Page 65 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

Soon, the water began to churn, waves tossing the speedboat as they paddled.

“Harder,” Cody said and both men doubled down on their efforts. Cody could see his dock achingly close.

He didn’t have time for fear as they maneuvered the boat to the shore. He needed to get it in, tied off, and covered before the rain hit. They’d just bumped the side of the dock when the skies opened overhead.

“Tie her off,” Cody called. “I’ll hold us.” He kept a grip on one of the dock cleats while Pastor Arnie tied off the line on the back of the boat. Then he tied the one on the front.

“Do you have a cover?” Rain streamed down Arnie’s face.

“In the shop.” Cody shed his life vest and stepped out of the boat. Both men hurried across the lawn to the shed. Inside, they dripped on the floor as Cody collected the boat cover. The pulsing of the pouring rain beat on the steel roof. He tossed Pastor Arnie his dad’s rain slicker and put his own on.

“Thanks for coming with me today.” He rested his hand on the doorknob, steeling himself for the onslaught of rain.

“My pleasure. I’ll help you with the cover and then dash home,” Pastor Arnie replied.

The two of them wrestled the canvas over the boat, securing it with the snaps made for that purpose.

Cody waved as Pastor Arnie took off toward home. A rumble of thunder ground through the sky.

Shoot. He was really late now.

Without stopping to change his clothes, Cody made his way downtown. Surely Mia would forgive him for being late when he told her about his progress.

Chapter Twelve

Mia didn’t know what to do with the emotions swirling through her. Cody’s kiss had awakened something in her, something she had been denying for the past several weeks. She was falling for him.

If it was true what Lily said about Cody being in love with her, maybe it was time to jump in with both feet. She could trust Cody. He’d never let her down.

Dani was meeting with some of the prospective businesspeople who had stayed over after last night’s meeting, leaving her free to follow through on that favor for Jemma, the glassblower. She bundled the kids against the cool wind and walked to Jemma’s store. She paused at the door. The teal building boasted a mural along the side, featuring a lighthouse and the island shore. Inset along the bottom of the walls ran a double row of seashells. The fun and eclectic location would be perfect for Jemma and her glassblowing business. Mia imagined wind chimes hanging out front and colorful vases and other blown art in the window. Shaking her head at the whimsy, she unlocked the door. Finn and Maggie pushed past her and into the echoing space.

Outside, the sky hung gunmetal gray. She could smell rain in the air. Hopefully the delivery would come before the skies opened up.

This space was everything Jemma said she’d needed. The full wall of windowpanes let in plenty of light. Or they would when it wasn’t overcast. The floors were poured concrete, speckled with a glittery epoxy. About two thirds of the way back, a low wall partitioned off the back of the room. It would make a perfect workspace; customers could watch her at work while staying out of her way.

Mia decided to put the delivery boxes back there.

“Finn, Maggie, some boxes are being delivered. I need you to stay out of the way.” She rummaged around in the backpack she’d brought, then handed Finn an iPad. “Here, I’ve loaded a couple ofBlueyepisodes on there.”

She led them to a spot that would be out of the way. Soon, the cartoon sounds of the Australian dog family filled the room. She checked her phone. No messages. Not that she expected Cody to text her or anything. She looked around for a doorstop and spotted a small, wooden triangle near the entrance. That would come in handy for the delivery.

The low moan of the ferry’s horn groaned through the building. The delivery would be here soon. Where was Cody? He was late. That wasn’t the Cody she knew. Moving to the front window, she looked down the street. No familiar set of strong arms and quick smile. A few drops of rain hit the pavement.

She walked back and forth in front of the window.

A rumble preceded the arrival of an ATV pulling a trailer, boxes stacked high.

Two men jumped down. She recognized them as the freight delivery guys from the ferry service. The dark haired, tall one was Luke, and the shorter blond was Martin, maybe? They moved to the back of the cart and began unloading boxes. One of the boxes towered almost as tall and wide as an apartment-sized refrigerator, about her height and twice as wide. Perhaps that was the furnace Jemma had talked about.

“Hi, guys.” She held the door open for them, then kicked the stop into place. “You can bring them straight in.”

“Sorry, Mia. We can’t do that,” Luke said.

“What do you mean, can’t?” Mia propped a fist on her hip.

“It’s company policy to drop them off. We need to make all our deliveries before the ferry leaves again.” The man gestured at the full cart behind him. All those boxes would take hours to deliver, even on this small island.

Where was Cody?

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