Page 33 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove (Jonathon Island #5)

His father paused beneath the streetlamp. “After your mother left. He knew he couldn’t bear to live there anymore, so he asked me to give it to Miles. To ensure the family legacy.”

Hunter frowned. “But you said no.”

His grandfather nodded solemnly. “Do you know why we built the trust that way?”

Hunter let out a shallow breath. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“To create a legacy built on faith,” Grandpa said, wrapping an arm around Hunter’s shoulder. “It was never about the house.”

“It was about faith,” Hunter finished, feeling a knot form in his stomach.

Trust. Hunter wasn’t sure that was something he really knew how to do. Even now, he was bracing himself for the end of him and Daisy. When it came to God…if Hunter’s own mother could walk out of his life, it wasn’t likely the Big Guy was going to stick around.

He thought back to his conversation with Miles the morning this all started. But I think if you give Him a chance to come through for you, you might be surprised. Maybe it was time he gave that a try…

His grandpa gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I’m just proud of you, is all…”

They stopped at the end of Main Street, the inn only a few buildings down, and his grandfather reached into his pocket.

“There’s something else.” He pulled an old leather ring box from his pocket.

The edges were worn, the clasp tarnished from years of use.

He opened the box, revealing his grandmother’s old wedding ring.

The diamond was modest, set in a gold band with a simple filigree pattern around it.

“I noticed Daisy wasn’t wearing a ring yet. ”

Hunter’s heart lodged in his throat. “Grandpa, no—” The truth clung to him, refusing to come out, so instead he just said, “I can’t take this.”

“I want to see Daisy wearing this tomorrow,” his grandfather said, pressing the box into Hunter’s hand. He gave Hunter a warm smile and a pat on the shoulder. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s late. And this old man needs some rest.”

His grandfather turned and walked away, leaving Hunter standing alone on the sidewalk, the ring box heavy in his hand.

* * *

This day had been a dream. A loud, raucous, inviting dream. And Daisy wanted more than anything to stay a part of it.

She hugged her jacket around her as she stepped onto the street, her cheeks still flushed from the warmth of the diner.

The stars hung over Main Street, twinkling brightly down on the little town.

It was a far cry from the bright lights of California, but Daisy felt more at home here than she ever had there.

Her footsteps echoed as she rounded the end of the coffee shop, her little slice of the town emerging in the alleyway.

There, the old wooden staircase led to her second-story apartment.

Since they’d slowed on renovations, Daisy had taken to decorating, despite her looming departure from the island.

The wooden rail had been wrapped in leafy garland, and fake potted plants sat on the treads leading up to the door.

Her mom would have been proud.

Daisy paused on the steps, the guilt aching through her chest. She pulled out her phone and found her mom’s name. Her thumb hovered over the contact for a moment, and then she sighed and scrolled to Robin’s name instead.

She’d call. Soon.

“Babe! Hi!” Robin’s voice answered after a few rings.

“Happy Thanksgiving, beautiful!” Daisy said, sinking onto the stairs. “How are things going?”

She heard Robin shuffling around, the noise around her growing loud and then fading again. “Sorry, had to step outside. My parents decided to host the cousins this year. It’s a madhouse in there.” She let out a breath. “I’m good. Very excited about my top client’s impending comeback.”

Daisy imagined a cheeky wink, and she smiled. Robin had always been good at making her feel special. Maybe that’s why they were best friends.

“How are things with lover boy?” Robin asked, her voice dropping low, as though hoping to exchange secrets.

Daisy blushed, a smile tugging at her lips as she thought about their victory kiss on the football field. Hunter was different now. Relaxed. Trusting. “It’s good.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s just…Robin, I’m not sure what we’re doing anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, at first, it was all just an act. I mean, I know this whole thing started out as a fake engagement. He needed a fiancée. I needed content. It made sense…at the time. But then…Logan showed up offering me a chance to go back to the way things were.”

