Page 31 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
“I’ll be ready.” Kaiah grinned at Reid, and he was almost certain his pulse fluttered.
Becca examined her phone. “Oh, it’s almost eight. I need to get home and get the girls in bed.”
“Piper!” Reid called. “Honey, you need to get ready to go to Auntie Becca’s house.”
The little girl appeared in the doorway with Ariel at her heels. “Can Miss Kaiah help me pack?”
Kaiah lifted an eyebrow at Reid.
“Do you want to?” he asked Kaiah.
She smiled. “Sure.”
Piper took Kaiah’s hand and towed her toward the doorway before they disappeared down the hallway.
His twin focused her gaze on him. “She’s great.”
Reid took another long drink from his glass. He agreed with her, but he wasn’t about to admit it. He knew exactly where the conversation would go. And he wasn’t in the mood for a lecture on his nonexistent love life.
Becca didn’t quit, though. “Piper adores her,” she said.
Reid nodded. “She’s a great writer too.”
“And that’s why you offered to let her stay here for free, right?” Becca grinned. “Because she’s a good writer. Not at all because she’s beautiful and sweet, and your daughter is already attached to her, an—”
“Becks.” Reid groaned. “Don’t start. Having Kaiah here is all about saving our town.”
“Riiiiight...” His twin drew out the word. “Inviting a woman to stay in your garage apartment is about the town. Not that you might be interested in someone again.” She hopped up from the sofa and started down the hallway.
Piper set two more stuffed cats by Ariel and then zipped up her suitcase. “I’m ready!”
Becca and Kaiah watched as the girl gave Ariel a kiss before setting the suitcase on the floor and then racing out of the bedroom, pulling the bag behind her.
“It’ll be quiet here tonight,” Becca said.
“But not at your house,” Kaiah quipped, and they both laughed.
They walked back to the den, where Piper was hugging her dad.
“Be good tonight,” Reid told her.
Piper lifted her chin. “I always am.” She ran to the front door and pushed it open before turning around. “Are you coming, Auntie?”
Becca gave Reid and Kaiah a wave on her way out. “I’d better get going. See you tomorrow.”
Reid closed and locked the door behind them and then pointed toward the deck. “Would you like to sit out back?”
With you alone on a starlit night? Sign me up.
Kaiah nodded, and she swore she could feel her heart skip a beat.
He padded to the kitchen. “I’ll get us something to drink.”
Kaiah made her way outside, and Reid carried two icy glasses of sweet tea to the deck. He gestured for Kaiah to take a seat on the comfortable, cushioned chairs.
The setting sun sent vivid streaks of color across the sky while the cicadas and frogs sang their nightly chorus. The air was warm,and Kaiah breathed in the scent of salt mixed with freshly cut grass. She decided to try to get to know her host a bit more.
“So what’s a normal week look like for you? What’s your schedule like?” she asked.
