Page 21 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

But that would be…

No.

“Okay, bye.” Heart pounding in her chest, Mia spun on her heel to get back to her notes.

Cody and Finn’s voices carried down the hall. “I’ll need you to hold the door still, buddy.” Cody’s deeper voice contrasting with Finn’s higher, excited tone.

“Like this?”

“Yep. Just like that. I’m going to run this planer across the sticky spot in the wood, and I need the door to stay just like this.”

Over the sound of metal moving across wood, she heard Finn. “Am I a good helper?”

Her heart squeezed at Finn’s little voice—the boy who didn’t remember his daddy. The boy who longed for a strong male influence in his life, for approval. Her serious boy, who always wanted to do everything right.

“You are the best helper I’ve had all day.”

Oh, man. Her heart couldn’t take the swelling at the praise he’d given her son. Praise that probably meant more to him because a man gave it—not just his mom, but a capable guy Finn looked up to.

“Mia, do you want me to replace this shutter?” Cody called down the hall.

Her palm throbbed at the memory of the scrape she’d gotten fighting off the “monster”. “That would be amazing. Thank you.” She’d just left the shutter lying in the muddy grass after the drama of that stormy night earlier in the week. “I think Troy had some long black screws left over. They’re in the shed.”

She listened as Cody called for Finn to lead the way to the shed. For a moment, she thought about joining them. Maybe catching another glimpse of Cody’s muscles. But she pushed the desire away. If she was going to save this house, she needed to focus on the work in front of her.

Aside from getting the fishing business off the ground, helping Mia was the best way he knew to honor Troy’s memory.

Cody tightened the last screw on the shutter. He’d gone around the house, making sure each one was secure. Finn had grown bored after they’d finished the door, and now he was playing in the muddy grass. Cody gathered up his tools and headed toward the front of the house. A movement inside the dining room window caught his eye and he paused. At the dining room table, Mia sat with her head buried in her hands.

Looked like she needed some outdoor time too.

“C’mon, Finn,” he said. “Let’s put these things away and then talk to your mom about some lunch.”

“Lunch!” Finn scrambled up from the ground, knees dirty from the damp soil. Cody’s heart pinched. If he could make life better for Mia and her kids, he would. He just needed to step up his game. He handed Finn a hammer to carry, and they made their way into the house.

“We’ve come to take you girls on a picnic,” Cody said. The dark wood on the walls of the dining room absorbed all the light. Mia definitely needed some sunshine. “I’ll buy us sandwiches from Martha’s on Main.”

“Seriously? A picnic?” She hit a key on her computer and then closed the lid. “I don’t think so, Code.”

“C’mon. Where’s your sense of adventure? It’ll be fun.”

“It’ll be muddy is what it’ll be. It just rained again.” She crossed her arms and arched her brow at him.

He mimicked her pose. “Bah. Mud, shmud. The clouds are clearing off. The sun is sparkling on the water. Down by the shore it will be beautiful. Who cares about a little mud?”

“I care about the mud.” She thumbed her chest. “I’m the one doing laundry later.”

“Fair point. What if I promise to help?”

“You do laundry?”

“I’ve even been known to cook for myself. A bachelor’s lot.” He winked at her. “C’mon, Mia. It’ll be fun. What happened to the spontaneous girl I used to know?”

“She grew up. Got married. Had kids. Not, of course, in that order.” Mia ducked her chin.

Aw.

“Hey.” Cody touched her hand and drew back just as quickly. “You know you’re forgiven for that, right? Last I checked, the blood of Jesus covers that too.”

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