Page 15 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

“Still want to grab that coffee?” Dani asked. Black jeans and a T-shirt featuring a picture of Jonathon Island draped her tall, willowy frame.

Did she still want to follow through on her plan to beg her best friend for a job? No. Did she want to leave the island? Also no. The lesser of two evils it was, then. “Yes. I need more caffeine as soon as possible. Especially if it comes with an extra helping of caramel and whip.”

Inside Good Day Coffee, the sun made the white walls glow. The twin scents of sweet syrups and bitter coffee surrounded them the moment they stepped inside. She could practically taste the caramel already.

Tara Chamberlain, the pastor’s wife, bent her silvery blonde head toward Henrietta Hudson, a retired baker, at a table near the door, coffees steaming between them. Mia gave them a quick wave. Jill Kelley stood behind the counter with her red hair tied back in a ponytail and apron over her thin frame.

Mia’s son was currently spinning the greeting card display. “Finn, stop that.” He barely looked at her, but thankfully stopped what he was doing. She approached the counter and spoke to Jill. “I’ll take a tall caramel latte with extra whip, please. And hopefully extra caffeine.” She smiled, or maybe grimaced, at Jill as she inclined her head toward her kids.

“Latte coming right up,” Jill said with a wink. “I’ll toss in an extra shot of espresso. On the house.”

Finn had now found a stack of ceramic coffee mugs and was adjusting each one so their handles faced outward. “Finn, knock it off!” Finn looked up at her from under his dark lashes. Mia sighed. “Sorry, Jill. Maybe we’d better take these coffees to go.”

Dani laughed. “He sure is full of energy today.”

“That makes one of us.” She fixed the coffee mugs then grabbed her own to-go cup.

“At least he’s not being naughty. He’s not harming anything.” Dani ruffled Finn’s hair. He gave her a goofy grin.

“All the same, it’s probably better if we let him burn off some of that energy outdoors and keep this coffee mug display out of danger.”

A few minutes later they headed down the sidewalk, Finn and Maggie scampering around them.

“So, you and Cody?”

“What do you mean?”

Dani looked at her from over the rim of her cup. “You looked pretty cozy when I showed up today.”

“I think you need your eyes checked. Cozy?” Mia made a face at Dani. Her cousin was seeing things.

“That’s what I said.”

“It was no big deal.” A fizzy sensation worked its way through Mia. “I was walking past with the kids, and he invited me in. He remembered that I used to have some paintings hung in that studio.”

Finn chased Maggie between her and Dani, her son bumping her at the last moment. She clutched at her coffee to avoid dropping it. “I haven’t seen as much of him lately. He’s been so busy. I hear he’s doing some work for you.”

They walked past Doug’s Market, the only place on the island to get groceries. In a few weeks, the flower boxes lining the front windows would be spilling out with colorful blooms. If they could talk anyone into planting some.

“Technically, he’s doing some work for your dad, since he’s the one who owns practically all the downtown buildings.” Dani waved her hand in the direction of a derelict storefront, a sharp contrast to the quaint and tidy Doug’s Market. “And he works for the town because they own the houses. We need them all looking move-in ready if this scheme is going to work.”

Ahead of them, Finn and Maggie had stopped to pet Jack. The island pet sat on his haunches accepting their love as if it was his due.

Oh, to be a dog.

They reached Finn and Maggie and stood in silence for a moment.

Mia’s heart stirred. Dani’s idea could work. It would have to for the town to survive. They needed to rekindle tourism to the island. She imagined the people and places it would take—a few tchotchke shops, a new fudge place, maybe some more restaurants.

And maybe a new art gallery would fill the place where the old one stood empty.

They paused and looked out over the harbor, the kids mercifully quiet for the moment. Only a few boats bobbed at the marina, most of the slips empty and waiting for the full return of summer.

Mia willed her pulse to stop jumping. “I actually wondered if you needed help with all of that.”

“The town council is helping. They want to be able to vet all the applicants for the venture.” Dani took a long drink of her coffee. “They’ve been pretty hands-on so far.”

Mia’s body grew heavy. “Oh.”

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