Page 34 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

He took off his jacket and hung it on the hook next to his front door. It fell to the floor. “I don’t think that will work. I’m just going to have to figure something else out.”

“Mm-hmm. Hey, you’re quite the internet sensation.” Lily’s teasing tone made a refreshing break from the seriousness of the conversation so far.

“What are you talking about?”

“That video Mia took. Evie forwarded it to me.”

He suppressed a groan. It seemed he did that a lot lately. “I can’t believe you saw that.”

“Based on the view count, over three million of us did. So?” Across the line he could hear her blinker clicking on and off.

“So what?” He poked his head into his dorm-sized fridge. A half-eaten jar of pickles, some mustard, and wilted lettuce stared back. In the freezer, his last potpie boasted a layer of frost. Yum.

“So, you and Mia? She called you a ‘local attraction.’ Is there something I should know? Spill.”

“Nothing to spill.” He unwrapped the potpie and popped it into the microwave on top of the fridge.

“Come on, the girl you’ve pined after for years takes a video calling you a local attraction and there’s nothing to spill?”

“I didn’t pine.”

“Uh, yeah. You did. Totally pined. Which was too bad because if you’d made a move, you probably would’ve gotten the girl instead of watching her be swept away by your friend.”

“I was happy for them.” And he wasn’t lying. He had been happy that they were happy. His misery at watching Mia and Troy together was no big deal compared to their joy in their relationship. “Friends support each other. Besides, there’s too much between us—Troy being the biggest thing. There’s no way anything will happen between us now. And I made peace with that a long time ago.” Though lately, his mind and heart had been struggling to remember that…

“That’s because you won’t make anything happen. I don’t know what you’re afraid of, but I do know you don’t have to step aside anymore. You can go for the girl.”

“I don’t think so.” The microwave beeped. Using a towel to protect his hand, he grabbed the hot food. The scent of processed chicken filled the air.

Lily sighed. “Why not? You need to fight for what you want for once.”

“It’s just not that simple. I don’t want to take advantage of her. She’s a widow. A single mom. Besides…” he stopped next to what passed for his kitchen table, a card table shoved against the wall of the shop. A few pictures lined the back of it. A snapshot of Troy, Mia, and him at their wedding took center stage. In it, Mia had her arms around Troy, pregnant belly round and full, eyes full of love. Troy wore a big, goofy grin, and he himself stood to the side, hands tucked into his pockets. He kind of envied the kids in the photograph—their whole lives stretched before them. It was a good thing they didn’t know what was coming. “You know I’m responsible for her even being free.”

“Cody Nicolas Hart. Do not even start with me. You are no more responsible for Troy’s death than an ant in Timbuktu.”

If only he could convince his heart of that. Every time he passed by Mia’s house, his chest constricted. “She probably blames me.”

“There’s no way she blames you. It was just a stupid, horrific accident. Not even Michigan’s most talented meteorologists predicted that storm. You couldn’t have known.”

“And someday, maybe, I will convince myself that is true.” Sure, he didn’t control the weather and couldn’t have known there would be a freak storm that night. But he should have had the experience to know how to keep them off the rocks.

“Dad has been fishing a lot longer than you. If anything, it would’ve been his fault. But, Cody, I’ve read all the reports.” He heard her car door open, a rustle, then it slammed shut. “Everyone knows the whole thing was just a fluke accident. That’s what the insurance report says, that’s what the Coast Guard report says, and I bet that’s what the old guy coffee club down at Good Day Coffee says. You’re not to blame.”

Lily knew him best. Knew just what to say to convince him with her words. A glimmer of hope began to shine. Because if he could believe her words, if he could truly let go of the guilt, maybe he could move forward.

And that would be amazing.

Chapter Six

Today was going to be huge.

As she walked to Dani’s office in the Tourism Bureau, Mia allowed the frisson of excitement deep in her belly to spread until her fingertips tingled with it. Memorial Day on Jonathon Island used to be celebrated with parades and speeches and red, white, and blue bunting. The past few years, however, the celebrating had dwindled to a somber half-hour service at the historic fort cemetery. This year, Mia had convinced the town to spend it on cleanup efforts. In an hour, people would be assembling at the Little Stone Church.

Before that, though, Mia had arranged to meet with Dani at her downtown office to go over some of the applications she’d received. Since sorting them with Cody a few days ago, more applicants had submitted their paperwork.

“I think these twenty will make a good start,” Dani said. She rested her hand on top of the stack they’d sorted through. Again. If Mia never sorted another stack of papers in her life, she’d be the happiest islander on Jonathon Island. “You can set up video interviews with the council for the end of the week.”

“On it, Boss,” Mia said. “I’m super excited for some of these. I think your plan could really work.” Not to mention her housing hanging in the balance.

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