Chapter 13
“Have a good day, pumpkin,” Reid told Piper as he hugged her the next morning. He and Kaiah had dropped her off at school
before they carried the cookies in for the bake sale.
As Kaiah hugged Piper next, he smiled as he remembered how much he’d enjoyed baking cookies yesterday. He couldn’t remember
the last time he’d laughed so much. And for a moment he’d found himself longing to kiss this woman again. She’d somehow managed
not only to become his friend but also to bring his heart back to life. He hadn’t felt this alive since—
“Where do we take these cookies?”
Kaiah’s question broke through his thoughts. She pointed to the boxes full of lighthouse cookies while Piper scampered down
the hallway, disappearing into the sea of students on their way to class.
He picked up the stack of boxes. “I’m assuming we take them to the office.”
“Hold on there, Lieutenant,” she scolded while reaching for a box. “Let me take a few of these.”
He nodded in the direction of the office. “Just get the door, please.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” She gave him a salute and grinned as she opened the door, making a sweeping gesture for him to enter.
“Are those for the bake sale?” Misty Rodriguez, one of the PTO members, asked from an office doorway.
Reid set the stack of boxes on the counter. “They sure are.” He motioned toward Kaiah. “We made them yesterday—with Piper’s
help, of course. Kaiah, this is Misty. She’s a member of the PTO.”
“You have to see our lighthouses.” Kaiah opened the box and handed Misty a bag of cookies.
“Oh my goodness.” Misty examined the bag. “These are so perfect.” She set the box down and disappeared into the office. “Let
me show you what we put together last night.” She handed Reid a flyer with details about the festival, including the website
where volunteers could register.
Kaiah came to stand at his shoulder, and he breathed in the scent of her flowery shampoo. “They’re dynamite.” She touched
the flyer. “We should give these out in town. We could encourage people to sign up for the marathon too.”
“Hang on a minute.” Misty slipped into the office and returned with a stack of flyers. “You can blanket the town with these.
And if you need more, I can print more.”
Kaiah took the flyers. “Thank you. Let’s head to Main Street.”
Kaiah slipped on her pink sunglasses and held up a flyer. “This is fabulous. We need to pass these around.”
“I agree. But first, let’s check in with the electrician,” Reid said while merging onto Main Street.
“I’m concerned about the lighthouse. Becca told me Mr. Johnson got a key from one of the historical society members and researched what kind of wiring would need to be done.
He’s been trying to find someone who can fix the lamp.
We have exactly a week now before we’ll need to illuminate it, and we want to keep our theme. ”
Kaiah took in his profile while he sat in the driver’s seat beside her, and she couldn’t help but notice that he was looking
good today—like, really good. Once again she imagined what his kiss would’ve felt like if the principal hadn’t interrupted them.
A hot, kind, and caring man wanted to kiss her. A happy thrill skittered in her belly.
He peered over at her. “Why are you staring at me?”
“You look good. I mean, um . . .” Oh no! Just like that, her cheeks reddened and felt like they were going to spontaneously combust. “What I meant was, you look like
you’re well rested.” I don’t know how you managed to make it more weird, Ky, but you just succeeded. Great job.
He flicked on his left blinker and then merged onto the road leading toward the bay side of Coral Cove. After merging, he
grinned at her. “And you look like you ‘slept well’ too.”
She swallowed a groan and sank down in the seat. She thought she might drown in embarrassment.
“Hey.” He rubbed her shoulder. “All Piper talked about last night and this morning was how much fun she had baking cookies.
Thanks again for that.”
Kaiah gave him a weak smile. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m serious. Piper had a great time. That means a lot, Ky.”
The warmth in his kind brown eyes made her soul take a leap. “You’re welcome. I had fun too.”
Reid parked his Suburban in front of Johnson’s Electric, a storefront a few blocks from the beach, and then killed the engine. “Let’s go see if we’re actually going to have a lighthouse brightening the sky next week.”
Kaiah followed him to the door, and he held it open for her. A bell rang announcing their entrance, and a young man wearing
a shirt with Rob sewn above the breast pocket met them at the front desk.
“How can I help you?” Rob asked.
“We’re looking for Duke,” Reid said. “Is he around?”
“One sec.” The young man disappeared through a doorway, and a few moments later Duke appeared.
“Reid, right?” Duke asked, and Reid nodded. Then he pointed at Kaiah. “And you’re the journalist.”
“Kaiah Ross.” She shook his hand. “We wanted to check on the lighthouse.”
