Page 35 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

“That’s the idea,” Dani drawled. She pushed the stack toward Mia. “Text me with the times you set up for each one. I think we should plan on thirty minutes each, with a ten-minute break between.” They worked out the rest of the details, then Mia stood, gathering the papers together.

“Thanks again for making this happen for me,” she said. “I don’t know what I would be doing now if it weren’t for you.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me. I needed you too, remember.” Dani came around her desk and hugged Mia tight. “Personal question. Do you have enough money for food? Since you’re not getting a salary from me…”

Mia pulled back. “Dani, you’re my best friend. You can feel free to ask me any personal question. You know that. And yes, we have money for food. Like I told you before, the kids and I are getting Troy’s social security checks.” Troy hadn’t worked long enough for social security to be very high, but it covered the essentials of food and heat every month. It just didn’t leave much left over for other essentials, like paying the mortgage.

“Okay. Awkwardness over,” Dani said. She let go of Mia and picked up the stack of applications. “I’ll let you get to your kids. Here.” She handed the stack to Mia before moving back around her desk. “See you in a few minutes.”

Outside, the sun shone brightly over the placid lake water. Mia smelled someone burning brush somewhere nearby. She made her way down Main Street and then turned right on Blueberry Boulevard. Pulling a notebook out of her shoulder bag, she made a few additional notes on priority items for the cleanup today as she walked down the street.

Pick up trash.

Paint window boxes.

Sweep up leaves and small debris.

Remove tattered bunting and awnings.

Passing a third building with broken windows, she jotted down a note to ask Dani if there was money to replace the windows in some of the buildings. And, if not, she’d brainstorm a solution to make them look better with Cody. If they wanted people to choose to make a life here, they needed to make Main Street as appealing as possible. If people could see the charm she knew lay beneath the crumbling paint, they would love the island as much as she did.

Ahead, several people were walking in the direction of the church.

Hopefully, her plea for help had reached enough ears to make a difference today.

Nancy Hart fell into step beside her. “Mia! It’s good to see you.” Cody’s mom looked casual in her jeans and an old Jonathon Island Apple Blossom Festival T-shirt. “This cleanup day is a great idea. I’m glad you thought of it.”

“I hope we can accomplish a lot,” Mia said. “There are only a few weeks left before we host a bunch of potential newcomers.” She pushed back the shiver of electricity chasing around in her stomach at the thought. Would it all come together in time?

Nancy rubbed at her wrists. “Looks like you’ve got a good turnout.” She jutted her chin at the crowd gathered in front of the stone church.

Mia gaped at the group on the lawn. There were at least a hundred people here.

At the fringe of the group, Patrick Kelley was bickering with his sister-in-law Martha about something. Patrick’s wife, Whitney, one of the town’s schoolteachers, appeared to be acting as referee. Pastor Arnie, bright red hair hidden under a straw hat, and his wife, Tara, in gardening gloves, stood chatting with Mia’s mom and dad. Finn chased Maggie nearby. She spotted Nora fiddling with her phone near the rear of the group.

Liam, Cody, and Mr. Michaelson from the bank clumped together as well. Jack wove between the legs of the gathered crowd, the terrier’s tail wagging so fast it was a blur.

Cody looked her way, and his face lit in a smile. He jogged over to her.

“Ready for this?” He slipped his red ball cap off his head and readjusted it before settling it back over his head.

“As I’ll ever be, I guess. I’ve never been one for public speaking.” Her mouth dried at the thought.

“You did fine in speech class.” Cody laid a hand on her shoulder. Its weight and warmth chased some of the nerves away.

“Cody, we had seven people in our class. And we’d been in school together for years. I’d hardly call that public speaking.” She rolled her eyes.

“You’ll do great. I know you’re passionate about this project, and that’s all that matters. When you used to give presentations about your art projects, it didn’t matter how many people were in the room.” He patted her once then turned to stand shoulder to shoulder.

She took a deep breath, the scent of cut grass and early flowers and grilled meat filling her senses. “Thanks, Cody. Here goes nothing.” She let out the breath and then clapped her hands. “Welcome everyone.”

When the murmuring group didn’t settle down, Cody put his pinkies in his mouth and whistled loudly. She turned to him, mouth open. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” He shot her a wink and then nodded at the crowd, most of whom were turning to face them.

“Okay, everybody, listen up.” Mia tried to pitch authority in her voice. As the murmuring died down, she gripped the edges of her notebook. “Thank you so much for giving up your Memorial Day to spruce up the town we all love. I’ll divide you into teams and send you off. We have a lot to get done, but with so many people enthusiastically participating, we should finish in plenty of time for the picnic Pastor Arnie and Tara have planned.” A whooping cheer went up at the sound of this.

“As you can probably smell, Gary Jacobs stepped away from the cheese counter at Doug’s Market today and is already smoking ribs for later. A big thank you to Doug’s Market for donating the meat for our supper, and to each of you for bringing the rest.”

---