Chapter 23 #2
The little boy shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Then he returned to his project.
Reid clasped his fingers with Kaiah’s, and they walked in the direction of the market. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she said, and then she laughed. “You’ve asked me that at least a dozen times since I got up this morning. I promise
you I’m okay. Really.”
He lifted a suspicious eyebrow. “You sure?”
“Ugh!” She playfully smacked his shoulder. “Yes. I’m positive.” She pointed toward the lighthouse. “How are the tours going?”
“Great. We’ve been busy since we opened at nine, but when we had a lull Ashley told me to take a break. And I wanted to check
on you.” The delicious aroma of popcorn drifted over him. “Hungry?”
“Not really,” she said. “It’s not lunchtime yet.” Her eyes lifted to the stage. “Oh look. The Sandy Boots Brothers are setting
up.” She quickened her steps, leading him to the stage. “I wanted to hear them play ever since we met the lead singer.”
After a few moments, the opening chords of a familiar song started before Brad Duncan and his brothers began a surprisingly
good rendition of “Fishin’ in the Dark” by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Almost immediately couples began dancing in front of the
stage while Brad belted out the lyrics.
Reid took both of Kaiah’s hands in his. “Dance with me.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” he repeated. “Dance with me, Kaiah. Please.”
“Um, I’m not much of a dancer.”
“Me neither. But nineties country is calling us, and we must answer.” He pulled her toward him. “Come on.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “Okay.”
She wound her arms around his neck while he settled his hands on her waist, right above the swell of her hips. They swayed to the music, and he breathed in her flowery scent. Having her so close to him sent his senses spinning.
All too soon, the song ended, and Kaiah gave Reid a shy smile as she stepped away from him. Claps, cheers, and whistles erupted
in the gathering crowd. Reid and Kaiah clapped too.
“Thank y’all,” Brad said. “We’re The Sandy Boots Brothers, and we’re locals here.”
More whistles sounded.
“We’re so happy that you’ve joined us for this Light the Dark Festival. Now we’re going to play one of our favorites.” Brad
motioned to the crowd. “If y’all know it, y’all sing it with us.” He addressed his brothers. “One, two, three,” he said before
they began playing another song.
Reid recognized it immediately as one of his mother’s favorites—Shenandoah’s “Next to You, Next to Me.” He reached for Kaiah’s
hand and towed her to him. Once again, Kaiah wrapped her arms around his neck, and Reid held her close while they swayed to
the music.
When she rested her cheek against his collarbone, Reid thought he might just float away. Kaiah fit into his arms as if she
were made just for him. As he held her, for a moment he imagined what life could be like if she decided to stay in Coral Cove.
They could do this at every community concert, swaying to the music, just the two of them. They could go to the festival every
year. They could make a donation and smile, sharing that they’d raised their family in Coral Cove. At that moment, he wanted
nothing more.
The song ended, and Kaiah held on to Reid’s hand and steered him toward the food vendors. “How about some nachos?”
“I never say no to nachos.”
He purchased a plate of nachos and two sodas, and they sat on a bench facing the lighthouse. They ate their snack while visitors moved in and out of the historic structure.
Kaiah looked up at the sky, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh.
“What was that for?” he asked before bumping his arm gently against her.
“It’s the perfect day. The sun is sparkling on the water. The sky is blue. The seagulls are singing. And we’re here together.”
She glanced around before her focus rested on him. “I love it here.”
“Then stay.”
The words slipped out of his mouth before he could think about them. But when he heard himself say it, he didn’t care. It
was now or never.
Her eyes grew wide as saucers.
“Stay, Kaiah. I mean it.” His heart began to pound while she remained quiet. “You can work anywhere, right? Why not make this
your home base? You could travel all you want, write any story you want, and then come home to me and Piper.”
“I . . .” Kaiah’s hands fiddled with a napkin while she kept her eyes trained on the water, staring at the boats with colorful
sails passing by as if part of a parade. “Just let me think about it, okay?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
He nodded at her, but heat began to climb up his neck.
