Chapter 7
Kaiah tucked her long legs under her body and rested her back against the corner of the sofa in Reid’s den later that evening.
Her long, thick, sunshine-colored hair was styled in a messy bun on top of her head with tendrils falling around her face,
and her eyes were focused on her notepad while she tapped her pen against her chin.
She was adorable, and Reid couldn’t take his eyes off her while he sat on an armchair across from her and drank from his large
glass of water. He felt someone watching him, and when he rotated toward the opposite end of the sofa, his twin waggled her
eyebrows.
Great. Becks had caught him staring at Kaiah. She’d give him a hard time about it later.
“I have an idea,” Kaiah announced. “To get more people to come to the festival this year, you need to give them a new reason
why they should attend. And the easiest way to do that is to give them a new experience. Honestly, that can be as easy as
changing the branding around the event.”
The twins nodded their heads quietly, taking in the information.
“Instead of focusing on the beach,” Kaiah continued, “let’s focus on the town’s rich history and the significance of the lighthouse.
We could rebrand the event and call it the Light the Dark Festival. Think about it: The festival marks the transition from
winter, which is the dark, to spring, which is light. Plus the name is a nod to the lighthouse’s role in saving that ship
of sailors on a blustery spring day long ago.”
Kaiah glanced down at her notebook to gather her next point, and Reid couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“And instead of holding the festival for just one weekend, let’s stretch it out over a week. That way we can expand the list
of activities and give folks some new things to look forward to. Plus extending the festival gives more people with different
schedules the opportunity to attend. And in theory, the longer schedule will give us more chances to raise money for the school.”
Kaiah bit her lower lip and divided her focus between Reid and his sister. “What do you think?”
Silence hung over the room while Reid and Becca shared a look. Then their faces broke out into grins.
Becca clapped her hands. “Yes!”
“I agree. This is genius, Kaiah,” Reid said. “We can invite different vendors and charge a fee for their participation. All
of the money we collect can go to the fundraiser.”
“And what about the lighthouse?” Kaiah asked. “I mean, if we center the festival around it, then I think we probably need
to fix it.”
The twins exchanged a look.
“I see where you’re coming from,” Reid said. “But to be honest, I don’t know if we have the time or funds to get the lamp
replaced.”
“I get that. But if that’s the focus of the festival,” Kaiah said, “think about how powerful it will be for the town to see
their lighthouse glowing in the night. They’ll literally see the transition from dark to light.”
Reid nodded. “That’s true.”
“And if it’s the first time in years, then it’s even more special, right?” Kaiah asked.
The twins nodded.
“If we fix the lighthouse, I can only imagine how many tickets we could sell for lighthouse tours,” said Reid.
“You can sell tickets for everything, and all of the proceeds go to the school,” Kaiah said before studying his sister. “What
are you thinking, Becca?”
Becca tapped her finger on the end table. “I need to get the mayor on board. Then we need to have a meeting with the town
council. I bet they could locate some funds for the lighthouse, even if it’s just a makeshift fix. Then we need to talk to
the school board and the PTO. I think we need to get a long weekend break approved so the kids can attend.”
“Let’s make a list.” Reid nodded toward Kaiah’s notebook. “We’ll need banners, tickets, signs, to start.”
“Does Coral Cove have a local newspaper?” Kaiah asked.
“Yup,” Reid said.
“I’ll talk to the editor and see if they’ll run my articles there too.” Kaiah twiddled her pen above her notebook. “Now let’s
brainstorm a list of new activities for the festival.”
For the next several minutes, they tossed around ideas for events at the festival: a craft show, a town parade, a talent show,
booths for selling food, a dunk tank for teachers and school administrators. Kaiah jotted down their ideas.
“I think this is a great plan,” Kaiah told Becca when they were done.
“For my articles I’ll start with an overview of the town.
The town’s history is fascinating, and mentioning the town museum would definitely appeal to history buffs who’d like to see this little slice of Americana.
” She sat up straight and set her notepad and pen on the coffee table. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Becca turned to Kaiah. “Tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up after I drop the girls off at school. We can get started on promoting
the festival and also do some research.”
“I’ll be ready.” Kaiah grinned at Reid, and he was almost certain his pulse fluttered.
Becca examined her phone. “Oh, it’s almost eight. I need to get home and get the girls in bed.”
