Page 4 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
Um, woooow, okay.
“Hey, sis, did you hear a word I just said?” Kam asked.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “Just got distracted by some superhot guy looking at me!”
“Oooh,” Kam sang. “Do tell!”
Kaiah tried her best to keep her voice down while she shared how she and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome had wound up with each other’s drinks.
“It’s fate,” Kam insisted. “You were meant to meet him. That’s why Daisy chose to break down right outside of Nowheresville. It was all a grand plan for you to meet your future husband.”
Kaiah laughed. “Yeahright.”
“Did you introduce yourself to him?”
“No. Since ‘Cayenne’ was written on my coffee cup, he probably thinks Mom and Dad were hippies who named me after a spice.”
Kam chuckled. “It wouldn’t be the first time. But seriously, you should go introduce yourself! Tell him your real name and that you’re a super successful journalist on her way to cover the next big story.”
“Uh-huh. Which is why my car is broken down and I’m worried about how I’m going to pay for the repairs.”
“Oh shoot,” Kam said, her teasing tone evaporating. “Do you need money?”
Kaiah’s smile faltered. “No, but thanks.” She decided to shift the conversation back to the pressing topic at hand. “I’m not going to meet this guy. Besides, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is probably married.”
“Is he wearing a ring?”
“I don’t think so. But let’s get real: I’m twenty-six. All of the good ones are taken by now.” Though she was glad her younger sister had managed to find a good one. She and Devon had been married almost three years.
“C’mon, Kaiah. No, they aren’t. It’s time for you to get back out there. Once you do, you’ll find someone too. And maybe Mr. TDH is one of the good ones.”
“He might be, but I’m not going to be here long enough to find out. I’m putting this town in the rearview in the next couple of hours. So what’s up with you? How’s work?”
“Ugh, tax season,” Kam said with a sigh. “It’s been crazy. Talking to you is always a nice break, though.”
Kaiah spent the next hour catching up with her sister and answering a few emails. Then she finished her drink and walked outside to Main Street, where people moved up and down the sidewalk and in and out of the shops. The afternoon air smelled like seawater mixed with coconut sunblock, and for a moment she considered wandering out to the boardwalk, if there was one.
She turned just as Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome exited the coffee shop. He held the door open for two young women who both eyed him appreciatively. A phone started to ring, and he yanked his cell from the pocket of his shorts before holding it to his ear and grinning. He sauntered over to a black SUV and opened the door. And when his dark eyes met Kaiah’s, he grinned and nodded before climbing in.
A smile tugged the corners of her mouth as she let out a sigh.Goodbye, Mr. TDH. It’s a shame I never learned your name.
She shook off the thought and turned her attention to the stores lining the street. She wandered over to a gift shop, and in the window she spied a suncatcher featuring a black-and-white lighthouse, similarto the one she’d seen as she rolled into town. Instantly she found herself gripped by a memory of her mother. Mom had purchased a similar suncatcher during their last visit to Maine, the summer before she died. Back in New York, Mom had hung the suncatcher in the dining room window. It had remained there, sparkling in the sunlight, until Dad sold the house and moved to Arizona with his new wife.
Kaiah tilted her head and wondered what could have happened to the trinket. Had one of her sisters snagged it when they were packing up the house? She rested her hand on the window as more memories of her mother flowed through her mind—her mother’s bright smile, quirky sense of humor, contagious laugh, warm hugs.
I miss you, Mom.
She hugged her arms to her middle and turned toward the majestic lighthouse standing against the bright blue sky. As if it were a beacon drawing her in, Kaiah started to walk toward it, thankful she’d worn her comfortable sandals.
She traveled three blocks and finally arrived at the lighthouse. Disappointment swirled in her chest when she found a chain-link fence surrounding the structure, the ancient-looking lightkeeper’s quarters off to the right. Standing there took her back a couple of decades, when she was surrounded by her family and gazing up at a similar lighthouse in Maine. That, too, was a beautiful old structure that filled her with awe. And it was the moment she’d realized she wanted to tell other people about amazing things she’d seen on her travels. She wanted to journey to all the corners of the world, sharing stories about people and their lives in exotic places. Kaiah was still sure this was what she’d been born to do.
She fished her camera from her backpack and began shooting photos of the lighthouse through the fence. The wind blew strands of blonde hair away from her face while she captured photos of thecoastal blue water sparkling in the sunlight. Boats with colorful sails moved out in the cove while seagulls sang in the cool April air.
Glancing around, Kaiah searched for a plaque detailing the history of the structure but couldn’t find one. She yearned to know the gorgeous lighthouse’s history. Why was it locked behind a fence instead of open for locals and visitors to enjoy?
Her phone dinged with a text message from an unknown number, and she opened it and read the message:
Ms. Ross, This is Bill at Coral Cove Car Care. Please come by the shop. We have an estimate for you.
