Chapter 30
The kettle began to whistle, a familiar, cheerful sound in the quiet of the keeper’s quarters.
Winnie moved from the window, where she’d been watching the last sunset spill across the Gulf.
She poured the steaming water over tea leaves in her favorite ceramic pot.
The scent of bergamot filled the kitchen.
The back door creaked open. She didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Clint always entered that way, with a hesitation that suggested he was never quite sure of his welcome, even in the house where he’d spent half his childhood.
“There’s tea if you want some.” She set two mugs on the counter.
“Not staying.” His voice was low, as usual. He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, holding a large, rectangular object wrapped in a simple brown blanket.
It was unusual for him to seek her out. Their interactions were mostly functional, centered on property maintenance and the needs of their tenants. “Everything all right?”
“Fine.” He shifted his weight. “Got something for you. A present. I kept waiting for the perfect time to give it to you… but… now seemed good.” He shrugged.
A present? The word felt foreign between them.
They didn’t exchange gifts, not since he was a boy and would bring her shells he’d found on the beach.
She dried her hands on a dish towel and waited as he carried the object to the kitchen table.
He unwrapped it carefully, his large, calloused hands surprisingly gentle.
It was Emily’s painting of the lighthouse study.
Her grandfather’s study.
She reached out, her fingers hovering just above the canvas, not daring to touch the textured surface. Emily had captured it all. Even the half-written letter, a detail that made Winnie’s heart ache with the memories flooding through her.
She had thought the memory of that room would fade with her. That it would become just another ghost in a house full of them. But here it was, painted by a woman who had never even seen it.
“Grant said the collectors wanted all three paintings,” Clint said quietly, watching her face. “I told him this one wasn’t for sale. That it belonged here. He agreed with me.”
She finally looked at him. “You bought it?”
He shrugged and dropped his gaze to the floor. “Figured it was the right thing to do.”
Winnie closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in the rough fabric of his shirt.
He stood stiffly for a moment, then his arms came around her in an awkward embrace.
She held on. The painting was a gift, but Clint’s understanding of why it mattered was the true present.
He had seen what the painting represented.
Not just art, but their history and their legacy.
She pulled back and smiled up at him. “Thank you, Clint. I never thought I’d see the painting again.”
“It’s just a painting, Aunt Win.” His gruffness was a shield, she knew.
“No. It’s more than that.”
He nodded once, then retreated toward the door. “Got to check the lights in the courtyard. Saw one that was flickering.” He was gone before she could say more, leaving her alone with the painting.
She carried the painting into the living room and propped it on the mantel. She moved a collection of old photographs to make room. It fit perfectly, as if it had always been meant to be there. The amber light from a nearby lamp made the painted brass of the oil lamp in the painting glow.
She sank into her armchair and just looked at the painting.
All those secrets. The ones the men in her family had documented in the journal and the ones they’d taken to their graves.
She wondered if she would ever piece the whole story together.
If she was even meant to. Maybe some secrets were best left undisturbed.
I hope you enjoyed Lighthouse Cottages, the first book in the Starlight Shores series.
I’m really enjoying writing about Winnie.
She’ll be an important character in all the books in the series.
Next up is Harbor Festival, because, you know me, I love to put festivals and small-town gatherings in my books.
In Harbor Festival, you’ll meet Cassidy, a burned-out marketing executive staying at Heron Cottage at the lighthouse.
And, of course, there will be more of Winnie and the mystery surrounding the history of the lighthouse.
Each time I sit down to write, I’m reminded of all of you who have embraced my stories of love and community. I hope you’ve found a bit of home in these pages.
As always, thanks for reading my stories. I truly appreciate all my readers. ~Kay