Chapter 5
“I’ll get it!”
Later that evening, Piper rushed to the door. She threw it open and clapped when she found her aunt, uncle, and cousin standing
on the porch. “Hi!” She grabbed her cousin’s hand, and the girls ran down the hallway toward Piper’s room, giggling the whole
way.
Cash, Becca’s husband, held the door open for his wife while balancing a covered dish in his other hand. “They act like they
haven’t seen each other in years every time they get together.”
“How come you’re never that happy to see me?” Reid teased his twin.
Becca rolled her eyes. “I see you enough.” She held out a cake server. “We brought baked beans and a chocolate cake.”
“My favorites.” Reid took the cake server from her and opened the lid, the rich cocoa scent filling the room. “Yum.”
His sister followed him to the kitchen and swiveled her head back and forth. “Where’s the pretty blonde?” she demanded.
“Most likely in the apartment.” He set the cake on the counter while his brother-in-law put the covered dish beside it.
Cash swiped a handful of chips from the bowl in the center of the table. “What pretty blonde?”
Becca quickly summarized how Kaiah came to stay in Reid’s empty apartment. “Have you talked to her since yesterday?”
“Piper invited her for breakfast this morning. Then we gave her a tour of the town and stopped at the grocery store on our
way home.” Reid pulled a stack of plates from the cabinet. “I invited her to join us for supper, but she said she had to do
some research for her next article.”
Becca arched an eyebrow. “Well, that sounds like a full day. Did you have fun?”
Reid nodded. “Yeah. She and Piper seem to have clicked. Piper wouldn’t stop chatting and sharing stories with her.”
“Well, Piper is so shy,” Cash joked, and they all laughed.
Becca grinned at her twin. “You should tell her to invite Kaiah for supper.”
“Becks, the woman said no. She’ll have her car back in a couple days and head to her next destination for her travel series.”
His sister was quiet for a minute. The next time she spoke, her voice was soft. “Reid, it’s been four years. You’re allowed
to open up to someone again.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and forced his eyes to keep from rolling upward. He’d heard this lecture so many times,
he could almost recite it along with her. “Becks, come on. I know you mean well, but I have my daughter to think of. I don’t
need Piper to get attached and then have her heart broken when Kaiah leaves.”
“So that’s all this is about, huh? Just Piper?”
Reid shook his head and pulled cups out of the cabinet. He wasn’t in the mood for one of his sister’s interrogations. Dating wasn’t on his radar, and his twin knew better. But she still insisted on pushing him.
“Want me to warm up the grill?” Cash offered.
Reid was grateful for the change in subject. “How about you pull out the fixings, and I’ll start the grill?”
While Reid concentrated on grilling the burgers, Becca and Cash readied the toppings and sides. As soon as his parents, Blake
and Sue, arrived, the supper was on the table.
“Can we invite Miss Kaiah to join us?” Piper asked while she and Astrid sat in their usual spots across from Reid.
“Who’s Kaiah?” his mom asked.
“She’s busy, Piper. She told you that earlier.” Reid glanced over at his mother and took in her intrigued expression. “Kaiah
is an out-of-towner who had some car trouble. She’s staying in the garage apartment while her car is repaired.”
“I invited her for breakfast, and Daddy made us pancakes. Then we showed her the town,” Piper explained to her grandmother.
“Miss Kaiah and Daddy talked on the boardwalk while I played with Megan at the beach.”
“Is that right?”
Reid could’ve sworn Mom had a twinkle in her eye.
“Miss Kaiah writes stories,” Piper continued. “She used to have a dog named George, but her friend took her dog. She misses
him—the dog, I mean. I don’t know if she misses her friend. I have to ask her. I like her a lot, and I hope she stays a long
time. I think Daddy likes her too.” Piper took a bite from her cheeseburger and settled back on her chair.
His mother nodded slowly, a smirk on her face as she turned her attention toward Reid. “That’s very interesting. Is Kaiah single?”
Here we go again . . .
Reid took a deep, cleansing breath. “I don’t know, but she’s leaving very soon.”
“What a shame, son. She sounds lovely.”
Reid glanced across the table at Cash, hoping his brother-in-law would rescue him with another subject change, but he was
busy helping Astrid add copious amounts of ketchup and pickles to her cheeseburger. He decided to instigate his own subject
change. “What were you saying about the festival?” he asked his twin.
“It’s not good,” Becca began, her expression turning grave. “Our marketing budget is slashed, and the newspaper doesn’t have
a huge online footprint. Somehow we need to get the word out about the festival, or it will just be a waste of money.”
Cash rubbed his wife’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. It always is.”
