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

All things considered, the house wasn’t in that bad of shape.

The original hardwood floors were a little worn by use.

There was a some water damage around the antique windows.

But no animal nests. No rotting floors. It almost made her wonder why it was vacant.

That was, until she spotted the scorch marks at the other end of the room.

Oh.

Tentatively, she crossed to the glass-paned door, framed by soot.

Above it, an empty hole gaped in the wall where a transom should have been.

Daisy gripped the antique handle, the tarnished brass cold against her fingers, and opened the door to find a stunning, rounded sunroom; the bottom level of the turret.

She gasped.

“You guys have to see this!” She rotated the camera so it was looking into the space.

The footage captured the faint blue of the walls, complimenting them against the sparkling view of Lake Huron.

Even with the thick layer of—what was that?

Soot?—on the windows, sunlight still managed to pour inside.

Grinning, Daisy stepped inside, taking it all in. “This room is so much bigger than I expected.” The space had obviously been expanded at some point.

Despite the peeling wallpaper and soot-stained walls, the missing stones around the fireplace, and the heavy wooden mantel hanging at a dangerous angle, ready to fall at any moment, the room was nothing short of spectacular.

Daisy could easily imagine it filled with the love and laughter of a large family.

More comments rolled in, the viewers nearing a thousand.

@DreamingDelia: It’s amazing.

@CraftyHome: WOOOW

@Kelsiewiththekids: Needs the Decker touch.

Giving the precarious fireplace a wide birth, Daisy started toward the next doorway to her left. She turned the camera back to face her. “Should we keep going?”

@TheGreeneHouse: Oh. My goodness. YES

@PosieDarling: Pleeeease

She reached for the handle, and her heart jumped into her throat.

It was locked.

“Okay, not a problem.” She retreated the way she’d entered. The crystal doorknob turned, but the door wouldn’t budge.

She was trapped.

* * *

Hunter’s breath came out in foggy huffs as he strode purposefully up the familiar road, his mind playing out the argument he’d have with his dad just as soon as the man picked up his phone. What was he thinking, trying to sell the house?

Hunter’s long strides ate up the pavement as he emerged from the covered tree line onto Sunset Cove.

Ahead of him, the lake spread against the horizon, the blue of the water merging with that of the sky.

The family home loomed ahead with its Victorian gables and wraparound porch.

The familiar sight usually brought him comfort.

Today, it only fueled his anger. The front door hung open.

Apparently, the unwelcome party had taken the liberty of going inside.

He wasted no time, tromping across the overgrown lawn and onto the porch. His heavy boots thundered up the steps, toward the open door.

He entered the house and paused, his eyes scanning the dark foyer before a muffled thump caught his attention.

It was quickly followed by a frustrated cry.

Hunter frowned; his eyes caught the footprints in the thick layer of dust that covered the hardwood floors and followed them toward the parlor.

The sound came again, this time accompanied by a voice.

“Hello? Is someone there?” The voice came from the sunroom.

Hunter jogged over, peering through the frosted panes of the glass door. Inside, he could make out a female figure, her hands pressed against the door.

“You all right in there?” Hunter called out, his anger momentarily forgotten at the sound of her voice, the edge of frayed nerves in her words.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Her voice gushed with relief. “The door is jammed. I can’t get it open.”

Hunter let out a sigh. “Hang on.” He knelt to examine the antique doorknob, noting the slight misalignment that had been known to make it stick. “I see the problem…”

“But?”

“I have to step away to get the supplies to fix it.” Hunter brushed his dusty hands off on his pants as he rose. “Will you be okay for a couple more minutes?”

He watched the outline of her shoulders slump and felt a pang of sympathy for her. She hadn’t known what she was getting herself into when she’d stepped into the Barrett house.

“I’ll be okay,” she said quietly.

Hunter nodded, as though she could see it, and turned on his heels.

His steel-toed boots thumped against the hardwood floor as he made his way through the maze of a house.

He passed back through the sitting room, taking a left at the stairs to the hallway behind them.

Memories rushed over him as he entered the old kitchen at the back of the house, memories of his childhood, his brothers laughing as they tracked backyard mud over the tile, his mother swatting a towel after them with a tired smile on her face.

Her hand curling protectively around her belly—he pushed the memory aside, turning away as he strode toward the door on the opposite wall.

Morning light washed over him, his eyes squinting against the sun.

The backyard was a jungle. Vines and bushes clawed at the high stone walls around the back side of the property.

Weeds nearly as tall as his six-foot frame peppered the expanse of green grass and wildflowers.

On the other end of the yard sat an old two-stall stable, which his father had converted to a workshop before Hunter was even born.

He picked his way across and entered the old workshop, emerging a moment later with the supplies he needed.

When he returned to the sunroom, the figure was gone, though a long shadow seeped out at the bottom of the door. Hunter smirked as he knelt to work. “You still there?”

