Page 46 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
After checking in at the front office at Coral Cove Elementary School, Reid and Kaiah ambled through the long hallways until they came to the gym. The scent of rubber and sounds of laughter breezed over him as he watched a class playing kickball.
Kaiah’s blue eyes sparkled as they darted around the hallway and then back at the large gym. “You and Becca went to school here?”
“Yeah. Not much has changed.”
She hugged her notebook to her chest, and when she smiled, a happy current raced through his veins. “It must be special raisingyour daughter in the same town where you grew up. You can share all of your memories and traditions with her and enjoy seeing her experience some of those same traditions, like the festival.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It is special.”
A bell trilled in the hallway, announcing the end of class. The students lined up before a young woman led them out, reminding him of a mother duck leading her ducklings to a pond.
“Reid?” Coach Emmerson rushed over and shook Reid’s hand. “What a nice surprise!” The middle-aged man’s hair was more gray than dark brown, but he still had the same smile Reid remembered from his school days.
“Coach Emmerson, this is Kaiah Ross. She’s a reporter withThe Traveler.” He made a sweeping gesture to Kaiah, who also shook the coach’s hand. “We were hoping to talk to you about an event for the spring festival. Do you have a few minutes?”
“I do. Let’s go to my office.”
They followed the coach to an office located beside the gym, where Reid and Kaiah sat in front of his desk.
Coach Emmerson leaned back in his chair, which squeaked under his weight. “My wife attended the meeting last night and came home excited about the festival. How can I help?”
“We’re planning some events to raise money for the school, and we want to have a mini-marathon,” Reid began. “It would be a walk and run that could start and end at the lighthouse.”
Coach Emmerson folded his hands over his middle. “I like it.”
“I’ve been thinking about names, and I think Beacon of Hope Run and Walk would tie in well with the theme of the festival,” Kaiah suggested.
“Perfect,” Reid said, and she shot him a smile that melted his heart for a moment. He turned back to the coach. “Could you help us plan it?”
Coach Emmerson sat forward, and his chair groaned in protest. “I sure can. We have walk-a-thons at the school sometimes, so I can design the forms participants can use to ask for sponsorships and pledges.”
“Fantastic,” Kaiah said. “How about ribbons or trophies?”
“We have a closet full of them. If you send me the logo for the festival, I can take care of decorating them for you.” He tapped his finger on the desk. “I bet Piper would love to give out the trophies and ribbons to the winners.”
Kaiah touched Reid’s arm. “I’m sure she would.”
Reid nodded, unable to think of much else but the weight of Kaiah’s warmth pressing on his arm.
Coach Emmerson discussed the forms and the awards before they exchanged email addresses and phone numbers.
Soon Reid and Kaiah were heading down the hallway.
Kaiah had a spring in her step. “That went great.”
“It did.” He came to a stop at the end of the hallway and grabbed her hand. “Want to visit Piper’s classroom?”
Kaiah’s blue eyes sparkled. “Of course.”
He led her to the temporary first-grade section and stopped at a door with “Ms. Mason” written on it.
“Reid, look,” Kaiah gasped, gripping his bicep and tugging him toward a wall of artwork beside the classroom, featuring seascapes and lighthouses. “What are the chances?”
He pushed his hand through his hair and perused the display until he found his daughter’s picture. Piper had colored a seascape. The careful crayon lines showed a lighthouse with a bright rainbow stretched across a construction-paper sky. He imagined his daughter concentrating on her drawing, biting her lip with her brow furrowed. Pride swelled within him.
Kaiah sidled up and tapped the bulletin board where the drawings hung. “You know what this means?”
“That we need to have a lighthouse craft booth for the kids?”