“Piper!” Reid called. “Honey, you need to get ready to go to Auntie Becca’s house.”
The little girl appeared in the doorway with Ariel at her heels. “Can Miss Kaiah help me pack?”
Kaiah lifted an eyebrow at Reid.
“Do you want to?” he asked Kaiah.
She smiled. “Sure.”
Piper took Kaiah’s hand and towed her toward the doorway before they disappeared down the hallway.
His twin focused her gaze on him. “She’s great.”
Reid took another long drink from his glass. He agreed with her, but he wasn’t about to admit it. He knew exactly where the
conversation would go. And he wasn’t in the mood for a lecture on his nonexistent love life.
Becca didn’t quit, though. “Piper adores her,” she said.
Reid nodded. “She’s a great writer too.”
“And that’s why you offered to let her stay here for free, right?” Becca grinned. “Because she’s a good writer. Not at all
because she’s beautiful and sweet, and your daughter is already attached to her, an—”
“Becks.” Reid groaned. “Don’t start. Having Kaiah here is all about saving our town.”
“Riiiiight . . .” His twin drew out the word. “Inviting a woman to stay in your garage apartment is about the town. Not that you might be interested in someone again.” She hopped up from the sofa and started down the hallway.
Piper set two more stuffed cats by Ariel and then zipped up her suitcase. “I’m ready!”
Becca and Kaiah watched as the girl gave Ariel a kiss before setting the suitcase on the floor and then racing out of the
bedroom, pulling the bag behind her.
“It’ll be quiet here tonight,” Becca said.
“But not at your house,” Kaiah quipped, and they both laughed.
They walked back to the den, where Piper was hugging her dad.
“Be good tonight,” Reid told her.
Piper lifted her chin. “I always am.” She ran to the front door and pushed it open before turning around. “Are you coming,
Auntie?”
Becca gave Reid and Kaiah a wave on her way out. “I’d better get going. See you tomorrow.”
Reid closed and locked the door behind them and then pointed toward the deck. “Would you like to sit out back?”
With you alone on a starlit night? Sign me up.
Kaiah nodded, and she swore she could feel her heart skip a beat.
He padded to the kitchen. “I’ll get us something to drink.”
Kaiah made her way outside, and Reid carried two icy glasses of sweet tea to the deck. He gestured for Kaiah to take a seat
on the comfortable, cushioned chairs.
The setting sun sent vivid streaks of color across the sky while the cicadas and frogs sang their nightly chorus. The air was warm, and Kaiah breathed in the scent of salt mixed with freshly cut grass. She decided to try to get to know her host a bit more.
“So what’s a normal week look like for you? What’s your schedule like?” she asked.
He relaxed on the chair, resting his left ankle on his right knee. “As a firefighter, I work ten days a month. My shifts are
twenty-four hours at a time.”
“Seriously? Twenty-four-hour shifts?”
He took a drink from his glass and then set it on the table between them. “Yeah. Seven to seven. I’ll start tomorrow morning
at seven and then get off Wednesday at seven. That’s why I also do rideshare, to break up some of the downtime I have. That’s
also why I volunteer as a tour guide and at Piper’s school and the animal shelter.”
“You sure like staying busy.”
He lifted his eyes toward the sky. “You could say that.”
She studied his profile—his inviting dark eyes, his chiseled jawline, his high cheekbones and perfect nose, his thick, dark
hair. She had the distinct impression this man had no idea how attractive he was.
His gaze snapped to hers, and his eyebrows sailed upward. “What’s on your mind?”
Oh no. He’d caught her staring at him. Her mouth dried up as she tried to recover. “What, uh, what was it like growing up here?”
she asked. “What makes Coral Cove so special to you?”
He took another drink and then scanned the backyard. “Honestly? That’s hard to narrow down. Seems like everything about this
place feels special.” He shrugged. “As far as growing up, we spent a lot of time at the beach—swimming, surfing, fishing,
things like that.”
A vision of an eighteen-year-old Reid, lean and tan on a surfboard, riding the waves, filled her mind. A tremor rushed over her, and she tried to banish the daydream. “Did you ever considering leaving?”
“No.” He shook his head. “My folks are locals and grew up here, and all of our family is here. It’s home.” He took another
swig of tea.
