Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,63

“I forgot that was today.”

“Lucky you,” Noah teased. “I’m the one who’s been buying up liquid soap all week—and who had to pick up five tons of burgers to grill today.”

He stretched again, and Evie was distracted for a moment as she took in the sight of him, the planes of his body gold in the warm morning light.

She could look at this man forever.

Then he pulled on a T-shirt. Not that it was much better—or any less drool-worthy.

“Do you need any help?” she asked, reluctantly getting out of bed, too. But she’d barely made it two paces across the floor before Noah swept her up.

“I do. In the shower,” he said, a wolfish grin on his face.

“Oh, really?”

“There’s a spot on my back I just can’t reach,” he continued, walking her over to the white-tiled en suite. “And didn’t you say you need to test this new steam setting?”

“I thought we tested it last night,” Evie said, her stomach flipping over at the memory.

“We need to be thorough,” Noah said, as his hands slid over her body. “Very, very thorough …”

It was another hour before Noah left to prep for the fundraiser, and Evie finally skipped downstairs with a satisfied smile on her face. Well, at least now she knew every feature on those brand-new showerheads.

Intimately.

She got to the bottom of the stairs and looked around. “Hello?” she called out, expecting the usual cacophony of noise. “Eggsy? Mitch? Spike? Who wants coffee and donuts?”

Silence.

Evie kept expecting to round a corner and find the guys, but as she made her way through the house, it was empty. There were no drop cloths crumpled in the corner, no film of sawdust on the banister. No sweaty men in paint-stained overalls. She found Cooper relaxing on the back porch overlooking the bay, sipping from a paper coffee cup. He smiled in greeting.

“Hey there.”

“Where is everyone?” she asked, confused.

“They’re onto the next job,” he replied. “We’re all finished here.”

“What?” Evie couldn’t believe it. “I thought you were still working on the kitchen?”

“Not anymore. We got the new cabinet hardware fixed and that faucet replaced to match.”

Her mind ran over the endless to-do list. “What about the guest bathroom in back, the one with the leak—”

“Stella came by and tightened up the pipes,” Cooper interrupted. “And my guys worked overtime this week to get the final coat of paint on the exterior. You’re all set. I promise. I just came by to drop off our final invoice—and to wish you good luck,” he added with a grin.

Evie took the envelope, still in a state of disbelief. After a solid month of hammering and sawing and tripping over buckets of paint, she couldn’t believe the work was finally over.

“Thank you,” she managed. “I … thanks!”

“You’re welcome.” Cooper looked up at the house, now grand as a wedding cake with white painted siding and a crisp, sky blue trim. “It’s a great house. And I’m sure you’ll do great things.”

“Will I see you at the firehouse later?” she asked, walking him back to the front door.

“Absolutely. You think I’d miss it?” Cooper said, grinning. “I bet Aunt June’s already got a wad of dollar bills to throw around.”

“It’s a car wash, not a Chippendales show!” Evie protested, and he laughed.

“You tell that to June.”

He headed out, leaving Evie alone in the inn for what felt like the very first time—since her arrival in Sweetbriar Cove, at least. Wandering the halls, she could hardly believe this was the same house as the dilapidated, musty old home that had driven her to the edge of a wine-fueled hysterical breakdown.

Now, the floors gleamed deep and rich in the morning sun, and every room was freshly painted, airy and bright. She walked through the welcoming foyer, past her front office nook, and through to the cozy library with its deep-teal-painted bookcases and classic William Morris–style wallpaper. The room looked as if it had been designed that way for a hundred years, and Evie could just see herself curling up here with a good book. Just beyond, the lounge and dining room waited for their furniture, windows flung open to let in the sea breeze. Outside on the porch, the railings had been restored and the rotten planks mended; all it needed now were some comfy wicker chairs for guests to sit in while they enjoyed the beach views. The bedrooms were all sunny and serene, and even the awkward L-shaped annex on the side of the house that Evie had