Page 2 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
She gripped the wheel tight. Surely Daisy could make it a few more miles so that Kaiah wouldn’t have to call a tow truck, which would be out of her price range, or ask someone to help her push the car.
And then the oasis she’d been hoping for appeared: a sign for Coral Cove Car Care. This time a surge of hope coursed through her body.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “We’ve got this, Daisy. They’re going to make you brand-new. Maybe we’ll be out of here in a couple hours.”
She steered the car into the right lane, and as soon as the parking lot came into view, she drove in and pulled into the very last spot.
Shouldering her backpack purse, Kaiah climbed out of the vehicle and hurried past the line of cars in the parking lot. Hopefully they weren’t all waiting for service. If they were, she’d be stuck here until Christmas.
She jogged up to the one-story cinderblock building with six garage bays and a glass front boasting the business’s name and logo. When she pulled open the front door, a bell rang as she inhaled the scent of rubber tires mixed with weak coffee wafting from the ancient coffee maker in the lobby. Several tire displays led to a long counter, where a middle-aged man with a name tag that readBill, Managerstood talking on the phone. He nodded at her and then finished his conversation about air filters before hanging up.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
She pointed toward the door. “I’m on my way from New York to South Carolina, and my car is overheating. Could you possibly fix it today?” She folded her hands as if saying a prayer.And do you take credit cards too?
“Oh.” He rubbed the gray scruff on his neck. “I can get the mechanic to try and diagnose the issue, but I’m not sure we can fix it today.” He came around the counter. “Let’s take a look.”
They walked to the parking lot together, and Kaiah popped the hood.
“The temperature gauge and Check Engine light came on, and by the time I got here, steam was pouring out from under the hood,” she explained.
“Hmm.” His brow furrowed.
“Do you have Wi-Fi?” she asked.
He lifted a bushy eyebrow.
“So I can work while you figure out what’s going on,” she explained. “I noticed a little sitting area.”
“We do, ma’am,” he said. “But how about this? I doubt we’ll be able to fix this problem today, so let’s fill out some paperwork and you can leave the key with me. I’ll be in touch after we take a look.” He pointed toward the road. “If you want to find a place to work, there’s a coffee shop a couple of blocks from here. I promise it has more comfortable chairs and much better coffee than we can offer.”
Ten minutes later, Kaiah found herself strolling down the heart of Coral Cove’s Main Street. She pushed her sunglasses farther up on her nose as she took in the quaint shops lining the street. Customers walked in the double doors of Beach Reads and came out of Crafty Creations carrying shopping bags full of yarn and knitting needles. The scent of freshly baked pizza dough drifted out of A Slice of Heaven as she hurried past, and a small smile played on her lips. Everything in this oceanside town reminded her of the summer trips to New England she’d taken with her family when she was a kid. Kaiah had loved perusing the stores with her parents and sisters, looking for something special to spend her allowance on. Warmth began to bloom in her chest as images of those sun-dappled days filled her mind.
The sign for a coffee shop called the Roast Shack came into view, and she crossed the street. The rich aroma of roasted coffee beans saturated her senses when she walked in. Her eyes roved around the shop as she saw tables of customers enjoying their brew, some chatting with a friend, some pecking away at their laptops. One wall featured a mural of the beach at sunrise, while the opposite wall featured the water at dusk. Her fingers itched to pull her camera from her bag and snap a photo. She could almost see the image sitting atop a story she’d write about this enchanting little town. But if herplans worked out, her car would be fixed soon and she wouldn’t be here long enough to write a story about it.
At the counter, Kaiah spotted a woman with silver roots and bright hazel eyes serving a tall man with closely cropped dark hair and broad shoulders. There was a gap between the woman’s two front teeth, but it didn’t mar her beauty. The imperfection added to her charm and made her grin even more endearing. The man seemed to think so too, judging by the way he was laughing along with her. He rolled his head back slightly as he laughed, the sound casting a glow around him. Then he turned around.
And he was... drop-dead gorgeous.
Kaiah’s cheeks flooded with warmth as she watched the man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, make his way to the end of the counter to wait for his order. Only when he lifted his eyes to meet hers did Kaiah realize she’d rested her gaze on him a beat too long. She looked away quickly, chiding herself.
Good job, Ky. Creeping on a stranger in a coffee shop—classy. Oh well, at least he doesn’t know your name. Even if you didn’t just make a fool of yourself, it’s not like you want to race back into a relationship anyway.
Pulling her attention away from the hot guy, Kaiah pulled her phone from the pocket of her jeans and scrolled through her social accounts until she moved to the front of the line.
“What can I get ya?” the woman with the silver roots asked.
“A vanilla latte, please.”
“Sure thing, sugar.” The woman grabbed an empty paper cup and pulled out a marker. “What’s your name?”
“Kaiah.”
The woman’s eyes rounded, and Kaiah almost laughed. She was used to people not knowing how to spell her name.
“It’s K-a-i-a-h.”
“Uh...” The woman blinked. “Sure thing, honey.”