Darkness began to fall, blotting out the backyard. Reid hopped up and flipped a switch, illuminating a string of white lights
that dangled over the large deck. A comfortable silence settled over them as Kaiah tried to commit every detail of this evening
to memory—the vision of Reid sitting under the lights with her, the smell of the salt water, the soothing sounds of the frogs
and cicadas. And here she was, sitting with a man as humble and solid as they came. She couldn’t remember a night more peaceful
than this one.
“Becca went away to college.” Reid’s deep voice broke through her thoughts. “But she didn’t go far. She studied at Wilmington
and then came home.”
“What did she major in?”
“Guess.”
She moved her fingers over the condensation clouding her cool glass. “History.”
“Ding, ding, ding!” he exclaimed. “We have a winner.”
She laughed. “She’s a history teacher, right?”
“Yup. She taught at the middle school until Astrid was born. She considered going back to work since my mom was already retired
and could take care of Astrid and Piper too. But Becks wanted to stay home. Cash had been promoted to fire chief, so they
were doing fine financially.”
“Cash is the fire chief?”
Reid nodded and took another drink from his glass.
“Does that mean he’s your boss?”
“Yes, but not directly. I report to the captain at my station, and the captain reports to him.” He set the glass down on the
coffee table with a clink. “So he’s my boss’s boss.”
“Does that ever get awkward?”
Reid shrugged. “Not really. We rarely disagree on things.” He smiled. “Plus, he owes me. I introduced him to my sister, and
I like to remind him of that when it comes time for him to sign off on my performance evaluation.”
“Good thinking,” she said, and they shared a smile. She recalled the photo of Piper and her mother in Piper’s room, and questions
buzzed through her mind. How did she and Reid meet? How long were they married? What happened to her? Dare she even ask?
Before she could open her mouth, his voice snapped her out of her head.
“I bet you think I’m boring.”
Her eyes widened. “Why would I think that?”
“You’re so adventurous. You were driving down the East Coast alone. You’re a travel writer, so I’m sure you’ve been to plenty
of exotic places. But I’ve stayed here my entire life.”
“Reid,” she began, “you fight fires and rescue people for a living. Boring is not a word I’d ever use to describe you.” More like brave, generous, kind, thoughtful. And so very, very hot.
“Did you always want to be a journalist?” he asked.
She considered the question. “I guess so. I started pretending to write books before I could even write.”
“Really?” He seemed impressed.
“Yeah. I made little books out of paper when I was a kid, and then I started writing ridiculous stories when I was around Piper’s age.
I fell in love with reading and writing.
And when I got to college, I was drawn to journalism because I love telling stories,” she explained, and he appeared fascinated. “How about you? Why firefighting?”
“It’s not a very interesting story.”
She rested her elbows on her knees and tilted her head in his direction.
He chuckled. “Fine, fine. I was part of an after-school program that was like a camp, and we spent some time working at the
firehouse. I was a junior firefighter, and I loved it. I’ve always loved helping people. Once I figured that out, I knew what
I wanted to do.”
“Wow. You’re pretty amazing,” she whispered. When she realized she’d said the words out loud, she longed to shove them back
into her mouth. Embarrassment bloomed in her cheeks while she winced, waiting for his reaction.
He smiled. “So are you. And it’s obvious my daughter agrees.”
An amicable silence covered them once again, and she took a long drink from her glass.
“Do you think you’ll ever settle down?” he asked, gazing up toward the sky. “Have a home and a family?”
“Um . . .” She cleared her throat, stretching the time to prepare her answer. “I used to think I would, but now I’m not so
sure.”
“Why not?”
“Sometimes,” she began and then stopped to gather her thoughts. “Sometimes I’m not sure where I belong.”
He considered this, and once again she wanted to yank back the words.
“I always believed that home is where the heart is.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Corny, I know, but it’s true. I guess
you need to figure out where your heart is.”
She nodded. “I think you’re right about that.”
Kaiah decided she had enough soul-baring talk for the evening and switched topics, sharing her and Becca’s plans for tomorrow.
Then Reid stood up. “I suppose I should get some sleep before my shift. Let me get that for you.” He held out his hand, and
when she gave him her empty glass, her fingers brushed his, and an electrical current danced up her arm. “Have a good day
tomorrow.”
“You too,” she said. “Be safe at work.”
“I will. Sleep well.”
As Kaiah climbed the stairs leading to the apartment, she imagined what it would feel like for Reid to hold her in his muscular
arms, and her heartbeat tripled.