Page 4 of The Lightkeeper

My chest tightened.

Even though Lauren was at the register to take their order, I stood and said, “I should get going.”

Sadness crept into the corners of Lou’s eyes, but she didn’t protest, only nodded and smiled.

“Thanks for stopping by.” She walked me to the door, and when she put her hand on my arm, I tensed.

Instantly, self-loathing washed over me, and I saw hurt cloud her face as she pulled her hand back. This was why I stayed away.

“I miss you, Kit. We all do.”

“I know.” I missed the man—the brother I was, too. But he was gone, and I didn’t know how to tell them that. “Love you, Lou.”

“Love you, too.”

I dragged my cap back onto my head and when I went outside, the first thing I did was look up.

Shit.I didn’t like the shape of those clouds. I didn’t like their shape at all.

I was in and out of Mike’s Hardware store in fifteen minutes. My list of maintenance on the lighthouse was never-ending, but at the very top was patching some of the shingles on the roof of the house where they’d dislodged, allowing water to drip into the bedroom every time there was a good rain. Next, the windows needed to be replaced. Minimally, the two that were cracked.They were so old, they couldn’t be repaired because the glass had lead in it. And last, I needed to figure out why there was no hot water in the shower. Plumbing wasn’t my strong suit, and my showers were too quick to care about heat, but it should really be fixed.

It was my job, after all.

“Hey, Kit!”

I stopped short in the canned goods aisle, almost making it through the grocery store without being stopped by someone who recognized me. With my cap on and my beard grown out a bit, I hoped it was enough to obscure my identity. “Hey, Brian,” I greeted the older man and braced for conversation.

Brian Fuller’s farm abutted Mom’s property.

“Good to see you. I haven’t seen you around much, even at your mom’s,” he said, and when I realized he was going in for a hug, I quickly extended my hand, forcing a handshake instead.

I didn’t like contact. Not from someone who wasn’t one of my siblings.

“Just keeping busy,” I replied. “How’s the farm?”

“Oh, your mom is keeping me busy needing all those blueberries, but we should have a good harvest this year.” Bryan’s family farm supplied the bulk of the blueberries used in Mom’s most popular jam.

“Good to hear.” I started to turn away, about to say goodbye, but he wasn’t having it.

“How’s the lighthouse?” he probed. “I’m glad they kept a keeper for that old thing.”

Me, too.My hands tightened on my cart. It was no secret that with modern-day technology and charting, lighthouses were no longer necessary in the way they once were. The Coast Guard, who was in charge of all the lighthouses in the country, had even started selling some of them off—the ones that couldn’t be saved as tourist attractions. Thankfully, the Friendship Lighthouse had been spared so far.

And I had Jason to thank for that.

Jason Salter was the officer in charge of the lighthouses along Maine’s coast. I’d known Jason since I was a kid; his family was from Friendship. He was the reason I got a job as the lighthouse keeper—a volunteer position with the Coast Guard to take care of the lighthouse and keep it in working condition. The pay was halfway decent, but I wasn’t here for the money. I was here because I couldn’t bear to be anywhere else.

And Jason knew that.

“Needs some work. Some repairs. But otherwise has good bones.” I eyed the end of the aisle, tempted to just walk away.

“Good to hear.”He nodded and lifted a finger. “You know, Ginny told me the other day she heard they’re going to start doing some research out that way. You know anything about that?”

I winced. “No, she must’ve heard wrong,” I answered a little too sharply.Damn Ginny and her rumors. My chest tightened, wondering how far off she was about Lou’s inn if this was the kind of news she was spreading.“They talked about doing that a year ago, and it never amounted to anything. Anything that happens at the lighthouse gets run by me, and I haven’t heard anything.”

I didn’t actually know if I would have a say in something like that, but minimally, Jason would’ve given me a heads-up; I was the keeper. Even if he didn’t exactly know I was living at thelighthouse, he still would’ve warned me if someone was going to be poking around.

“Oh, interesting. I wonder where she got that idea then…” Brian trailed off, looking flustered.Shit.

---