Reid relaxed against the counter. “My sister said you got a key from Jimmy Barnes so you could check out the wiring in the
lighthouse. Have you found a contractor who could help you fix the wiring issues?”
Duke’s grim expression sent worry threading through Kaiah. “Not yet. I’ve been calling around, and I’ve done a bunch of research,
but no luck so far.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Kaiah offered.
“Not unless you know some electricians,” he said, but both Kaiah and Reid shook their heads. “I’m not giving up yet. I have
some calls in to the union, and I’m also reaching out to some old friends on the West Coast. I’ll let you know when I find
something out.”
Reid stood up straight. “We want to kick off the festival with a lighting ceremony, so we only have a week to get it done.”
“I know.” Duke nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you,” Kaiah said. “We appreciate your help.”
Reid shook his hand, and Duke promised to keep in touch.
They were silent while Reid drove down the road. The only sound came from the rumble of the SUV’s engine and a country song
playing through the speakers. Reid’s stiff posture and the crease in his brow illustrated his worry.
“I think it’s going to be fine,” Kaiah told him. “Duke has contacts, and I’m sure there’s someone out there who will want
to help us.”
Reid sighed. “I know.” He moved his fingers over the steering wheel. “But if the lighthouse isn’t lit up . . .”
“It’s going to work out, Reid,” she said. “Have faith.”
He smiled at her. “You’re right. We’ll concentrate on talking to the merchants for now. Let’s swing by the graphic designer
and talk to them about donating banners too.”
Reid drove to the oceanfront, and after he found a parking spot, they went into Stuart’s Signs and Print Shop, where the owners,
Daphne and Dan Stuart, agreed to donate banners for the event. They gave them flyers for inspiration and stopped by Baudo’s
Trattoria to leave a few flyers and discuss featuring the lighthouse-shaped calzones at the Light Snack food event.
They walked outside, and Kaiah breathed in the fresh scent of the ocean while the sun kissed her cheeks.
She grabbed Reid’s hand and tugged. “Let’s go to the boardwalk.”
He allowed her to tow him down the sidewalk, past a group of young adults who left the scent of sunscreen in their wake. When
they reached the boardwalk, Kaiah took in the row of storefronts, along with the clusters of people moving in and out their
doors. Out on the beach, she found knots of people sunbathing and playing in the sand.
She faced Reid and said, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” Then she jogged down the steps and stopped when she realized he wasn’t chasing her. She tented her hands over her eyes and studied him standing on the boardwalk. “Are you coming?”
“Where are you going?” he asked with a chuckle.
She pointed toward the waves. “To dip my toes in the water.”
“It’s April. The water’s still cold.”
“But we’re at the beach, Lieutenant Turner!” She ran down to the water, dropped her sandals on the sand, and stood by the
waves lapping on the shore.
Reid came up behind her and pulled off his shoes. “It’s going to be cold,” he declared. “I’m warning you.”
“I know.” She walked out to where the water reached her ankles, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the cool water rushing past
her toes and up to her ankles. When she opened her eyes, she found Reid watching her with an intensity that sent heat rushing
through her veins. She held her hand out to him. “Humor me, Reid.”
He took her hand, and they stood in the waves together. “It is cold,” he grumbled. “I told you it would be.”
“Don’t be such a sourpuss,” she deadpanned, and he laughed. “You must have loved every moment growing up at the beach.” She
looked out toward where the waves broke.
“Honestly, I don’t think I really appreciated it until after high school. I love it now. I would hate waking up someplace
where I didn’t have the option to come out here and do this. Even when the water’s freezing.”
“I can understand that.” She watched a few couples plodding past in the sand.
“Would you ever consider living in a small town like this?”
His question caught her off guard, and her gaze collided with his. “I-I don’t know. Maybe,” she said.
He nodded.
Kaiah took in the scene around her. “Say, what if we had a beach cleanup day during the festival? We could combine it with
picnics at the beach.”
“You’re on a roll, you know that?” He snapped his fingers on his free hand. “We once made kites in Boy Scouts, and it was
fun. Instead of just having an arts and crafts booth, we could also hold a whole arts and crafts day. Kids could make kites and then have a kite-flying contest. I bet we could ask the owner of Crafty Creations to sponsor it.”
“I love it!” Kaiah said.
“Let’s go talk to some more business owners,” he said. “We can get them to help out.”
Kaiah held his hand while they traveled back toward their parking spot, and her heart felt light. She was certain the festival