Who was he kidding? Kaiah was an accomplished journalist. She lived in New York and flew all over the country, chasing her
work. Why would she ever consider moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere?
He finished his drink, then tossed the cup and empty plate into a trash can. “We’d better get back to our posts.” He pointed
toward the lighthouse. “The line for the tours is getting pretty long.” He started toward the lighthouse.
“Reid!” She hurried after him and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
Her blue eyes searched his. “Look, I don’t mean to hurt you.
I really care about you and Piper. I do.
But I . . . I just need time.” She paused, staring down at the ground for a beat before tilting her chin back up.
“I got an offer from a bigger magazine. It was completely unexpected.”
“Really?” He tried to keep his voice from betraying the shock currently rocking him at the core. He gave her a weak smile.
“Yeah. I was going to tell you, but I was waiting for the right time.”
“That’s . . . that’s so exciting, Ky. Which magazine?”
“It’s called US Road Trip. It’s pretty well-known in my circle.”
“I’ve heard of it.” He nodded as disappointment and dread doused any shred of hope that she’d stay with him.
He was going to lose Kaiah. He had no idea how his heart—or Piper’s—would ever recover.
“That’s a big deal,” he managed to croak out.
“Yeah, it is.”
They stared at each other, and he tilted his head. “How long have you known?”
“Since this morning.” She shifted her weight on her feet. “I checked my email when I went upstairs to get ready, and I found
a message from a managing editor there.” Frowning, she folded her arms over her middle.
“You knew this morning,” he repeated.
She nodded, and another pang of disappointment and hurt radiated through him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
“I-I didn’t know how.” She looked out toward the lighthouse and then back at him.
“I guess I didn’t want to hurt you.” She cleared her throat.
“My Coral Cove articles have been going viral, and an editor was impressed with my work, so she reached out and said she wanted to talk to me, and she included her phone number, but I . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she continued to avoid his gaze.
He waited for her to continue, but she remained silent.
“Did you call her?”
“Not yet. I need time to think about it. I would have to move to Washington, DC.” She rubbed a spot on her cheek. “I’m sorry,
Reid. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for years. It’s just a lot to think about. I haven’t fully processed
it.”
He rested his hands on her forearms. “Ky, stop apologizing. I’m so proud of you. You’ve worked hard, and you’ve earned this.”
She gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”
He tried to return the gesture, but his attempt at a grin felt like a grimace. “Listen, I get it.” He kissed her forehead.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” she whispered again.
But as they walked toward the lighthouse, he was certain he’d felt a crack start to fracture his heart.
The last thing he wanted to do was hold Kaiah back. No matter how much it hurt him to let her go.
That evening, Reid handed Kaiah the keys to the Suburban so she could drive them home.
“I had a blast working at arts and crafts today,” Kaiah said, making a turn toward Reid’s neighborhood. “Piper and Astrid
were great helpers when your mom brought them by.” She peered in the back seat where Piper softly snored, and she smiled.
“Piper is all tuckered out.”
When Reid didn’t answer, she studied him. He was staring straight out the windshield, seeming to be lost in thought.
“Reid?” She touched his arm, and his eyes snapped to hers. “You look like you’re a million miles away.”
“Sorry.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
She thought back to earlier in the day, how his demeanor changed when she told him about the job offer right on the heels
of him asking her to say. Guilt burrowed deep in her gut. The job offer haunted her thoughts while she weighed whether to
stay in Coral Cove or move to DC. The magazine would be a huge step forward in her career, but she was falling for Reid and
loved his family. She felt stuck at a crossroads.
When she stopped at a red light, she spotted a cute pink bungalow with a For Rent sign in the front yard. A sign reading Flamingo’s Nest graced the front of the house, along with a pink flamingo, of course. She took in the little front yard, small porch, and
one-car garage.
This is perfect for me.
The thought startled her. But she decided to play along for a moment. If she were to take up Reid on his offer, she could
rent a little house like that one and make Coral Cove her home. She could continue the hustle of her freelance career and
maybe have the loving family she’d always dreamed of. But if she took the job with US Road Trip, she’d have the job she’d always longed for, with the resources and freedom to write about what she wanted. But she’d have
to move to Washington, DC.
