The Lighthouse at the Cove

Chapter 1

A warm sun was shining as Kaiah Ross rolled down the windows of her Land Rover Discovery to breathe in the salty air that

held a fresh hint of early spring. She curved her hands around the wheel of her SUV as she studied the open road hugging the

coast that stretched ahead, a ribbon of possibilities that made her heart flutter with excitement. On the radio Taylor Swift

began to softly sing about a Romeo and Juliet who were blessed with a much better ending than the original pair had, and Kaiah

tapped the Volume Up button a few notches so the promise of the song could fill her ears and perhaps drown out her doubts

that a love story could have such a happy ending, even for her.

Hey, Ky, knock it off. The vibes are immaculate right now. Just soak in this glorious day!

And glorious it was. As a native New Yorker, Kaiah had never visited coastal North Carolina, but she could tell from the sparkling blue water that matched the cerulean sky that perhaps this visit wouldn’t be her last. She was on her way to Edisto Beach in South Carolina, the subject of an article in a series she’d been writing about hidden gems where people should spend time on the East Coast. From Maryland to Florida, she was documenting places off the beaten path for The Traveler, an online magazine.

The assignment was one many travel journalists would snatch up in a heartbeat—a fun series of articles

to write on someone else’s dime, and . . .

Uh-oh.

Small, flashing lights dotted her peripheral vision. Her gaze locked on her SUV’s dashboard where two red lights illuminated.

She was sure they weren’t there earlier. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a light glowing there—not

since before her last tune-up.

But there they were, two red symbols glowing ominously in front of her. Wait, was one of them a thermometer? Kaiah shifted

her attention to her temperature gauge and felt a jolt run through her chest. The needle had entered the red zone and was

rising—quickly. She looked back at the dash and saw the dreaded Check Engine light shining like a big, scary warning beacon.

Oh no. No, no, no.

Her sister Kamryn had warned her about trusting the fifteen-year-old SUV on another long trip, and she’d tried to convince

Kaiah to buy a newer vehicle. But Kaiah just shook her head at the warning. She had faith in Daisy, her trusty four-wheeled

companion. Besides that, a new car wasn’t in her budget.

Well, Kam, looks like you win. I should’ve listened earlier.

The muscles in Kaiah’s shoulders felt like boulders as she guided the car to the shoulder and turned off the radio to assess her situation.

She was alone on a road trip in an unfamiliar state, driving an overheating vehicle.

What should she do? She could call Kam, but what did her sister know about fixing a car?

And her brother-in-law was an accountant, not a mechanic, so he probably couldn’t help much either.

“Okay, Ky,” she whispered. “You’ve got this. You just have to find an auto shop. We’ll take it easy until we get back into

civilization.”

She turned her key and shifted into Drive as she pulled back onto the road. Surely someone could fix her SUV in a jiffy, and

then she’d be on her way. She still had five more hours to drive before reaching her destination in South Carolina.

But all she saw was an endless two-lane highway—blacktop and nothing else. She was somewhere in North Carolina, but where?

Before she could pull out her phone and check Google Maps, she spotted a sign up ahead, and hope surged through her.

“Come on, Daisy,” she whispered to her car, gently patting the dashboard. “You can do this, girl. Just a little bit more,

and then you get to rest.”

The temperature gauge continued to rise.

Oh no. If the needle kept moving forward, the engine would burn up, right? Hadn’t she read that somewhere? There was no way

she could afford to replace the engine in this car. She’d opted for a used Land Rover, thinking the trusted name brand would

yield a more reliable car. But the tune-ups on the foreign car were pricey enough, let alone replacing an engine. And as a

freelance writer, her budget was tight.

The sign came into view: Coral Cove Next Exit.

Yes! A town! All was not lost!

“Coral Cove,” she muttered. “Let’s hope they have a mechanic close by.”

She merged onto the off-ramp and held her breath, praying the sign for a repair shop would appear right in front of her, like

a mirage in the desert.

Instead, an adorable Welcome to Coral Cove sign featuring a sandy beach and colorful umbrellas filled her vision.

