Page 9 of Searching for Sunshine (Crestbrook Cove #1)

WYATT

“ O kay, I think that’s everything for the day. Are you ready to go see your new wifey?” Trent asks me as we finish rinsing off the boats for the last time today.

“God, you’re having way too much fun with this,” I groan.

“Hell yeah, I am.” Trent laughs. “If it was anyone else, I don’t know that I’d think too much about it. But since it’s you? This whole situation is too damn good not to have some fun with.”

“Sure, whatever. Let’s just go get them moved in. There’s so much shit I need to take care of before tomorrow evening, and I don’t have time to deal with you,” I grumble, stepping off the boat and starting to walk down the pier.

“You know, as your newly ordained favorite brother, I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me,” Trent jokes.

“Yeah, yeah. I already told you thank you,” I say defensively.

“Yeah, I can feel the gratitude radiating off you as we speak.”

“Whatever. Are you ready to go?” I ask as we walk into the office to grab our keys and shut down everything for the day.

“Sure. I just need to answer a couple emails and make sure the schedule for tomorrow is finalized. You go ahead and I’ll meet you over at the hotel in a few minutes,” he answers, and I wave at him before heading out to my truck.

Wyatt: Hey, I’m done for the day and am about to head over. Are y’all around?

Stella: Yeah, we’re here. We’ll meet you in the lobby.

Wyatt: Sounds good. I’ll see you then.

It only takes a few minutes to make the short drive over to the High Tide Hideaway, and as I pull into the parking lot my throat tightens with nerves.

With the business of the last few days, I haven’t had time to give the whole situation too much thought, but now that I’m here, it hits me that I’m really doing this.

I don’t regret making the suggestion to Stella that we get married, and I stand by the idea that it doesn’t have to mean anything serious between the two of us.

But at the same time, I’ve never done anything this impulsive in my life.

Taking a deep breath, I make my way inside and see Stella and another girl, who I’m assuming is the friend she told me about, sitting together on the sofa in the corner.

“Hey, Stella,” I say, and she looks up to smile at me.

“Oh my god, he’s even hotter in person,” her friend says loudly, and Stella bumps her with her leg to silence her.

“Hey, Wyatt,” Stella says, walking over to give me a hug. “This is my best friend, Avery. Avery, this is Wyatt.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say to Avery, who smiles at me.

“Likewise. I’ve heard a lot about you these last few days, but I’m happy to put a face with the name,” she says, causing Stella to roll her eyes.

“Okay, enough of that,” Stella interrupts.

Before she can say anything else, a dog emerges from under the coffee table, dragging his leash on the ground and running over to where we’re standing.

“Uh, I’m hoping this is your dog?” I ask, looking down at the lab at our feet.

“Yep. This is Duke, and he’s the best boy,” Stella answers, her eyes widening. “Oh my god, I just realized I never even told you I had a dog. I hope that’s okay.”

I nod, bending over to pet the pup. “Yeah, that’s totally fine. I’ve always loved dogs.”

“Oh my god, do you remember the time one of the guests brought their dog and it escaped from their room? Pretty sure we spent the entire day looking for him, and we found him asleep in the linen closet buried under all the towels?” Stella asks with a laugh.

“Yeah, I got the little guy out and he spent the rest of the trip escaping out of his room to find me because I gave him all those treats,” I respond, chuckling at the memory.

“All right, I hate to break up the walk down memory lane, but we’ve got a shit ton of stuff to move and a wedding to plan,” Avery points out.

“You’re right. Why don’t we talk about tomorrow while we wait on the rest of the moving crew to get here?” I suggest.

“That sounds perfect,” Stella agrees, and we move to sit on the couch.

“Before we get too far into this, I just have to make sure, are you sure you’re still good with this whole situation? I still can’t believe we’re doing this,” she starts, and I hold up my hand to interrupt her.

“Stella, I told you that I promise I’m good with it. Remember, one year with no strings, and then the hotel’s yours,” I tell her.

“Hell yeah it is,” Avery interjects.

“Okay, as for tomorrow, I figured we could do the ceremony on the docks after I finish my tours for the day. It’s private enough so maybe we can keep the rest of the town from sticking their damn noses in our business.

I took care of the marriage license and my brother also got ordained yesterday so he’s good to go. ”

“Damn, Wyatt, you’ve kinda already taken care of everything,” Stella says.

“It really wasn’t a big deal. A quick visit to the county clerk and that was it.”

