Chapter 5 #2
Kaiah grinned before studying the menu. Her eyes moved to the glass cases, and she smiled when she noticed there were calzones shaped like lighthouses.
Reid sidled up to her. “What’d you see?”
As he leaned in, she breathed in his scent and picked up hints of evergreen mixed with sandalwood. Her heartbeat quickened.
“Those calzones are shaped like lighthouses,” she explained. “How cute is that?”
“Would you like to try one?” he offered.
She nodded and then ordered a cheese and pepperoni calzone before they sat in a booth. She cut off a piece of the calzone
and pushed the plate toward him. “Would you like a bite?”
He rubbed his hand over his flat abdomen. “I already ate.”
“So you’re going to watch me eat?” she asked, and when he nodded, she giggled. “Talk about awkward.”
“Fine. I’ll force myself.” He cut off a piece, forked it into his mouth, and shook his head. “Superb.”
She popped a piece into her mouth, and her tastebuds danced with delight. The soft dough burst with the perfect balance of
tangy tomato sauce and rich mozzarella. “I agree.” While she ate another piece, she glanced out the restaurant’s front window.
Her eyes rested on the gift shop across the street where she’d spotted the lighthouse suncatcher, and her heart lurched yet
again.
“What’s on your mind?”
Her gaze snapped to Reid’s, and his warm chocolate-brown eyes melted any hesitation she had about sharing what was on her
mind.
“There’s a gift shop across the street,” she began, “and the lighthouse suncatcher in the window reminds me of one my mom
bought on our last trip to Maine. It hung in the front window of our house for years.” She ate another piece of calzone while
contemplating the lighthouse. She’d researched it earlier, and she was anxious to see it in person. “You mentioned you give
lighthouse tours.”
“That’s right.” He settled back against the booth.
“How would you feel about giving a nosy reporter a private tour?”
The bow of his smile reached straight to his eyes. “When?”
“Right now.” She wrapped up the calzone and laid some cash on the table. “I’ll finish this in the car, if it’s okay.”
He held up his keys, and they jingled. “Let’s go.”
The sunset sent a band of oranges and purples across the sky, reflecting on the water below. Reid thought it was a glorious
backdrop for Kaiah’s visit to the black-and-white-striped lighthouse.
She took several photos through the fence before turning to Reid. “I read online that it’s been out of commission for almost
two decades. What happened?”
“Faulty wiring.” He leaned on the chain-link fence. “It was built in the early 1800s and updated in the 1950s to electrical.
But over the years, the folks responsible for maintaining the building changed hands several times. First it was the mayor’s
office, then it was the parks department, and I don’t even know who had it after them. The place just sat empty for a while.
Around the town’s two hundredth anniversary, the Coral Cove Historical Society wanted to get the lamp up and running for the
town celebration, but when they assessed what needed to be fixed, the cost was much greater than they anticipated, so they
abandoned the project. No one wanted to shoulder the extra expense to fix it.”
“And now it just sits?” She stuck out her lower lip, reminding him of an adorable puppy. “That’s a shame.”
“When Becca took over the historical society, she opened the grounds for tours, and her goal was to also get the lantern room fixed.” He ran his finger over the stubble on his chin.
“But they still haven’t gotten the funds to do it.
Money for historical preservation in small towns isn’t easy to come by, you know? ”
“Hmm.” She rested her hands on her hips and scrunched her nose in concentration. “I saw photos online of the inside of the
lighthouse, but I’d love to see it for myself. The view from the top looks incredible. Any chance I can take a look?”
“Listen, it’s not open to the public. But since this may be your only chance to see inside . . .” He trailed off as he cocked
his head to the side, scrutinizing her. “Can I ask you to walk only where I say is safe?”
“Scout’s honor.” She held up three fingers. “And by the way, I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout, so that promise has some weight.”
He chuckled. “All right, then. Follow me, ma’am.” He unlocked the gate and held it for her before locking it behind them.
They walked up the cobblestone path to the lighthouse.
“You could put this lighthouse on any shoreline in Maine, and I swear it’d fit in. It looks so much like the lighthouses I’d
see when I was a kid. It’s uncanny.” She pointed to the small white building at the base of the lighthouse. “What’s that?”
He unlocked the door and pushed it open, and a musty scent filled his nostrils. “The lighthouse keeper lived here. I don’t
think it’s been opened since last summer during one of my last tours. I just let folks peek their heads inside.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re a tour guide, an Uber driver, a firefighter, and a dad.” Her eyes studied him. “Do you ever take a day off?”
“What’s a day off?” He flipped on the lights and made a sweeping gesture. “Go in but be careful.”
“Yes, Lieutenant Turner.” She saluted him and then proceeded into the building.
“These are the living quarters.” He directed her around the small house. “There’s a bedroom, a galley kitchen, a bathroom, and a small living area.”
She pulled out her camera and took photos. Then she pointed the lens toward him and smiled, and her camera flashed and clicked
a few times.
Reid smirked. “I promise the lighthouse is a lot more interesting than I am.”
She shook her head, a coy grin on her lips. “I’m not so sure about that,” she quipped, and her teasing tone sent his heartbeat
racing. She headed through a doorway that led to the lantern room. “Can we go upstairs?”
He rushed ahead of her and held out his hand. “Let me go first.”
Kaiah looped the camera strap around her neck before threading her fingers with his. He enjoyed the warmth of her soft skin
on his as he guided her up the spiral staircase.
When they got to the top, she gasped. “Wow,” she said, her mouth a small O shape.
Reid watched as she peered out over the 360-degree view that captured the cove and the edge of town. Darkness had begun to
descend, and the streetlights created a warm glow, dotting the sidewalks. “This view is better than I could’ve imagined.”
