Page 15 of The Lightkeeper

For the last two weeks, we were like ships passing in the night—except we passed in broad daylight.Each watching our own worlds.

If I was outside, he was inside. The days when I was collecting my specimens and bringing them inside, he was outside. First, on the roof, and later, around the side of the house repairing one of the windows. For two weeks, wherever I was, he wasn’t.Except for in my thoughts.But today… today might break that cycle, and I wasn’t sure I was ready.

“It’s Aurora, right?” Lou asked, grabbing my donut whileshe waited for the fresh pot of coffee to finish brewing.

She had a good memory for names; another detail I’d picked up on. She knew most every customer by name, and in my case, even though she’d only taken my order once, she still recalled my name.

“Yeah.” I smiled.

“I’m Lou,” she introduced herself before I could ask. “I keep telling our manager that we need name tags, but he doesn’t listen. Says the only names that matter are the customers.”

I chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, Lou. Is that short for Louise? Or Louisa?” I wondered and began to scarf down the donut.

I liked names.Genus. Species.Learning Latin nomenclaturefelt like being able to see the root system of the tree rather than just the leaves on the branches. It shaped everything. Put it all in place. For the invertebrates I studied, it gave clues to their existence. Explanations of their composition. Human names were less indicative of those kinds of things, but they still fascinated me.

“For Elouise.”She poured my coffee into a giant mug and set it on the counter in front of me.

“Oh.” My eyes rounded. “I like that.” I’d have to look up its origins later. I sighed when thewarmth from the cup seeped into my fingers.

“Only my sister calls me Elouise, and usually when she wants to get us in trouble,” she went on as I brought my mug to my lips and took a sip of my coffee.

It was still hot enough to burn the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t care, it tasted so good. I’d passed the little coffee shop on my taxi through town to the lighthouse that first day, but when I saw Mr. Kinkade wearing a hat with the name on it, I knew I had to try it. Anything that passed that man’s muster was something worth trying.

“You seem more like a Lou,” I agreed. Elouise was beautiful, and the woman was definitely that. But Lou was something more relaxed. Approachable. “What’s your sister’s name?”

“Frankie. Francesca,” she revealed with a grin and added, “We’re twins.”

“Identical or fraternal?” I took another big gulp of the strong brew.

“Identical, but if you ask anyone who knows us, we’re only clones on the outside.” Her tone was rueful.

“Did you know sea stars are one of the few animals capable of producing complete clones of themselves? Some species can regenerate their entire body from a single severed arm.” I shouldn’t sound so enthusiastic about a sentence that had the word “severed” in it.

Lou wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if I should be impressed or grossed out…”

Way to go, Aurora.“Sorry, I should explain.”I ducked my head and laughed. “I’m a biology nerd.I’m here finishing my master’s degree for the rest of the semester.”

She nodded. “Well, that makes sense. Usually anyone I see for more than a week has moved here, but usually, when someone moves to Friendship, I know well before the week is up.”

“Nothing evolves quite as quickly as news in a small town.”

“Very true.” Lou chuckled. “So, what are you studying here? Ocean life?”

I laughed. “Coastal biology—things that live in intertidal and coastal ocean waters.”

“Oh, that’s really cool,”she said and began restocking the stacks of to-go cups and lids near the register. “So, are you out on the beaches then, or like snorkeling in the water?”

“Oh, no.” I shivered at the thought, quickly downing another gulp of coffee. “My focus is on the species that live on the rocky terrain closest to human habitats, so my workspace is confined mostly to the perimeter of the Friendship Lighthouse. It’s just outside—” I stopped short when the stack of paper cups in her hands tumbled to the floor.

“You’re working at the lighthouse?” She approached me, staring like I’d just sprouted a third eyeball.

“Yeah…” I paused with my mug halfway to my lips, her tone making me feel like I was missing something. “Have you been there?”

“Have you met the lighthouse keeper?”

My jaw dropped slightly and then snapped shut. Was everyone as intrigued by him as I was? Did that make me normal? Or jealous?

“Yeah.” I quickly chugged the remainderof my coffee.

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