Page 10 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

Later, after the kids had quick baths, Evie volunteered to put them back to bed while Mia showered. She lingered under the spray until the water turned cold, then put on some old flannel pjs and went to find Evie.

“Show me your hand.” Evie reached out and gently examined Mia’s cut. “I don’t think this is too deep. Are you up to date on your tetanus shots?”

Mia nodded.

Evie bandaged her hand and then made them both a cup of Earl Grey. Mia followed her sister into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

The room had been the first she and Troy finished. Original hardwood flooring shone after they refinished it. They’d found the couch and loveseat on Craigslist. Troy’s favorite recliner sat empty in the other corner. Mia never could bring herself to sit in it.

The fatigue from earlier threatened to eat Mia whole. The Earl Grey had steeped too long, bitter orange on her tongue. “Thank you, sis. You’re a lifesaver.” Mia closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch.

Evie patted her on the knee. “I was going to come even without the storm. I hope you don’t mind, but Mom told me about your meeting at the bank.”

Mia kept her eyes closed. “Whatever. The whole island probably knows by now. The widow who will lose her house.”

“Stop. It’s not like that. People care about you.”

Mia opened her eyes and sat up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so bitter. But how can I be twenty-four and already a stereotype?”

“Honestly, Mia. You are too hard on yourself.” At thirty-two, with a banker husband and mother to three great kids, Evie was a different sort of stereotype. One who would never understand Mia’s predicament.

She leaned forward to take a gulp of her tea. The heat of Evie’s stare bored into her. “Okay. Fine. You’re right. It’s just been a long two years, I guess. I thought I’d be more put together by now.” It didn’t help that the ghost of Troy was all over this island. She couldn’t go anywhere without being reminded of him or of people looking at her with pity. Maybe sheshouldmove to the mainland.

And yet, this was still her home. Even when she’d gone away to art school for a year, she’d missed this place something fierce.

“And I get that, I really do. As much as I can anyway,” Evie said. “Just remember you don’t have to do things solo.”

“Evie, I’m a single mother. Of course I’m doing things solo. The only person I can rely on is myself.” She gripped her cup tight.

“You need a plan.”

Mia slumped lower on the couch. “Do you think I don’t know that? I’ve thought about leaving the island, but I hate to take the kids away from the only home they know. Plus, it’s nice for them to be able to see their grandparents anytime.”

“Move away? You need a plan, but let’s not do anything so drastic.” Evie pulled a blanket out of the basket.

“I don’t know what else to do. There aren’t any jobs here. But, I admit, moving away feels like giving up.” Mia tucked her feet up under her. “And I don’t want my kids to see me as a quitter. I want to be strong and resilient for them.” She took a deep breath. “Plus, what marketable skills do I even have? An artist who quit school after a year. Yeah, that would look great on a résumé.”

“It’s not quitting to try and find a better life for yourself,” Evie said.

“I was looking at jobs in Port Joseph.” Mia pushed a wet strand of hair off her forehead. “At least I’d be near you.”

“Don’t move to Port Joseph on my account. You know I want to move back on island.”

A lump sat firmly in Mia’s chest. “I don’t know what else to do.”

They sat silent for a moment. The wind from earlier had died down.

“You know…” Evie seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “I was talking to Dad?—”

“Stop.” She put up her hand like a traffic cop. “Don’t even suggest I ask him for help.”

“I still don’t understand this wall you have put up between you.” A line formed between Evie’s eyebrows.

“It’s just that whenever I talk to him, all I can remember is his disappointment when I came home pregnant and unmarried.” Mia tugged a blanket tight around her torso.

The memory jumped into her mind.What do you mean you’re pregnant?Her dad’s face had fallen, shoulders slumped.I thought your mom and I taught you better values.And then he’d sighed.

The kind of sigh that had shattered her heart.

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