With the light from the sunset highlighting her golden waterfall of hair and kissing her sun-warmed skin, he couldn’t have
agreed more. “It sure is.”
She turned her attention from the outside view back to the lantern room. Panels of glass surrounded a lamp the shape of a
beehive. But instead of dripping with honey, ridged glass panels overlapped to create the lamp of the lighthouse. Kaiah had
never seen anything like it. “So, Mr. Tour Guide, how does the lamp work? Or, at least, how did it used to?”
Reid cleared his throat and put on his most professional tour guide voice.
“The lamp is housed in a glass enclosure called a lens. Lenses were specially designed to concentrate the power of the light so that sailors could see it from several nautical miles out. Originally they rotated with a mechanism powered by weights before they were upgraded to electricity. But obviously, now this guy doesn’t work at all. ”
Kaiah nodded and took a few photos, then rested her hand on the doorknob to the gallery, the walkway outside the lantern room.
“Can we go out there?”
“If you promise to be careful.”
She saluted him. “Always.” She pushed the door open, and the wind blew strands of her hair away from her face while she captured
photos of the water. She rested on the railing and took a deep inhale of the fresh air. “It must be wonderful to breathe this
fresh air all year round.”
“I guess so. I’ve never thought about it.” He touched her shoulder. “Please take a step back.”
She gave him a cheeky smile. “Yes, Lieutenant.” She moved away from the railing and pushed a few flyaway strands of hair behind
her ears, but they immediately escaped and fluttered around her face once again. “Hmm, a fireman . . . It must be a great
feeling to know you help people in your job.”
“Except when you can’t,” he muttered, but immediately he regretted it. He wasn’t ready to talk about the dark days, so he
pushed them away in favor of a new topic. “So what’s your favorite story you ever worked on?”
She paused for a moment, considering his question.
“One of my first stories was for a small local paper in upstate New York, covering the upcoming holiday celebrations. It wasn’t exciting, and I didn’t get to travel, but I was finally writing for a paper.
I wasn’t a student or an intern. I was a real, paid journalist. Now granted, I wasn’t making any money, but I had my own byline. That was enough for me.”
“That’s fantastic.”
Her eyes shot to the water again, and a comfortable silence settled between them. Soon the sky was cloaked in darkness, and
the only sound Reid could hear was the water lapping against the shore. He wondered what this beautiful stranger was thinking
about.
“Lighthouses remind me of my mom,” Kaiah suddenly said, her voice soft and almost reverent. “I’ve always been drawn to them
because of her.”
Suddenly he longed to take her into his arms, to soothe any pain this woman might’ve felt. When his hand brushed hers, she
threaded her fingers with his as if on instinct. The intimate gesture sent a happy glow radiating through him.
“That’s a nice way to remember her,” he said, and then he internally rolled his eyes. C’mon, man, don’t be so lame!
Reid frantically searched his mind for any subject to make up for his consummate lameness. His mind wandered toward Kaiah’s
“friend” taking her dog. Should he ask her if that “friend” was an ex? Before he could stop himself, the words came pouring
from his mouth.
“You said your friend took your dog,” he began. “Why?”
“My ex.” Her voice vibrated with sadness.
“He sounds sweet.” He hesitated. “I know this might sound weird coming from a guy you don’t know, so feel free to say no.
But . . . losing your dog is hard. Do you want to talk about it?”
A sigh seemed to bubble up from deep within her.
“I know, I’m still reeling from it. It’s my ex’s fault.
His name is Hayes Walker, and basically he changed his mind about me.
” She pushed her phone into her back pocket.
“We met through work, which was probably my first mistake. We were both freelancing at the same online magazine. I thought he was arrogant, and I should have stuck with that assessment. But we worked on a story together, and I stupidly found his arrogance charming. Then we fell in love, or at least I thought we did, and then we started talking about a future together. And when we adopted George together, I thought that was like a real commitment.” She scoffed. “Ridiculous, right?”
“No, not at all.” Reid released her hand and rubbed her arm. “He would be so lucky to plan a future with someone like you.”
He could feel her eyes watching him through the dark. “I thought I’d have it all like my older sisters—a career, a home, a
family. But I was wrong.”
“What happened?”
“Hayes decided he wanted a career more than he wanted me.” She shifted to face the horizon, and a weight landed on his chest
as he took in her sadness. “I didn’t even know he was applying for jobs. I thought we were going to stay in New York together,
but then one day he got a call, and the next day he was flying out to California for an interview.”
“What job?”
“Staff writer at Global Media.” Her posture wilted. “It was a position I thought about going after, but I stopped looking when we started talking about
a future. I never considered putting my career before him.” She barked out a bitter laugh.
He took her hand and cradled it in both of his. “I’m sorry, Kaiah.”
Her eyes grew misty. “I was so naive. I thought I mattered to him. But obviously I didn’t.
We switched off which days George lived at his place and mine.
On one of his George days, Hayes just took off.
And he took George with him. My dog. Our dog.
” She blew out a breath. “I miss George so much. I’ve thought about getting a puppy, but it just doesn’t feel right.
Not yet.”
“Hayes doesn’t deserve you, Kaiah. You’re way too good for him.”
She waved her hand, as if to stave off the compliment. “That’s why I’m done with love and all that.” She nearly spat out the
words. “It only leads to hurt. I’m just . . . I’m just better off alone.”
An unexpected feeling wafted over him—disappointment?—but he nodded anyway.
Kaiah spun to face him, and he couldn’t make out her features in the dark. “It’s getting late. I guess we should go.”
They flipped on their phone flashlights, and then Reid took her hand and led her down the spiral staircase.
Once they were back in his Suburban, she turned toward him and touched his arm. “Thank you for the private tour.” The warmth
was back in her voice.
“Anytime,” he said, and his heart gave a happy kick while they drove to his house.