Page 35 of The Lightkeeper

“I really love these.” Lou ran her fingers along the paper once more. “Whatever caused the inspiration to strike… I hope it sticks around.”

I attempted a smile—a feat considering my teeth were gritted underneath—and left without another word.

It was a who, not a what. And she definitely needed to go.

Chapter Nine

Aurora

There was so muchof them.

Not many—because there were only seven Kinkades at the table—butmuch.So much character and laughter andfamily.At home, it was just Dad and me… and our specimens. And I loved that. I loved our conversations about biology. About organisms and creatures and food chains and environments and global warming. I loved when dinner ended in experiments or fact-finding missions because that was us.

But this… this was something like I’d never experienced before.

I sat flanked by Frankie and Arlene. Opposite me was Lou, and on either side of her were Kit and Violet, who was Kit’s older brother Jamie’s wife. At the ends of the table were Jamie and their grandmother, Gigi. Truthfully, I struggled to remember if she’d given me her real name. I’d walked into a deluge of introductions, but I was pretty sure I was only given the name Gigi.

And to be fair, with her bright purple hair, I wasn’t sure any other name was quite as fitting.

“I hope you’re hungry, Aurora,” Ailene said as she entered the dining room carrying a massive cast-iron pot. “I made goulash.”

“Oh.” My eyes went wide when she set the pot on the towel in the center of the table.

Their home was beautiful. A renovated farmhouse with rows of windows and clean decor. A fireplace crackled in the living room to keep out the chill, and the amazing aroma of the house—which I’d quickly learned was from candles that were handmade by Frankie—made it difficult to not feel at home here.

“Beef. Tomatoes. Pasta. Cheese.” Ailene rattled off the ingredients, but the smell alone had me salivating.

“It smells amazing?—”

“It’s Kit’s favorite,” Frankie chimed in with a grin.Her smile might be the same as Lou’s, but her eyes had a distinctly mischievous glint that I wasn’t sure Lou was even capable of.

Kit’s head snapped in his sister’s direction, and I was pretty sure I heard one of his characteristic growls start to rumble through the room, but his older brother spoke up before I could be sure.

“So, Aurora, how’s your research going?” Jamie asked as Ailene took everyone’s plates one by one to serve them.

“Oh yes, tell us, dear. We’ve been so curious about what’s been going on there,” Gigi encouraged with a wide smile on her face, but there was something about the twinkle in her eye that made me think this woman with her bright hair was where Frankie got her cheek from.

“It’s going really well,” I began, handing Ailene my plate to fill. “I’m studying the marine species in the Gulf of Maine and what, if any, effects the local environment has on their populations. So, daily, I start with several water samples. I have a small kit that tests for different compounds as well as bacteria levelsin the water to determine its quality. I also record the weather and some other characteristics about the water, but then I’ll spend most of the day kind of roaming the rocks and tide pools, searching for different species, and then noting and studying whichever ones I find.”

“Interesting,” Lou said.

“What kind of species?” Frankie asked.

“Mollusks—so mussels and clams. Sea stars.” Kit’s eyes whipped to mine when my voice cracked. I cleared my throat and went on. “Sea snails. Whelks. I’ve been collecting specimens of anything and everything; Kit will tell you.” I hazarded a laugh. “The kitchen counter at the lighthouse is covered with jars of creatures.”

“Jars of them?” Lou turned in her seat, her interest flicking between her brother and me.

“Lou—”

“So that’s where you’ve been doing all your new drawings from,” she finished without heeding Kit’s attempt to stop her. Clearly, he’d left out some details when he’d given her the drawings, and she was now putting the pieces together.

“Drawings? What drawings?” Frankie demanded, forgetting all about the bite of food on her fork in favor of finding out the answers.

“Nothing—”

“Not nothing,” his sister insisted and then proceeded to gush, “Kit did these ink drawings of sea creatures from some of Aurora’s specimens, and they’re so incredible. Simple but detailed. Understated but elegant. I can’t wait until they’re up. People are going to go crazy for them.”

“That’s wonderful, Kit,” Ailene praised, finally filling her own plate and taking a seat.

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