Page 54 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
“No, but I’m sure he’s curious.”
“It’s good to keep him guessing,” her sister joked. “Good night.”
“Night, Kam. Talk to you soon.” Kaiah hung up and then settled on the sofa to watch Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fall in unexpectedly but completely smitten love with each other and form their own little family—complete with Brinkley the golden retriever.
Chapter 13
“Have a good day, pumpkin,” Reid told Piper as he hugged her the next morning. He and Kaiah had dropped her off at school before they carried the cookies in for the bake sale.
As Kaiah hugged Piper next, he smiled as he remembered how much he’d enjoyed baking cookies yesterday. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much. And for a moment he’d found himself longing to kiss this woman again. She’d somehow managed not only to become his friend but also to bring his heart back to life. He hadn’t felt this alive since—
“Where do we take these cookies?”
Kaiah’s question broke through his thoughts. She pointed to the boxes full of lighthouse cookies while Piper scampered down the hallway, disappearing into the sea of students on their way to class.
He picked up the stack of boxes. “I’m assuming we take them to the office.”
“Hold on there, Lieutenant,” she scolded while reaching for a box. “Let me take a few of these.”
He nodded in the direction of the office. “Just get the door, please.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” She gave him a salute and grinned as she opened the door, making a sweeping gesture for him to enter.
“Are those for the bake sale?” Misty Rodriguez, one of the PTO members, asked from an office doorway.
Reid set the stack of boxes on the counter. “They sure are.” He motioned toward Kaiah. “We made them yesterday—with Piper’s help, of course. Kaiah, this is Misty. She’s a member of the PTO.”
“You have to see our lighthouses.” Kaiah opened the box and handed Misty a bag of cookies.
“Oh my goodness.” Misty examined the bag. “These are so perfect.” She set the box down and disappeared into the office. “Let me show you what we put together last night.” She handed Reid a flyer with details about the festival, including the website where volunteers could register.
Kaiah came to stand at his shoulder, and he breathed in the scent of her flowery shampoo. “They’re dynamite.” She touched the flyer. “We should give these out in town. We could encourage people to sign up for the marathon too.”
“Hang on a minute.” Misty slipped into the office and returned with a stack of flyers. “You can blanket the town with these. And if you need more, I can print more.”
Kaiah took the flyers. “Thank you. Let’s head to Main Street.”
Kaiah slipped on her pink sunglasses and held up a flyer. “This is fabulous. We need to pass these around.”
“I agree. But first, let’s check in with the electrician,” Reid said while merging onto Main Street. “I’m concerned about the lighthouse. Becca told me Mr. Johnson got a key from one of the historicalsociety members and researched what kind of wiring would need to be done. He’s been trying to find someone who can fix the lamp. We have exactly a week now before we’ll need to illuminate it, and we want to keep our theme.”
Kaiah took in his profile while he sat in the driver’s seat beside her, and she couldn’t help but notice that he was looking good today—like,reallygood. Once again she imagined what his kiss would’ve felt like if the principal hadn’t interrupted them.
A hot, kind, and caring man wanted to kiss her. A happy thrill skittered in her belly.
He peered over at her. “Why are you staring at me?”
“You look good. I mean, um...”Oh no!Just like that, her cheeks reddened and felt like they were going to spontaneously combust. “What I meant was, you look like you’re well rested.”I don’t know how you managed to make it more weird, Ky, but you just succeeded. Great job.
He flicked on his left blinker and then merged onto the road leading toward the bay side of Coral Cove. After merging, he grinned at her. “And you look like you ‘slept well’ too.”
She swallowed a groan and sank down in the seat. She thought she might drown in embarrassment.
“Hey.” He rubbed her shoulder. “All Piper talked about last night and this morning was how much fun she had baking cookies. Thanks again for that.”
Kaiah gave him a weak smile. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m serious. Piper had a great time. That means a lot, Ky.”
