Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,86

She never wanted to take this happiness for granted.

“Morning, sunshine,” Noah murmured, greeting her with a sleepy kiss. Evie smiled, snuggling back into his arms, so close that she could feel his heart beating against her chest.

“Good morning.” She beamed, reaching to push his mussed-up hair from his face. Sure, the guy could take her breath away when he was clean-shaven, dressed up for a date, but he was still heart-stoppingly handsome with stubble on his jaw and sleep in his eyes.

In fact, he pretty much melted her whatever the time of day.

Her alarm sounded again, and Evie kicked off the covers and leapt out of bed. As much as she loved lounging with Noah, there was no time to waste.

“Big day,” he said, watching her with a smile. “Are you nervous?”

“No,” Evie replied, grabbing her robe. Then she paused. “Yes. No. Maybe just a little.” It was the official grand opening of the inn, she was fully booked, and half the town was coming to celebrate. After so much planning and renovation, it was hard to believe that the big day had finally arrived.

Noah chuckled. “You’ll be great. Besides, it’s an easy crowd you’ll be having. Not like Bunny.”

Evie winced. Bunny had packed up and checked out before she even made it back to the inn that day, but even if it had cost her the chance of a rave review, Evie would have done it all over just the same way.

She had Noah back, and that was worth five stars, any day.

“I put on the invitations for people to drop by after one p.m.,” she said, running over her final to-do list. She’d figured a casual open house suited the B&B more than a fancy party, so they were throwing a big beach BBQ, with food and games for everyone. “And then the first guests will arrive in the afternoon and get to enjoy all the fun.” She paused, feeling a tremor of those nerves she’d been so certain she wouldn’t feel. “What happens if nobody shows up?”

“Then we’ll be eating cake and champagne for a week,” Noah replied with a grin.

“What if too many people come?” she asked, still worried. “I sent out two hundred invites! Not everybody has RSVPed, but if they all show up—”

“Then I’ll run to the store and buy more food,” Noah reassured her. “Relax, the hard part is over. Whatever happens now, we can handle it.”

We …

Evie felt a glow. She was still getting used to the fact she had a partner now—someone to lean on, and worry with, and quiz about his opinion on music selections for the record player in the lounge. Noah cared just as much about the success of the inn as she did. In fact, he’d been the one up late last night, insisting on stamping a hundred sets of stationery with the Beachcomber letterhead to have ready for the guests.

That is, until she’d slipped off her dress and beckoned him up to bed.

Now it was Noah’s turn to distract her, as his lips grazed the curve of her neck and his hands roamed under her robe. Evie gave a sigh of longing. “I have a million things to do,” she protested, even as she pulled him in for another kiss. This one deepened, until her knees were weak and Noah was pulling her back towards the bed.

“So?” he murmured, sliding her robe to the floor. “Make it a million and one …”

One hour—and definitely more than one new thing ticked off her list—Evie finally dragged herself out of Noah’s arms and headed up into Sweetbriar Cove. She wanted to pick up fresh flowers and a few final luxury touches for the rooms. Maybe it was a little much to place individual gift boxes of handmade chocolate truffles in every room, but she wanted her first guests to be blown away by every last detail.

“What do you think, roses or hydrangeas?” she asked, admiring the colorful displays in the florist shop. There were so many beautiful blooms, she didn’t know where to begin. “I need some big arrangements for the main rooms downstairs and then little bouquets for each room.”

“Then stay away from those lilies,” Rose advised, steering her across to some spring displays. “The last thing you want is a guest sneezing all over the place with allergies.”

“Good point,” Evie laughed.

“How about the tulips? I just got a big batch in, and they’ll look gorgeous with some ranunculus … maybe a few sweet peas …”

Evie watched