Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,4

directions to a warm, soft bed for the night.

Like his …

Evie flushed hot again. Clearly, she needed to sober up before she lost all sense and reason and get a good night’s sleep.

Far away from him.

“Thanks for stopping by,” she said, putting a safe distance between them. “See you around, I’m sure.”

And then Noah was gone, and she really was all alone.

Just her and the rats.

Evie gulped. Welcome to Sweetbriar Cove, indeed.

2

“You should have seen his face,” Evie wailed on the phone the next morning to her best friend, Jules. After a sleepless night, she’d walked up into Sweetbriar Cove to clear her head and find a good cup of coffee, but not even sitting on a bench in the sun with a latte in one hand and her phone in the other could keep the doubts from creeping in. “He looked at me like I was a drunken, blabbering fool. And maybe he was right! I don’t know anything about renovations or running an inn.”

“Don’t get buyer’s remorse now,” Jules said, a hum of activity in the background. “I think it’s a great idea! I wish I could just pack up and change everything overnight.”

“That’s because you’re the spontaneous one,” Evie replied, taking a gulp of coffee as the locals strolled past. “I’m sensible. A planner. You know I don’t even change my shampoo without serious research and a list of pros and cons. Maybe that’s what got me into this,” she mused. “I should have been more impulsive before now. Dyed my hair pink or gone backpacking around Brazil. Then all my recklessness wouldn’t have stored up and exploded in one big mess!”

Jules laughed. “It’s never too late to get crazy,” she said. “Pink’s your color. And you haven’t made a mess. In fact, I think breaking out of your old routine is exactly what you need right now. I’m proud of you.”

Evie gave a sigh. “I don’t suppose you could bring that pep talk out here for a visit, in person?” she asked hopefully, remembering that she didn’t know a single person in town.

“Soon, I promise. Things are crazy here in the office, and Rory’s traveling all month. That’s the problem with working for your boyfriend.”

“HR meetings about sexual harassment policy?” Evie suggested, and Jules laughed.

“No, I’m too good at my job! Ever since I started, Rory’s in so much demand, I never see him anymore.”

Jules was a social media whiz, and she sent all her clients’ businesses skyrocketing. Evie couldn’t tell her tweets from her snaps, but she knew she’d be glad of the expertise when it came to launching the Beachcomber Inn to the public. “Well, whenever you can find a weekend, come stay. You’d like this place, it’s like a Hallmark movie came to life,” she said, looking around the town square with its cute boutiques and shaded central lawn.

“You mean, complete with seasonal festivals and hunky locals … like Mr. Montgomery?” Jules asked, teasing.

Evie’s cheeks grew hotter just at the memory. “He probably isn’t as hunky as I thought,” she said firmly. “Rosé-colored glasses and all. He probably has a bald patch, and a beer belly, and … and …” She couldn’t think of anything else, not with the image of Noah’s eyes still sizzling in her mind. “Besides, you should have heard how patronizing he was, insisting I couldn’t stay there for the night. I bet he’s just as ornery and disgruntled as we decided, only wrapped up in a vaguely attractive package.”

Illegally, almost heart-stoppingly attractive.

Jules gave a giggle. “It would be too good to be true,” she agreed. “A handsome man just showing up on your doorstep. Like pizza delivery, but with guys. Now, there’s a business idea,” she said. “Why hasn’t anyone tried it before?”

Evie grinned. “Because I think it’s illegal in forty-nine states.”

Jules snorted. “I didn’t mean that! Although, now you mention it, you haven’t had much action in that department for a while now …”

“My romantic life—or lack of it—isn’t the point,” Evie said, still flustered. “Anyway, Noah clearly thinks I’ve lost my mind. I was babbling and messy. You know what I’m like when I’m drunk.”

“Yup. You’re adorable,” Jules said, and then yelped. “Crapwaffle, I have a meeting. Talk soon, love you!”

“Love you back.”

Evie hung up and took another sip of coffee, looking around her new home. She hadn’t been exaggerating its charms to Jules. The town was just as quaint and picturesque as the photos she’d seen online, with quiet, tree-lined streets, a town square fringed