Page 5 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

“Wow. Why’s he being so stubborn about it? You’d think he’d be proud his son was taking over for him.” Liam knocked a knuckle against the boat. Thethunkechoed through the high-ceilinged space.

Cody lifted a shoulder. “Honestly? I think he blames me for the accident.”

“No way. From what I’ve heard it was just that—an accident. A storm. Right?”

“Slightly more to it than that. I don’t know. Maybe Dad’s right. Maybe it was my fault.” Cody braced his hands on the workbench. “But either way, the only way to really move on with my life…to honor Troy’s memory…is to make sure our dream of owning the company comes to life.”

“I think that’s really great, man. But why can’t you go out and get a license if your dad won’t sell you his? And a loan for equipment?”

“I already tried that. No one wants to take a chance on a twenty-four-year-old whose last boat sank. And commercial fishing licenses are hard to come by in Michigan. There’s a wait list.” He shook his head. “I’m going to keep hacking away at this dream a little while longer. I don’t want to see another thing I love die.”

Liam was quiet a moment. “I get that,” he said. Then, “Listen, I mentioned to Dani that I was stopping by and she said she’d meet me here. She’s got something to talk to you about.”

Dani Sullivan, Liam’s girlfriend, worked as the head of tourism on Jonathon Island.

Great. “What does she want? She’s not going to hassle me about taking tourists charter fishing again, is she?” She’d mentioned it once before, wondering aloud if it could be a big draw. No thanks. Too much risk. Besides, he wasn’t sure how soon this boat would be up and running.

Liam cracked a smile. “No idea. Something about sprucing up some houses and some buildings in town, I think.”

Sprucing up sounded much better than taking drunk, seasick frat boys out to catch fish all summer. “You never said what you came for. Did you just come here to hassle me?”

“I hassle because I love you, you know that.” Liam had only been on the island a few months. He’d come to help Dani plan the renovations on the Grand Hotel. Already the islanders had accepted him as one of their own.

“Doesn’t answer my question.”

Liam crossed his arms. “I was debating whether to do this…I need your advice on something. I wondered if you would help me pick out a gift for Dani.”

Cody stared at him. “I’m sorry. Did you just say you want me to help you pick out a gift for your girlfriend? You can’t be serious.” He spread his hands wide. “I’m not exactly the person to ask for romance advice.”

“Oh, come on. You’re probably a secret romantic.”

“As evidenced by the girls lined up, knocking down my door.” Above their heads, the shop fan turned on, its huge blades stirring up the oily scent of the building.

“The right girl is out there for you. I know it.”

A flash of a smile, brown curls, green eyes. She’d been out there since he’d first met her at four years old. He shrugged it away.Thatgirl was off limits.

“You’ll be glad to know there is no romance involved anyway. I just wanted to buy Dani and myself a pair of fishing rods. I thought fishing could be a fun activity for us.”

Cody pictured Dani and Liam out on the water, Liam getting sprayed by fish guts. “You seriously want to do that? Aren’t you supposed to be a city kid?”

Liam uncrossed his arms. “Yeah, well, I’m trying to do better. This is a first step.”

“I don’t know, man, fishing rods are kind of romantic.” The newest Bass Pro Shop catalog featured a few that had made his heart skip a beat. Shoot. He really needed to get out more.

Liam laughed. “Maybe for you. What do you say, can you help me find a good starter rod and some tackle?”

“Sure, it’s no problem. I’ll text you a few links.”

“Hello!” Dani’s voice echoed through the cavernous shop.

“We’re on the other side of the boat,” Cody called back.

A moment later and Dani came into view. Cody had known the willowy blonde all their lives. She walked to Liam’s side, and he put his arm around her. She smiled up at him, and Cody glanced away, a pinch forming under his breastbone.

“I’ve got to get going,” Liam said. He dropped a kiss on the top of Dani’s head. “See you both later.”

“I need your help with something.” Dani clasped her hands.

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