Page 18 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

“Why are you so all-fired ready to get back out on that water?” His dad’s bark made Cody catch his breath. “No means no.”

“But—”

“But nothing. Besides, I have an offer for the last of the gear from an outfit on the mainland. They’re wanting the license too.”

Cody took a step back. The state of Michigan only issued fifty commercial licenses for the whole state. If his dad sold the license he’d held for almost thirty years, there was no guarantee Cody would be able to obtain one.

Dad tossed a log onto the stack Cody had made. Several pieces fell off the top of the pile and onto the ground, scattering like a school of fish when startled.

“Randy!” Mom’s face had paled. “That license is older than our marriage. Are you sure? You didn’t tell me that part.”

“I’m sorry.” Dad reached out a hand to her but let it fall before touching her arm. “I thought you understood that I was finished. Selling it all. I just wish it hadn’t taken this long to get it done.”

“And I support you in that, but I never thought you’d let the license go.” Mom groped behind her until her hand hit the railing along the stairs. She gripped it until Cody saw her knuckles turn white. “I never thought…” The words hung between them.

“Why, Dad?” Cody’s words ground out of him. “Can you at least tell me that?”

“You of all people should know.” His dad pulled on the cord of the chainsaw. It roared to life, drowning out any other sound. He lowered the saw to the tree in front of him, and the chain ripped through the bark.

So. It was true then. His dad blamed him for the accident. He remembered his dad’s face at Steve’s funeral, and then Troy’s a few days later. The sorrow in his eyes accompanied by the small shake of his head when he looked at Cody told Cody everything he needed to know.

Cody handed his mug to his mom. “I’m going to take off.”

Mom opened her mouth. Shut it. Then, “What about supper?”

“Sorry, Mom. I’m not hungry anymore.”

Forget getting the parts for the boat. If his dad wouldn’t sell him that license, his dreams drifted dead in the water.

Chapter Four

This plan had to work.

Because Mia was staking everything on it.

She looked around at the members of the town council seated at the table in the conference room of the Tourism Bureau. She knew them all, of course. The island was small enough that people who lived here permanently all knew each other.

Dani had called a day after their chat by the water and said the town was willing to work with the bank to pay off her mortgage. Hallelujah. Today they were meeting to hammer out the details.

Martha Kelley, owner of Martha’s on Main, stood up at the end of the table. She brushed a gray-streaked hair behind her ear. “Let’s get this thing started.”

They all quieted down.

“I think you all know that I have reservations about this plan,” Martha said.

Mia wanted to sink under the table. Dani shot her an apologetic look. She hadn’t mentioned that the council wasn’t a hundred percent on board.

“Martha, we all agreed this was a good idea,” Tara Chamberlain said. As the pastor’s wife, Tara was often called the “island mom.” Her silver-blonde hair brushed her shoulders as she turned her head to look each one in the eye. “Mia has skills we need to make this work. And she’s willing to put in the hours.”

Around the table, Patrick Kelley, brother-in-law to Martha—although they were more like enemies—and Historical Society president, Janine Dirks, nodded along with what Tara said.

Dani had also invited Cody. Although he wasn’t officially on the town council, she’d told Mia that she wanted him to know how much work there was to do on the houses. He and Mia would work together on some of those details in the coming weeks. She glanced at him now. He sat at the back of the room, a neutral expression on his face. She turned back to the discussion.

Martha crossed her arms. “Fine. But we need some ground rules. How much is this town willing to shell out for this project?”

Everyone began talking at once. Finally, Mia’s dad boomed over them all.

“People. Enough of this.” He stood up, his crisp dress shirt a contrast to the casual outfits everyone else wore. The room quieted as everyone looked at him. “Mia needs clear guidelines on how to do this job.”

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