“Oh…”

“And I realized I didn’t want that.” Daisy shifted, slumping against the cold wall, savoring the chill against her warm back.

“Logan and I, we worked because we wanted the same thing. We were both out to win. To be the best…But Logan didn’t build me up.

He was actually pretty terrible to me. He was manipulative and controlling.

He belittled me while in the same breath took credit for my ideas. ”

“You never told me any of this…”

“I never told anyone.” She ran her nails down the seam of her jeans. “I was afraid of what fans would think. He’s HGTV’s golden boy. I was afraid of needing to rebuild everything I worked so hard for if I raised a fuss. It wasn’t worth it.”

She paused, brushing her hair behind her ear as her next thought brought a wave of heat to her face. “Hunter has never made me feel like that. He sees me, you know?” She brushed a thumb over her knee, remembering that night on the beach. I’d really like to get to know Daisy without the Decker.

“The Barrett family is incredible. All of them. They’re loud and messy and hilarious.

They’re close. And I think a lot of that is because of Hunter.

There was a time in their lives when everything fell apart.

Hunter was the one who held them together…

He still does. It breaks my heart sometimes how hard he holds on to them.

Like one little crack and he could lose them all…

” She hadn’t realized how much she’d really learned about Hunter since this all started.

How much she respected him. “It’s crazy, because I know it’s a fake engagement, but I could see myself being a part of all that. I could see myself staying.”

Robin was quiet. “That’s big, Daisy.”

“I know.” Daisy let out heavy breath. “And I don’t know what to do, because he’s talking to his grandpa right now, trying to get him to change the trust so he doesn’t need to be engaged in order to inherit the house. And then, that’s it. It will be over.”

The words sank into her with a heaviness that made her heart ache.

She was about to get everything she’d planned for.

And nothing she wanted.

Robin cut through her thoughts. “Does it have to be?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said it yourself. You can see yourself staying. So what’s stopping you?” A loud wave of voices sounded from Robin’s end of the phone, and she hurriedly said, “Oh love, I wish I could stay and talk. That’s all so much. But my mom’s calling me in. I think she needs reinforcements.”

“It’s okay,” Daisy said. “You go. We’ll chat later. I’ll be back in LA in a few weeks.”

“Love you, babe. Hang in there.”

“You too.”

The call ended and the silence closed in around her, the cold November night seeping through her jacket. Her breath clouded in the air as she let the question sink in. What’s stopping you?

Things had changed so quickly between her and Hunter, they hadn’t had a chance to make a plan. Could she really stake her future on someone who hadn’t promised her a life?

She stood and started up the stairs when a sound from the street caught her attention.

A figure strolled across the entrance to the alley, and paused, glancing toward her.

Logan.

“Daisy,” he said as he stepped into the circle of light from the exterior lamp beside her door. “Is this…is this where you live?”

Daisy glanced uncomfortably up at her door. Had he been listening in on her conversation? “Um, yeah.”

“Looks…” His eyes scanned the faux potted plants and the garland. “Very you.”

“What do you want?”

“Relax,” Logan said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the other day. It’s obvious that you’re happy here with…

with Hunter.” He said the name as though the taste of it made him sick.

“But I also know how things are on the set. And that’s what the house is, right?

It’s the set for your show. I know how emotions can get a little… tangled.”

“Spit it out, Logan.”

“Fine,” he said, his tone carefully neutral. “I just…I don’t want to see you corner yourself here, Daisy. So, just in case things don’t work out, let me know. I’m having a meeting in a week with the HGTV execs to talk about the future of Double Decker . I’d love to have you there.”

Daisy shifted uncomfortably, wrapping her arms around herself against the cold. “Thanks, but I’m busy that day.”

Logan gave her a long look, and then, nodding, he stepped back. “All right. I can take a hint,” he said, a bitter edge to his voice. He turned to leave, then paused. “The offer stands though.”

He walked away, and Daisy hurried into the apartment, locking the door.