Was she ready to give up her career dreams and settle down? And what if it didn’t work out with Reid? Or what if her freelance
jobs dried up? How would she support herself?
Was there a way that she could have both—the fulfilling life of a journalist along with a family that included Reid and Piper?
Reid continued to sit quietly in the passenger seat, and the chasm expanding between them was breaking her heart. When she parked in the driveway, she took his hand in hers. He stared down at their entwined hands. His eyes finally met hers, and the pain she found there nearly sliced her in two.
“Reid, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you,” she said softy, careful not to wake Piper and worry her. She sniffed as her
eyes stung. “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. But no matter what, I need you to know that I care about you and
Piper.”
He gave her a melancholy smile. “I understand, Ky. It’s a big decision, and I support whatever you decide.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Do you?”
“Of course.” He cupped his hand to her cheek, and she sucked in a breath, waiting for him to kiss her. Instead, he dropped
his hand and pushed open his door.
They climbed out of the SUV, and he picked up his sleeping daughter. Piper rested her head on his shoulder and continued to
snore softly.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she told him. “Bright and early, right?”
“Yeah.” He hesitated, and she held her breath, hoping he’d touch her. But he adjusted his daughter in his arms. “Good night,
Kaiah,” he said before heading toward the house.
She watched him go before hurrying up the stairs and retreating into the apartment. She sat on the sofa, powered up her laptop,
and stared at Anita’s message. The longer she looked at it, the more confusion swirled in her mind.
She opened a new document to start another article on the festival, but her thoughts kept returning to Reid’s offer to stay
and build a life in Coral Cove. The pain in his eyes when she’d rejected him sent another ribbon of sadness twisting her chest.
Clicking onto her internet browser, she typed the address for the little pink house into the search bar, and the home appeared on her screen. She scrolled through the photos—a small kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, a small den, and a little screened-in porch.
It really is perfect for me.
She studied the monthly rent and tried to imagine a life there—spending time with Reid, Piper, and their family. A family,
a real family, something she’d craved since she’d lost her mother.
But what would she do about her career? And was she ready to trust another man with her heart?
And what if things didn’t work out with Reid? What then?
Well, once again she’d simply have to find the strength to pick up the pieces and move on. But somehow she knew that if she
lost Reid, rebuilding her world would be even more painful this time. Reid was so different from Hayes. He added so much love
and joy and peace to her life, the opposite of Hayes, who seemed to take much more than he gave. At the same time, having
a relationship with Reid meant she also had Piper to think about. If she made a commitment to Reid, then she’d have to make
a commitment to Piper. And the last thing she ever wanted to do was break that little girl’s heart.
Her head started to spin, and she collapsed against the back of the sofa. This was all too much to think about.
Her phone dinged with a text, and she found Kam’s name on the screen.
Kam: Hey, sis! I haven’t heard from you. Everything okay?
Kaiah studied the screen and took a cleansing breath. She could call her sister and spend hours weighing the pros and cons
of staying in Coral Cove as opposed to taking the job with US Road Trip, but she was too exhausted to rehash her hospital stay or her confusing feelings for Reid.
Instead, she just wanted to pour herself into another article, into sharing the fantasy of Coral Cove. After all, it was Monday,
and the festival ended Thursday. She wanted to lose herself in her last few days of Coral Cove before she faced saying goodbye.
With her thumbs hovering over the phone, Kaiah texted back: Hey, Kam! How you feeling? I’m so sorry I haven’t texted. I’ve been so busy with the festival and writing. Everything’s fine.
I’m heading to bed, but I promise I’ll call later this week.
The dancing dots appeared almost immediately.
Kam: I’m fine. No problem. Talk to you later. Tell Mr. TDH I said hi, and have a fun week.
Releasing a long sigh, Kaiah opened a blank document on her computer and tried to concentrate on writing her next article
instead of rehashing her confusing feelings for Reid, for Piper, and the life-changing decision she’d have to make way too
soon.