Page 75 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
But after two days of silence, Hayes had reached out again:
Hayes: Ky, come on. I really want to talk to you.
Hayes: I know you’re working on a story in NC. I’ve liked your articles.
Hayes: How long will you be there? Can I come see you?
Hayes: We need to talk, Ky. Please!
“Can’t you take a hint?” she said, glowering at her phone.
“Who are you talking to?”
Kaiah whirled around to find Becca, who watched her with confusion. “Sorry. I got a text from my ex.”
“What does that jerk want?”
Kaiah angled the screen toward Becca.
“Ugh,” Becca said. “Time to block him.”
Kaiah shook her head. “I can’t, just in case something happens to George. Or if he has a lead on a story.”
“Listen, I know you’re a freelancer and jobs are hard to come by sometimes. But Hayes doesn’t deserve to stay in contact with youor know where you are,” Becca said. But when Kaiah hesitated, she threw her arms up in the air. “He took yourdog, Kaiah. The one you cared for together. Who does that?” She waved him off. “Forget about that guy. He’s not worth your time.” Then her expression became clandestine. “As long as we’re being real right now, tell me this: Are you dating my brother?”
Kaiah pocketed her phone, staying quiet for a beat before answering. “Um, yeah. Sort of. How did you know?”
Becca scoffed, then smiled. “Uh, anybody who’s seen the goo-goo eyes you give each other would know. Plus, I saw you kiss him before we left his house earlier. That was a pretty good clue.” She elbowed Kaiah in the side. “I approve, by the way.”
Kaiah beamed. “Thanks. I do too.”
“Rebecca,” a woman called from a nearby booth. A sign beside her readBeach Collectibles. “I’m starting to wonder why we’re bothering to set up this market when it’s going to rain until next Friday. Who’s gonna come out for this?”
“You know what? I was thinking the same thing,” a man called from the Carolina Jewelers booth. “This is a waste of time, not to mention manpower. We should load it all up and take it back to the store. At least people can park in front of our buildings and shop in the rain. Who’s gonna trudge through all that mud?”
“Y’all, don’t be a bunch of Debbie Downers. It’s all going to be fine,” Reid called while he walked toward the man. He held up his arms, and his face was the picture of calm. “I have a feeling the weather is going to pass us over and the weekend is going to be perfect.”
“What forecast are you reading?” the man from the jeweler’s booth asked. “The one from the Pie in the Sky channel?”
Becca’s phone started to ring, and she answered it. “Hi, Mayor Whittington.” Her tone was sunnier than her expression. “Yes, absolutely. I’ll spread the word.” She hung up the call and glancedaround. “We’re having an emergency town meeting tonight at seven to discuss the festival.”
Worry drenched Kaiah’s spirit like the pouring rain.
Reid rested his hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be fine,” he whispered in her ear. “You’ll see.”
Although she was certain the weather was against them, she hoped Reid was right.
A rumble of conversations echoed around the large town hall later that evening while rain pounded on the roof. Kaiah stood in the back of the hall beside Cash while Reid and Becca walked up to the podium with the mayor.
She wrung her hands while she glanced around the full room. She couldn’t stop herself from wondering if the festival was going to fall apart, if the elementary school kids would ever leave their crowded classrooms and get the attention they needed to thrive. She wondered if the stories she was writing were making a difference at all for this town that had grown so dear to her, mostly because the people who made it their home had opened their hearts to her.
“Good evening,” Mayor Whittington said into the microphone, pulling Kaiah back to the present. “Let’s get started. I called this meeting so that we can firm up our plans for the festival.”
“There isn’t going tobea festival if this rain doesn’t stop,” a man called from the back of the hall.
“We’ve spent all this money,” a woman yelled, “and now it’s going to be a washout!”
A chorus of voices agreed with her.
