Page 69 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
“Reid?”
Turning, Reid spotted Brad Duncan waving on his way down the dog food aisle.
“Hey, Brad.” He shook his friend’s hand, then turned to Kaiah. “Brad is the lead singer and oldest brother in the band. This is Kaiah. She’s a journalist who’s working on a story about the festival.”
“Great to meet you, Kaiah.” Brad folded his arms over his chest. “Are you guys here for cat food?”
“Actually, we’re wondering if the Sandy Boots Brothers would be interested in performing at the festival.”
Brad’s face lit up. “The festival? Nowthat’sa good gig. Count us in.” He pointed to the store’s front window. “We’ve been talking to customers about the festival, and my brothers and I were just thinking about what we could do to help. We’re forming a team for the marathon, for sure. I’d heard that there was going to be a market and a stage. Sounds like we might be a fit for both of those.”
“Right on,” Reid said.
Kaiah wrote in her notebook. “What kind of music do you and your brothers play?”
“Mostly classic country, but we have a few of our own songs. We’re working on an album.”
“That’s so cool! I can’t wait to hear you play.”
Reid patted his old friend’s shoulder. “I’m sure you have some contacts in the local music scene. Could you spread the word that we need some folks to perform? We’re putting out feelers for other acts.”
“Sure thing. I’ll text you some folks to reach out to right now.”
After Brad shared the details, Reid and Kaiah headed back out to the Suburban.
“I’d say we’ve had a successful day,” Kaiah said as she climbed into the passenger seat.
He smiled over at her. “Me too.”
And when an idea for a romantic evening began to form in his mind, his pulse sped up.
Chapter 17
Kaiah hit Send on her email and then collapsed back on the sofa later that evening. After helping Reid with more festival planning, she’d retreated to her apartment after supper to finish her third Coral Cove article. She wanted this one to give more details about Coral Cove’s rich history, including the lighthouse, and highlight how the community was coming together to make the festival a reality. She still couldn’t believe how many people were donating their time and resources. Talk about the perfect hidden gem! Hopefully her article would encourage more visitors to check it out.
When her phone rang with a FaceTime call, she wasn’t surprised to find Kam’s name on the screen. Kaiah hadn’t responded to her text Sunday night, which she was now calling “Mr. TDH-gate.” Her cheeks still burned hot whenever she thought about having to explain it all to Reid.
“Hey, Kam.” Kaiah tried to make her voice as neutral as possible and wasn’t sure she succeeded.
Her sister eyed her with annoyance. “Um, where have you been? Why haven’t you called me or texted me?”
“I’ve been busy. It’s Tuesday, and the festival starts Friday night.”
“Riiiiight. Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to call the cops—I was getting worried. So have you been busyonlywith the festival?” her sister asked with a grin.
“Yes,onlywith the festival. We’ve had to coordinate with vendors, plan live shows, make plans to set up markets, and get permits for events on the beach. It’s a ton of work. So yeah, I’ve been MIA.”
“Cool, cool, cool.” Kam’s expression dimmed, and she seemed... preoccupied?
“You’re being weird. What’s going on, Kam?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem distracted. Do you have something on your mind?”
Kam hesitated for a moment. “I... have news.”
“Oh?”