“As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, if nobody comes to the festival, we won’t be able to raise any funds. Then who knows
how long the school will be overcrowded.” Becca picked up her glass of sweet tea. “We’ve done all of the fundraising we can
with the PTO. Now we have to rely on the festival. But the attendance the last few years has been tiny compared to what it
used to be. At this rate, we’re going to spend more money putting on the festival than we stand to make from it. That’s why
the committee wants to cancel it.”
Reid shook his head. “Don’t cancel it. We can make it happen.”
“I’m not so sure about that. We need to come up with a plan, and fast. We have an emergency committee meeting tomorrow,” Becca said. “I’ll let you know what happens.”
“That’s too bad, kids,” Dad said. “I remember going to the festival when I was little.”
Mom smiled. “Me too. It would be a shame to let that tradition die.”
“There has to be a way to make it happen,” Reid said. “And if there is, my twin will figure it out.”
Becca sighed. “Let’s hope so.”
After supper, his mother and sister helped Reid clean up the kitchen while his dad and Cash took care of the grill.
“Daddy,” Piper exclaimed as she flounced into the kitchen, pulling a rolling mermaid-covered suitcase behind her. “Me and
Astrid are having a sleepover tonight.”
Reid studied his daughter’s serious expression. “Oh you are, huh?”
Piper glanced at her cousin, who nodded and then faced Reid again. “Yep! We’ve been talking about which mermaids are the fastest
swimmers, and we’re not done yet. So can I stay at Astrid’s tonight?”
“What do you think, Becks?” he asked his sister.
“Fine with me. Are you working tomorrow?”
“Nope.”
“We love having Piper over. I’ll take them to school in the morning.”
The girls cheered in unison.
Reid walked his family out to driveway and waved goodbye while they drove away. When he turned back toward the house, his
eyes wandered to the apartment over the garage. An idea took hold of him, and he headed toward the stairs.
“You had a romantic walk on the boardwalk with Mr. TDH and his adorable daughter,” Kamryn said while she grinned over FaceTime.
“He sounds like a thoughtful guy and a good dad.”
Kaiah nodded. “Yeah, I agree. Too bad I won’t be here long enough to find out.”
After spending over an hour researching Coral Cove and the glorious lighthouse, Kaiah had made some microwave popcorn and searched for a movie to stream. Then her sister had called and demanded the latest on Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
A knock sounded on the door. “Who could that be?” Kaiah asked.
“I bet it’s Mr. TDH coming to whisk you away,” Kam teased.
“Very funny,” Kaiah deadpanned. But her heart did a flip while she worked to keep her expression blank. She peered in the
peephole, and her stomach did a somersault.
Her sister was right. Reid was here!
“Who is it?” Kam asked.
“It’s Reid!” Kaiah said in a loud whisper. “I’m going to hang up now.”
“Noooo,” Kam whined. “I want to meet him.”
“You can meet him another time. I’ll talk to you later.”
“You’d better call me,” Kam said before hanging up.
Kaiah pushed her phone into her back pocket, then combed her fingers through her hair before she yanked open the door. “Well,
hello there.”
Reid grinned. “Have you eaten?”
“Only if you count microwave popcorn.”
“How do feel about Italian food?”
“I love it.” She tilted her head. “But didn’t you just eat with your family?”
“I did, but I thought you might be hungry since you didn’t join us.” He paused and gestured behind her. “Unless you’re too
busy working.”
“I was just talking to my sister and thinking about pitching another article to my editor.”
“Can you take a break?”
“For Italian food?” she asked. “Absolutely.”
“Great.”
They smiled at each other, and she lost herself in his bottomless brown eyes for a moment. He pushed up the sleeves of his
long-sleeved T-shirt before resting an arm on the deck railing beside him. Kaiah couldn’t pull her eyes away from the thick,
ropey muscles of his forearm.
Whoa! He’s one fit dude. Must be all that firefighting.
She gave herself a mental shake and tried to ignore the flush climbing up her neck. “I’ll, uh, grab my purse.”
Reid held open the door to Baudo’s Trattoria, and Kaiah strolled inside. The savory aromas that hit her caused her stomach
to gurgle, and she hugged her arms to her middle, hoping Reid hadn’t heard it.
“This place reminds me of the Italian joints back in New York,” Kaiah said while they walked together toward the counter.
The walls were lined with photos of mouthwatering pastas alongside beach landscapes. The black-and-white tile floor was worn,
and the matching checked tablecloths with small vases of fresh red carnations at each table evoked a feeling of yesteryear.
“Do you eat here often?”
Reid grinned. “Oh yeah. It’s been a staple in my life since I was a kid.”
“What do you recommend?”
“Everything.” He chuckled, and she enjoyed the deep, rich sound.