Page 84 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
Kaiah appeared in the doorway, smiling. “No problem.”
Reid went out to the kitchen where Ariel rubbed against his shin and began her usual repertoire of meows. Giggles filtered in from the hallway, and he smiled while he fed the cat. When he heard a phone ding with a text, he found Kaiah’s phone sitting on the counter. He held his breath, debating if he should investigate it.
What was on Kaiah’s phone wasn’t any of his business. She had a whole life outside of him. She was allowed to share only what she wanted.
But when the phone dinged again, he couldn’t help himself. He glanced down at the screen.
Hayes: Hey, I miss you.
Hayes: Kaiah, I messed up. I love you. Call me. Let’s work this out.
A giant pit began to expand in his stomach.
Then her phone dinged again with a third text.
Hayes: Let’s be a family—you, me, and George.
The pit was the size of the Grand Canyon now. Suddenly he realized he wasn’t breathing.
Then Reid shook his head, forcing the doom out of his mind. Kaiah had made it clear that she was done with Hayes. And this loser was kidding himself if he thought he had another chance with Kaiah. Yes, they had a history. And yes, they had adopted a dog together. But that didn’t mean they were a family. Hayes had left that family behind.
Still, the idea of her reconciling with that guy jerked a knot in his gut.
“Daddy!” Piper called. “Come listen to my story.”
Reid grabbed the phone off the counter. “Coming, sweetie.” He carried the phone to Piper’s bedroom, where she sat on the bed wearing her favorite mermaid pajamas. He held the phone out to Kaiah. “You got a text.”
She took the phone. “Thanks.” She glanced at the screen and kept her expression blank, but as she read the screen, her brow wrinkled. She pressed her lips together, locked the phone, and shoved it into the back pocket of her jean shorts.
If only he could read her thoughts. Though again, Hayes was her business. If she wanted to talk to Reid about it, she would. He wasn’t supposed to see those texts anyway. Still, he wondered, was she going to say anything to him?
Kaiah sat on the end of the bed and began rubbing Ariel’s chin. The cat responded by closing her eyes and purring—loudly.
“How about you both read me a story?” Piper held up her favorite book,The Littlest Mermaid. “You can take turns.”
“Sure.” Kaiah reached for the book. “Want me to start?”
Piper patted the bed on either side of her. “Yeah, but I want you both to sit with me. Here.”
Kaiah snuggled up to Piper in the space between the girl and the wall, while Reid balanced on the edge on the other side. For the next half hour, Reid and Kaiah took turns reading the book, passing it back and forth while Piper beamed and held her favorite mermaid doll. When they reached the end of the story, they kissed her on the cheek at the same time, prompting laughter.
“Let’s do this every night forever!” Piper held up her doll.
Kaiah gave Reid a sheepish smile. “It was fun, wasn’t it, Reid?”
“Yeah.” His heart turned over as he turned his attention to his daughter. “Be good tomorrow, pumpkin.” He kissed her forehead and then followed Kaiah out to the hallway.
“Good night, Reid,” Kaiah said before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “Maybe I’ll see you at the festival.” She smiled and held up her finger. “In a nonemergency capacity, of course.”
“Right.” He kissed her forehead and then her lips. “Sleep well, Kaiah,” he told her before she slipped into the guest room.
Chapter 21
Kaiah snapped a few photos of the long line snaking down the sidewalk as she and Becca walked to the first of the garden tours. “It’s official, Becca. Coral Cove Brightening Blooms is gonna be a huge success! Just look at that line.” She pointed toward the few dozen people waiting to tour Mrs. Gordon’s rose garden.
“That’s not even the best part.” Becca rested her hand on Kaiah’s arm and lowered her voice. “We’ve already raised more than five thousand dollars for the school, and it’s only Sunday. I think we’re going to exceed our goal.”
Kaiah grinned. “That’s amazing news. I bet that means you guys can renovate the lighthouse too.”