“Well, still, I’m grateful,” she tells me just as the front door of the lobby opens and Everett, Bennett, and Trent come in the front door.

“Moving crew’s here,” Bennett yells as he walks in the door.

The three of us stand and make our way over, and Trent’s the first to speak. “There she is. Hey, Stella. Long time no see,” he says, reaching out to hug her. “Are you sure about marrying this grumpy old fella?”

“Hey, Trent. I know it’s been a long time. And oh yeah, I’m sure.” She laughs, before turning to Everett. “And hi, Everett. It’s good to see you again too.”

Everett nods in acknowledgment. “Yeah, I was happy to hear you’re moving back.”

“Yeah, this wasn’t exactly how I saw my year going, but I’m honestly pretty excited about taking over the hotel.”

Bennett steps forward and reaches his hand out toward her. “Hey, I think we met a time or two years ago, but I’m Bennett, Wyatt’s best friend.”

“Yes, I remember. Nice to see you again. And this is Avery, my best friend,” Stella says, gesturing to where the tall blonde is standing. “Oh, and the pup’s name is Duke.”

My brothers and best friend all bend down to greet the dog before Avery asks, “Damn, what the hell do they put in the water down here? Does everyone in Crestbrook look like this?”

“Avery,” Stella yells, covering her face with her hands.

“What? I’m just speaking the truth.” Avery shrugs, looking unapologetic.

Everett, Bennett, and Trent all laugh at her outburst and I shake my head at them. “Okay, let’s get their shit moved in. Avery, which room are you in?”

“I’m in Room 112 down here on the first floor. I’ll show you where my car is parked. I really appreciate y’all coming over to help us,” Avery answers, walking toward the door.

“Sounds good. And Stella, you’re in the cottage off the back, right?” Trent asks.

“Yeah, I haven’t even been back there yet. We got caught up checking out the hotel. Let me go find the key in the stash by the front desk. Y’all can help Avery in the meantime. Wyatt, you’re waiting to move everything this weekend, right?”

“Yeah, with work and everything this week, I haven’t had time to pack everything. But since my apartment’s just down the street, I can knock it out in a few trips later.”

“Sounds good. Let’s get to it,” Bennett says, following Avery out to her car.

As they filter out of the lobby, Stella and I walk over to the counter and open the lockbox where the keys are. Duke follows us and lies at our feet while we start sorting through the stack.

“Oh my god, this is such a mess,” Stella says with a sigh. “When we grabbed Avery’s key, it was sitting on the top, so I assumed it wouldn’t be too hard to find. But I’m starting to think I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

“It’s going to be fine. We’ll find it,” I tell her, looking at the box Stella’s digging through. “Let me look through there.”

She moves out of the way, and I catch a whiff of her coconut and vanilla perfume before gesturing for me to take over the search. Sitting down in front of the box, I start checking the numbered keychains for a few minutes before realizing she was right.

“Jesus, when was the last time this was organized?” I mutter, and Stella laughs.

“Knowing my grandmother, probably at least ten years ago. She wasn’t particularly known for her organization skills.”

“I can see that. Let’s see—315, 204, 213, 215, 316, linen closet, 314, 115, pool cabana…” I mutter, reading out the key numbers as I sit them aside. “Wait, here it is,” I say triumphantly, holding out the key labeled “cottage.”

“Oh, thank god.” She sighs, reaching out to take it from my hand. “Want to go see our home for the next year?”

“Sure, let’s do it,” I tell her, letting her lead the way out of the side door toward the pool.

Glancing around, it hits me that there aren’t any guests around.

I know tourism is down around here, but it feels weird to be walking around a completely empty hotel.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but, uh, are there any guests around here? ”

She laughs uncomfortably, looking around the patio.

“I don’t really think so. Maybe a couple?

I’ve gotta sit down with the reservation book tonight and try to figure that out, to be honest. Apparently, Miss Clara’s been managing everything since my grandmother passed, and I think this might be a bit of a bigger undertaking than I originally thought. ”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I assure her, following her down the small path to the cottage near the back of the property.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re—” she starts, coming to an abrupt stop on the narrow path in front of me. I barely have time to stop in front of her, reaching out to steady both of us while Duke barks happily at our feet.

“Oh my god, this place is going to need so much work,” she exclaims, looking at the overgrown vines snaking their way up the house.

I resist the urge to cringe as I notice the cracked window on the side of the house but I just shrug. “No big deal. I’m sure the inside is still in good shape. Let’s see what we’re working with in there.”