Page 30 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
But that would mean giving up dreams like writing forTravel and Culture. Right? Surely there was no way she could have both. That only happened to people in the movies. Never in real life.
Chapter 7
Kaiah tucked her long legs under her body and rested her back against the corner of the sofa in Reid’s den later that evening. Her long, thick, sunshine-colored hair was styled in a messy bun on top of her head with tendrils falling around her face, and her eyes were focused on her notepad while she tapped her pen against her chin.
She was adorable, and Reid couldn’t take his eyes off her while he sat on an armchair across from her and drank from his large glass of water. He felt someone watching him, and when he rotated toward the opposite end of the sofa, his twin waggled her eyebrows.
Great.Becks had caught him staring at Kaiah. She’d give him a hard time about it later.
“I have an idea,” Kaiah announced. “To get more people to come to the festival this year, you need to give them a new reason why they should attend. And the easiest way to do that is to give them a new experience. Honestly, that can be as easy as changing the branding around the event.”
The twins nodded their heads quietly, taking in the information.
“Instead of focusing on the beach,” Kaiah continued, “let’s focus on the town’s rich history and the significance of the lighthouse. We could rebrand the event and call it the Light the Dark Festival. Think about it: The festival marks the transition from winter, which is the dark, to spring, which is light. Plus the name is a nod to the lighthouse’s role in saving that ship of sailors on a blustery spring day long ago.”
Kaiah glanced down at her notebook to gather her next point, and Reid couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“And instead of holding the festival for just one weekend, let’s stretch it out over a week. That way we can expand the list of activities and give folks some new things to look forward to. Plus extending the festival gives more people with different schedules the opportunity to attend. And in theory, the longer schedule will give us more chances to raise money for the school.” Kaiah bit her lower lip and divided her focus between Reid and his sister. “What do you think?”
Silence hung over the room while Reid and Becca shared a look. Then their faces broke out into grins.
Becca clapped her hands. “Yes!”
“I agree. This is genius, Kaiah,” Reid said. “We can invite different vendors and charge a fee for their participation. All of the money we collect can go to the fundraiser.”
“And what about the lighthouse?” Kaiah asked. “I mean, if we center the festival around it, then I think we probably need to fix it.”
The twins exchanged a look.
“I see where you’re coming from,” Reid said. “But to be honest, I don’t know if we have the time or funds to get the lamp replaced.”
“I get that. But if that’s the focus of the festival,” Kaiah said, “think about how powerful it will be for the town to see their lighthouse glowing in the night. They’ll literally see the transition from dark to light.”
Reid nodded. “That’s true.”
“And if it’s the first time in years, then it’s even more special, right?” Kaiah asked.
The twins nodded.
“If we fix the lighthouse, I can only imagine how many tickets we could sell for lighthouse tours,” said Reid.
“You can sell tickets for everything, and all of the proceeds go to the school,” Kaiah said before studying his sister. “What are you thinking, Becca?”
Becca tapped her finger on the end table. “I need to get the mayor on board. Then we need to have a meeting with the town council. I bet they could locate some funds for the lighthouse, even if it’s just a makeshift fix. Then we need to talk to the school board and the PTO. I think we need to get a long weekend break approved so the kids can attend.”
“Let’s make a list.” Reid nodded toward Kaiah’s notebook. “We’ll need banners, tickets, signs, to start.”
“Does Coral Cove have a local newspaper?” Kaiah asked.
“Yup,” Reid said.
“I’ll talk to the editor and see if they’ll run my articles there too.” Kaiah twiddled her pen above her notebook. “Now let’s brainstorm a list of new activities for the festival.”
For the next several minutes, they tossed around ideas for events at the festival: a craft show, a town parade, a talent show, booths for selling food, a dunk tank for teachers and school administrators. Kaiah jotted down their ideas.
“I think this is a great plan,” Kaiah told Becca when they were done. “For my articles I’ll start with an overview of the town. The town’s history is fascinating, and mentioning the town museum would definitely appeal to history buffs who’d like to see this littleslice of Americana.” She sat up straight and set her notepad and pen on the coffee table. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Becca turned to Kaiah. “Tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up after I drop the girls off at school. We can get started on promoting the festival and also do some research.”