“Nice,” she whispered to herself. So there’s a gorgeous beach. What else do they have? Any mechanics?

And then a postcard-perfect little town came into view. Kaiah slowly drove down Main Street and spied several small shops,

a town hall, and an elementary school. Everything looked like it belonged in a coffee table book of Americana. In the distance

near the shoreline, she spotted a tall column wrapped in black-and-white stripes. It took her a second to realize she was

staring at a real-life lighthouse.

She’d found civilization! And not only that, a storybook beach town. Surely she’d end up okay in this place, right?

She felt the boulders begin to roll off her shoulders . . . until she noticed steam beginning to drift out from under Daisy’s

hood.

“Seriously?” she groaned. “This can’t be good.”

Although a new car wasn’t an option, she should’ve at least taken Daisy into the shop before she’d left New York, just to

be sure she was ready for another long trip. But she’d been in a rush to get on the road. And look what that got her.

“In a town this small, there’s got to be a mechanic nearby,” she muttered, trying to ignore the lights glowing on the dashboard and the steam pouring from the

hood.

She gripped the wheel tight. Surely Daisy could make it a few more miles so that Kaiah wouldn’t have to call a tow truck,

which would be out of her price range, or ask someone to help her push the car.

And then the oasis she’d been hoping for appeared: a sign for Coral Cove Car Care. This time a surge of hope coursed through

her body.

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “We’ve got this, Daisy. They’re going to make you brand-new. Maybe we’ll be out of here in a couple

hours.”

She steered the car into the right lane, and as soon as the parking lot came into view, she drove in and pulled into the very last spot.

Shouldering her backpack purse, Kaiah climbed out of the vehicle and hurried past the line of cars in the parking lot. Hopefully

they weren’t all waiting for service. If they were, she’d be stuck here until Christmas.

She jogged up to the one-story cinderblock building with six garage bays and a glass front boasting the business’s name and

logo. When she pulled open the front door, a bell rang as she inhaled the scent of rubber tires mixed with weak coffee wafting

from the ancient coffee maker in the lobby. Several tire displays led to a long counter, where a middle-aged man with a name

tag that read Bill, Manager stood talking on the phone. He nodded at her and then finished his conversation about air filters before hanging up.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

She pointed toward the door. “I’m on my way from New York to South Carolina, and my car is overheating. Could you possibly

fix it today?” She folded her hands as if saying a prayer. And do you take credit cards too?

“Oh.” He rubbed the gray scruff on his neck. “I can get the mechanic to try and diagnose the issue, but I’m not sure we can

fix it today.” He came around the counter. “Let’s take a look.”

They walked to the parking lot together, and Kaiah popped the hood.

“The temperature gauge and Check Engine light came on, and by the time I got here, steam was pouring out from under the hood,”

she explained.

“Hmm.” His brow furrowed.

“Do you have Wi-Fi?” she asked.

He lifted a bushy eyebrow.

“So I can work while you figure out what’s going on,” she explained. “I noticed a little sitting area.”

“We do, ma’am,” he said. “But how about this? I doubt we’ll be able to fix this problem today, so let’s fill out some paperwork

and you can leave the key with me. I’ll be in touch after we take a look.” He pointed toward the road. “If you want to find

a place to work, there’s a coffee shop a couple of blocks from here. I promise it has more comfortable chairs and much better

coffee than we can offer.”

Ten minutes later, Kaiah found herself strolling down the heart of Coral Cove’s Main Street. She pushed her sunglasses farther

up on her nose as she took in the quaint shops lining the street. Customers walked in the double doors of Beach Reads and

came out of Crafty Creations carrying shopping bags full of yarn and knitting needles. The scent of freshly baked pizza dough

drifted out of A Slice of Heaven as she hurried past, and a small smile played on her lips. Everything in this oceanside town

reminded her of the summer trips to New England she’d taken with her family when she was a kid. Kaiah had loved perusing the

stores with her parents and sisters, looking for something special to spend her allowance on. Warmth began to bloom in her

chest as images of those sun-dappled days filled her mind.