Page 14 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
Reid touched his daughter’s head. “Say good night to Miss Kaiah and then get ready for your bath.”
Piper hugged her. “Good night.” Then she scampered off toward her bedroom.
Reid turned to Kaiah. “She’s a lot. Thanks for being so patient.”
“She’s great,” Kaiah said, and she looked like she was telling the truth. “Talking to her made me realize how much I miss my nieces and nephew.” Reid caught an emotion he couldn’t quite detect flash across her face before she righted herself again.
“How many do you have?”
“Four. Two from each of my older sisters.” Then she hesitated. “And a few more if I count my stepsiblings’ children too.”
He cocked his head. “How many siblings do you have?”
She held up four fingers. “I’m the middle of five girls. Can you imaginefivegirls?”
“Um, no.” He shook his head, and she laughed.
“My poor dad, right?” She chuckled.
“And you have stepsiblings too?”
She nodded. “Four stepbrothers. My dad used to say we were likeThe Brady Bunch, where Carol brought three girls into the marriage and Mike brought three boys. But in our family, my dad brought five girls, and my stepmom had four boys. My older sisters and two of the older brothers were already gone from the house when Dadand Veronica married, but becoming a blended family was still... challenging.”
She gave him a stiff smile, and he could almost feel the anxiety radiating off her in waves. But before he could ask her about the family, she picked up the stack of bowls, carried them to the dishwasher, and opened the door.
He came up behind her and touched her hand. “Don’t worry about it, I got it.”
“You fed me, and you’re not even going to let me help clean up?” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty. “At least let me help pay for supper.”
“Put that away.”
She made a face and stuffed the money back into her pocket. “You’re too generous.” Then she brightened. “I’ll add it to the cost of the room after I get my car back.”
“Deal.” He patted the pile of linens. “Here are sheets and towels. There are blankets in the closet, along with some other supplies. Let me give you my number in case you need anything or want a ride somewhere.” He rattled off his number while she programmed it into her phone. Then his phone dinged with a text. He glanced at the screen and found a message:Hi! This is Kaiah.
She pushed her phone into a back pocket on her jeans and then picked up the pile of linens. “Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” He walked her to the door and opened it. “If you need anything, don’t be shy.”
“I won’t. Good night.”
He waited until she disappeared up the stairs toward the apartment, and then he headed into the bathroom, where Piper sat on the edge of the tub while it filled with water.
“Miss Kaiah is so nice,” Piper announced as she climbed in. “I really like her.”
Reid soaped up a facecloth and began washing her back. “You two seem to get along well.”
“Uh-huh.” Piper splashed her purple rubber duck in the water. “I hope she lives on top of the garage forever.”
“She’s only staying until her car is fixed, sweetie.” He washed her arms and her neck.
“But I want her to stay forever and ever,” Piper whined. “Why can’t she?”
“Because she has a home and a job.”
Piper’s frown transformed into a bright smile. “I’ll ask her to stay, and she will.” She splashed her duck again. “I wonder what happened to her dog. Why would someone take George?”
“I don’t know.”
