Page 102 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
His face pinched with confusion.
“My sister didn’t call earlier,” she said. “It was Bill at Coral Cove Car Care. He said my car is fixed.”
“Oh.”
Whatever the picture was in the dictionary for the wordcrestfallen, that’s what Reid’s face looked like.
“I’m sorry, Reid.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I-I didn’t know how to tell you.”
He nodded slowly while something unreadable slid over his face.
A horn beeped behind them, and Reid’s eyes flicked to the green traffic light. As he motored through the intersection, his posture became rigid, and the muscles in his shoulders tightened.
“That’s—that’s great,” he said, but his words were barely audible, and his eyes were laser focused on the traffic ahead.
A tense silence filled the vehicle, and Kaiah kept her gaze trained on the passenger window. When they moved past the little pink house, the Flamingo’s Nest, she studied theFor Rentsign and wondered if she should sublet her apartment.
Kaiah glanced over at Reid as he steered the SUV onto the street leading to his house. His jaw was set, and his brow was rumpled. She searched for something to say to break the painful silence between them.
“Daddy, whose car is that?”
“I don’t know, pumpkin,” Reid responded to his daughter.
A silver Porsche Cayenne sat in front of the detached garage.
“Is that a friend of yours?” Kaiah asked Reid.
Reid shook his head. “I don’t recognize that car.”
Reid parked next to the Porsche, and Kaiah climbed out of the Suburban. When she found Hayes sitting on the top step while holding George’s leash, her insides turned and dropped.
“What—how?” she began, confusion stifling her words.
Hayes’s curly, light brown hair needed a trim, and his blue eyes sparkled in the evening light. Without a word, he released the leash, and her sweet golden retriever bounded toward her with his tongue lolling from his mouth.
George.
George is here.
Kaiah fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her best buddy, holding him close while he licked her face. Tears overtook her eyes as she kissed the top of her sweet puppy’s head over and over again.
“A doggie!” Piper appeared behind her. “Is this George? Can I pet him?”
Kaiah smiled through tears at the little girl. “Yes,” she croaked.
“Hi, George. I’m Piper.” She rubbed his ear, and when George began licking her, she squealed and giggled. “You’re a nice doggie.”
As she absentmindedly stroked George’s soft fur, Kaiah shifted her focus to her ex-boyfriend, who had descended the steps and watched them all with curiosity. With the two men in close proximity, Kaiah couldn’t help but compare Hayes with Reid. Hayes stood a few inches shorter than Reid. And Reid had definitely spent more time in the gym than Hayes. His bulging biceps and legs roped with muscle could attest to that.
When George returned to licking Kaiah, Piper eyed the strange man. “I’m Piper. You must be the friend who stole Miss Kaiah’s dog.” She glared at him. “Why did you take her dog and make her cry? That was soooo mean.”
You go, girl!Kaiah bit back a snort.
Hayes seemed... embarrassed. Interesting. He hadn’t seemed to care when he’d taken her dog and broken up with hervia text. He hadn’t even had the guts to tell her to her face.
Hayes touched his chest. “I’m Hayes, and you’re right. I was mean when I took Kaiah’s dog. I’m here to apologize.”
Anger boiled in Kaiah’s chest. “How dare you,” she said, seething through gritted teeth.
