Page 31 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

He took a deep breath and looked around. Flowers, ready to burst into full bloom, lined several homes they passed. A few of Mia’s neighbors were out mowing the grass and waved as they walked past. They turned onto Jonathon Boulevard, the road running straight into downtown. When they came to Poppy Place, he pointed down the block. “There are several of the houses in Dani’s plan down that block. Did you want to see any of them? Maybe take some pictures?”

“Sure. I’m game.”

Cody led her to the second house on the right. A blue single-story home he now knew contained two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a newly renovated front room, complete with a gas fireplace. “I think this place has been empty since the Hansons moved out just before the pandemic. Last I heard, they live in Minneapolis now.” He put Maggie down and opened the door.

The strong scent of paint hit them as they walked through the front door. He showed Mia around while she took notes on her phone, pointing out the new mantle he’d installed over the fireplace. They walked through the newly painted bedrooms, the kids scampering ahead of them.

“Thanks again for helping today,” Mia said. “I know you’ve got your own stuff going on.”

“I’m always happy to help you.” It was the understatement of the year, but he would never tire of trying to convince her he was there for her.

“Still. You’re trying to earn enough for your boat parts. I hate to keep you from making money for that. How’s it going?” She pointed her phone camera at the fireplace and took a shot.

Cody ran a hand over the wood panel on a doorway he’d replaced, the wood smooth under his fingers. “I’ve not been able to find the parts I need, but it won’t matter if Dad won’t let me have his license.”

She searched his face with her gaze. “He’s not going to give it to you? Why not?”

The knot in the pit of his stomach he’d been ignoring tightened. “I really don’t know.”

“You’ll just have to convince him.” She reached up and retied the bandanna holding her curls back. “What’s your plan?”

“Right now, the only thing I can do is pray.”

“Probably the best plan. I’ll pray too.” She walked a few steps. “Show me what else you’ve done here.”

Her excitement when he showed her the new wood floors in the kitchen filled him with pride.

“I think I’ve got everything,” she said. “These paint fumes are making me lightheaded.”

Once everyone was out, he locked the door. “Want to see some of the others?”

Mia squinted up at the sun and shook her head. “Not tonight. Let’s keep the plan to head into town while the light is good. It makes more sense to have the business locations take center stage. I’ll write up the housing info another time.”

Swinging Maggie back up onto his shoulders while Finn ran on ahead, they continued their walk to town. The air echoed with the sound of the construction equipment working at the Grand.

A few minutes later, they passed the old fudge shop.

“I miss your family’s fudge.” Mia bumped his shoulder and pointed at it with her chin. “I wonder why that storefront isn’t on the list of available spaces.”

“Technically, Mom still rents it from Seb. The lease isn’t quite up yet, and she uses the kitchen for occasional catering orders. Her arthritis won’t let her do much more than that these days.” A pang hit his chest. “And I miss it too. Mom sure knew how to make magic with sugar and cocoa powder.”

“That she did. You know, we don’t have any applications for a candy shop. Maybe Lily should come home and reopen it.” Lily, his sister, had moved to Florida almost ten years ago to improve on her candy-making trade so she could eventually move home and reclaim their family fame as the Jonathon Island fudge makers. But then the family shop had closed. “Wouldn’t make the Kelley family too happy though,” Mia added with a chuckle.

“Nothing makes those people happy. It wasn’t enough for them to own all the other restaurants on the island. They had to move in on my family’s fudge operation too.” He threw a hand in the air. “To this day, even years later, my dad and Frank Kelley avoid each other whenever possible. That’s not a bad idea about Lily though. I’ll call her later and see if she’s interested. I know she’s coming home for a visit at the end of the month. Maybe she’ll want to take a look around.”

“If she applies, she could even have her own house for a dollar. I know there are more foreclosed houses than available storefronts, so it shouldn’t be a problem to assign one of them to the fudge shop,” Mia said. “It would be nice to know one of the applicants. I’d feel much better about recommending her to the town council than some random stranger.”

“She is strange though.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and was rewarded with a laugh.

“Brothers.” She rolled her eyes at him. They passed by two more empty buildings. One, a small building covered with green shake siding, boasted small flowers painted along the roofline. “This would be a good one to shoot,” she said. At that moment Jack came trotting toward them. “Perfect timing as always, pup. Cody, see if you can get him to sit in front of the building.”

Cody snapped his fingers and the dog followed him to the doorway. “Sit. Good boy.” He leaned down, mindful of Maggie still perched on his shoulders, and patted the mutt on his head. “Stay.”

He shifted back to Mia’s side and waited while she snapped several photos.

“These will be great,” she said. “I’ll bring you a treat next time I’m in town, Jack. Thanks for being such a good subject.”

The dog, seeming to understand her, stood, stretched, tongue lolling, and then loped off again.

---