “Okay, thanks, Hunter,” Dawn said, her voice tinged with worry.

The call ended, and Hunter dialed one of the site foremen. “Hey, Chuck. Have you seen my dad today?”

“No. He hasn’t been around yet.”

A knot began to form in Hunter’s stomach. “All right, thanks. Let me know if he shows up.”

Without hesitation, Hunter switched on his turn signal and veered off, pointing his truck in the direction of his father’s house.

* * *

Fear coiled through his chest as Hunter hung up another dead-end call, his tires crunching as he turned onto the street leading to the small house on the edge of town.

“Come on, Dad. Where are you?” he whispered as he pulled into the drive.

Apprehension and relief fought for purchase in his head as he spotted his father’s truck in the driveway. At least he was home. That was a start. But it wasn’t like him not to show up for work.

His dad didn’t take personal days. He didn’t even take sick days.

Hunter slammed the door behind him as he climbed out of his truck.

“Dad?” he called out as he approached the front door. “It’s Hunter. You in there?”

He gripped the handle and opened the door.

“Dad?”

A faint sound from down the hall caught his attention. Hunter rounded the corner, his heart pounding against his chest.

The door to the master bedroom hung open and he pushed it aside to find his dad, sitting on the edge of his bed, his hand on his chest, hunched over and visibly struggling to breathe. He looked pale, his eyes widening as he spotted Hunter in the doorway.

“Dad!” Hunter rushed into the room, gripping his father’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

He tried to wave Hunter off, but the gesture was weak. “I’m fine,” he wheezed. “I was just…just about to head to work.”

Hunter shook his head, placing a steadying hand on his father’s shoulder. “For Pete’s sake, Dad. You’re not okay. Just look at you. You can barely breathe.”

His father attempted to stand, but his legs wobbled beneath him. Hunter quickly supported him, easing him back onto the bed.

“It’s nothing,” his father insisted between labored breaths. “Just…a little chest cold. No sense crying about it.”

Hunter felt a surge of frustration and fear. “This isn’t ‘nothing,’ Dad. How long have you been like this?”

His father avoided his gaze, a telltale sign he was hiding something. “Just…just this morning. I’ll be fine.”

But Hunter could see the truth in his father’s eyes—this wasn’t a new problem. How long had his dad been struggling? How had he not noticed?

“We’re going to the hospital,” Hunter said firmly, gripping his dad under the arm as he helped him to his feet. “And don’t even think about arguing. I’ll drag you if I need to.”

“I could take you,” his dad gruffed.

“Not like this you couldn’t.”

* * *

Hunter paced another lap around the sterile hospital room at Port Joseph Medical Center, the rhythmic nagging of the heart monitor filling his ears. His dad, clad in a patterned hospital gown, scowled from the bed, arms crossed over his chest, as though Hunter was the one in the wrong here.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Hunter said.

His dad harrumphed. “This is ridiculous. I’m fine.”

“Actually,” a doctor said as she strolled through the open door, catching a dollop of hand sanitizer from the dispenser by the door before venturing in, “you did exactly the right thing by bringing him in.”

Hunter straightened as the doctor stepped up to the bed, her eyes falling on his dad.

“I’m Dr. Patel. How are you feeling?” she asked, glancing at the monitors.

“Ready to get out of here,” his dad replied firmly.

Dr. Patel smiled, a light of sympathy in her eyes.

“I understand. Nothing worse than being poked and prodded in a hospital without answers. Trust me, I get it. But we need to discuss your condition before you can get out of here.” She glanced at Hunter before continuing.

“The echo we took showed that you’ve experienced what’s called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy. ”

Hunter’s father frowned. “In English, please.”

“You have a condition that was brought on by intense stress, where the muscles of your heart become suddenly weakened, affecting its ability to pump blood effectively.”

Hunter felt the air rush out of him. “Is it serious?”

“It can be,” Dr. Patel replied. “But the good news is that it’s usually treatable and reversible.” She turned her attention back to his dad. “Have you been under unusual stress lately?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “No more than usual. Business is business.”

Hunter felt a pang of guilt. “Dad, why didn’t you say anything?”

His father shot him a look. “There was nothing to say. I’ve handled worse.”

Dr. Patel interjected gently, “Your body is telling you otherwise. This condition is your heart’s way of saying it needs a break.”

“So, what now?” Hunter asked, looking between his father and the doctor.

“We’ll keep you here for observation for a day or two,” Dr. Patel said to Hunter’s father. “Then, you’ll need to make some lifestyle changes. Reduce stress, delegate more at work, maybe consider cutting back your hours.”

Hunter braced himself as his dad scoffed.

“Dad,” Hunter chided.

“What?” he replied, his shoulders rising. “I’m not going to sit around while my business dies.”

Hunter ran a frustrated hand through his hair. How had it come to this? “I can handle the business, Dad. I promise.”

His father’s eyes softened slightly. “Hunter…you’ve got enough going on. Your own life…”

The tension in Hunter’s shoulders eased in understanding. His dad hadn’t said anything because he didn’t want to bother him. “I’ve got it under control, Dad. Please.”

A long moment stretched between them, and finally his dad gave a curt nod before turning back to the doctor.

She glanced between them, then nodded. “All right, so let’s talk about your treatment plan…”

As the doctor continued explaining, Hunter’s mind raced. He’d let his father down, let the business slide. All for what? A fake engagement? A home that had been abandoned for years? He pushed thoughts of Daisy aside. His family needed him now. Everything else would have to wait.