“Oh, I’m here,” she replied, her voice steeped with playful sarcasm.

He let out a sideways chuckle. “Good. I was afraid you’d run off before I’d get the chance to rescue you.”

“My hero,” the woman said. “I don’t suppose you happen to be a firefighter, or police officer, or someone else who specializes in breaking down doors?”

Hunter glanced at her shadow, grinning despite himself. “You’re in luck. I’m a contractor. Doors are kind of my thing.”

“Hear that? A contractor, just what a girl like me needs.”

He laughed, working on the mechanism. “You know, most people wait until after they’ve seen my face to start flirting.”

“Who says I’m flirting? Maybe I just really, really want out of this room.”

“Fair enough. Although I have to warn you, I’ve been told I’m devastatingly handsome. You might swoon when that door opens.”

“I’ll try to contain myself,” she replied dryly.

With a final twist and a firm push, the door swung open. “There we go! You’re free to?—”

Hunter’s words died in his throat as he found himself face-to-face with a ghost from his past. Her honey-brown hair was longer, her short, choppy bob now long enough to be pulled back into a peppy ponytail. Her clothes were different. Her makeup was different. But those eyes were unmistakable.

“Daisy,” he breathed.

Her playful smile faltered, replaced by a look of shock that must have mirrored his own. “Hunter?”

For a moment, neither of them seemed able to move, memories flooding the space between them, holding them captive.

His chest tightened.

A flicker of movement over her shoulder caught his attention, and his gaze shifted to the wall behind her where a phone was propped up against the windowsill.

He caught sight of himself, his wide frame filling the doorway.

His attention snapped back to the woman trespassing in his house, and he nodded toward the phone. “Turn it off.”

Daisy’s eyes flashed with confusion, her brows drawing together as she glanced back over her shoulder. “Oh! Sorry!”

She hurried across the room. “Okay, friends, I think that’s enough of an adventure for today…maybe even enough for the next couple of days. Be on the lookout for new postings on my channel. Until next time, love ya!”

She tapped a button, and the stream ended.

“I am so sorry,” she said, turning back to him. “I wasn’t trying to trespass, I just?—”

“What are you doing here?” he cut her off.

Daisy froze, her lips parting as though in shock. “What am I doing here? I’ve got the same question about you .”

“I live here.”

Daisy’s gaze darted around the obviously unoccupied house.

Hunter gave an exasperated sigh. “On Jonathon Island. But you knew that.”

She frowned. “No…I didn’t. You told me you lived in Michigan. Not a magical Hallmark wonderland.” Hunter rolled his eyes at that. “I wanna buy the house.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not for sale.”

She stepped back, cocking her head, the dirty sunlight spotlighting her as her demeanor changed. She rested a hand on her hip. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Because I just talked to a realtor who said some guy named Joe was selling it. Last time I checked, your name’s not Joe.” Her hair swished behind her as she tilted her head in mock confusion.

Hunter let out a growl of frustration. “Joe is my dad, and it’s not his house to sell.”

At that, Daisy blinked, doubt sinking into that ever-present light in her eyes.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He started toward the door. “I need to make the next ferry. I’d say it was nice seeing you again, but…”

He’d made it nearly to the door when the sound of her soft footsteps pattered after him. “Hold on! Hunter, wait!”

He stepped out onto the porch and continued down the path. The sooner he could put this whole thing behind him, the better.

“Hunter!”

Daisy caught up to him at the street, her hand hooking his elbow. “Please, just hear me out.”

Against his better judgment, he stopped, his jaw pulsing as he turned toward her.

Winded, Daisy looked as though she’d run a marathon somewhere between the house and the street. The long hair that framed her face was swept back, showing off the flush in her cheeks. “Sheesh, you’re fast,” she said, dropping her hands to her knees as she sucked in another breath.

Hunter gave her his best apathetic expression. “What?”

Rising back to her full five foot three, she pasted on that Daisy Decker smile.

“I’m sorry about trespassing. I don’t have an excuse except that it’s a gorgeous house and I am so in love with it.

” Her words came out in a breathless string as she grinned, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear in that familiar way that he’d only just managed to forget.

“But I don’t need to buy the house. I just want to remodel it. Restore it.”

Change it, she meant. Hunter could read between the lines. This was his home. His family. No way.

Drawing in every ounce of his patience, he stepped into her space.

“Understand this, Daisy.” He ducked his head to meet her eyes as he enunciated every word. “You. are. never. touching. that house.”

Daisy blinked, her doe eyes wide as her lips parted in surprise.

Hunter straightened, satisfied his words were sinking in.

“I don’t remember you being this much of a grouch!” she shouted as he turned, leaving her behind.

“That’s funny. I hardly remember you at all,” he lied over his shoulder as he stomped back down the hill.