Page 6 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

A laugh burst out of him. “No warm-up? Just straight to the punch? I already told you I don’t want to take out any tourists on charters.”

She held up a hand to stop him. “No. It’s nothing like that. You know about the revitalization project, right?”

“I was at the town hall meeting, yeah.” Cody pulled a stool out from under the bench and placed it in front of Dani before grabbing one for himself. “We may as well sit, and you can explain. Want a Coke?”

She shook her head and sat. “Okay, so you know that step one of our plan is to rebuild and reopen the hotel so we have a place for guests and seasonal workers to stay, right?”

Cody nodded. The work on the hotel had already begun. Everyone in town knew about that. He crossed his arms and leaned against the workbench, the metal cool through his T-shirt. A tang of engine oil hung in the air.

“Step two is all about opening the businesses themselves. You know how we have all these open storefronts on Main Street?” Dani’s gestures grew more expansive as she warmed to her topic. “Uncle Seb owns those, obviously, but as part of our revitalization plan, he’s willing to majorly lower the rent for the first several years to attract new owners.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Cody cocked his head. “But is that really enough to get people here?”

She shifted on her stool, leaned forward. “Not on its own, no. Recently I saw a Travel Channel documentary about a tiny town in Italy. After the pandemic, this town had all of these empty homes and offered to sell them for the equivalent of a dollar just to get people there.”

Oh. Wow. He sat up straight. “So, you’re going to do the same thing?”

“Basically. So many of the older homes behind Main Street were left abandoned over the last decade. People moved away and couldn’t pay their mortgages, so the town pretty much claimed ownership.”

“Right.” So many families had left over the years. Jonathon Island was still amazing, but to think about what it used to be…the comparison ached. “And those are the ones you’re going to offer for a dollar?”

“Yes, but not just to anyone. To business owners who apply—and are vetted and approved by the town council. We have fourteen available storefronts and at least that many empty homes. Here’s hoping we have a lot of applicants.” Dani chewed her bottom lip. “That’s the part I’m most worried about.” She stared up at the vaulted ceiling for a moment.

In the silence, Cody heard the ticking of the clock mounted on the far wall. Overhead, the fluorescent lights buzzed. Finally, he cleared his throat. “So, what exactly are you wanting me to do?”

Dani’s smile flashed again as she looked at him. “I want to hire you to make sure the buildings and houses are move-in ready. We want people to be able to see how charming Jonathon Island really is.” She named the amount she’d been authorized to pay him. “Uncle Seb is chipping in a lot of the money, since he owns the buildings, but the town promised to put some up too. We’d like you to start right away.”

His shoulders relaxed and a grin spread across his face. “I think I can help with that.” He mentally reviewed the list of handyman projects he had going—not too many right now. He’d cleared his calendar when he’d bought the boat, hoping to be back on the water soon. Even this small salary would go a long way toward the parts he needed. And it would be more regular work than the odd jobs he’d been taking around town. “Just tell me which places we’re talking about.”

Dani hopped off her stool. “Thank you. Come by my office tomorrow and I can get you the list and a bunch of master keys.”

He could make that work. “I planned to check Mia’s lawnmower in the morning. It shouldn’t take long, so I can be there by ten or so.”

A strange look passed over Dani’s face. She opened her mouth then clapped it shut.

“What?” He pushed off his stool. Dani started walking for the door, and he went with her.

“It’s just that I think—never mind.” She waved a hand in the air. They rounded the boat. Straight ahead, a line of light shone through the gap in the bottom of the door leading out of the shed.

“At the risk of repeating myself, what?” He reached for the doorknob and twisted it open. The warmth of the May sunlight streaming in chased away the chill always present in the metal building.

Dani gave a little shrug. “I know it’s not the same without your third Musketeer, you and Mia and Troy were always inseparable, but I don’t think Troy would want you hiding away.”

“I’m not hiding away.” He gazed out toward the boardwalk running past his place, not really seeing it. “I’m keeping my head down. Working toward getting this business back.”

“I’m probably way out of line here, but maybe it’s time to ask her out.”

He whipped his gaze to her. “Ask who out?”

She speared him with a look. “I think you know who I’m talking about.”

Of course he did. But…“We’re just friends.” The words felt wrong in his mouth, but honestly, it didn’t matter how he felt about Mia. It mattered how she felt abouthim.

And the fact that Troy would always be between them. “Not gonna happen.”

Dani lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Okay, maybe I imagined it. But Mia could use someone like you in her corner.”

His heart squeezed. “I’m in her corner. I’ll always be in her corner. As afriend.”

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