Page 7 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

“My mistake.” She waved as she walked into the sunlight. “See you tomorrow, Cody.”

After Dani left, Cody plugged in the sander fitted with a heavy grit paper and began attacking the peeling paint along the boat’s midsection. The rhythmic motions soothed his nerves. Dani knew Mia best. If she thought he was good enough for Mia then…Maybe…No. He couldn’t go there.

He popped his earbuds in, donned a pair of safety glasses, and tugged a mask over his nose and mouth. In his ears, the rap artist Flame sang about joy in Christ. Maybe if he listened long enough, some of the truth would sink into his heart.

He soon fell into a rhythm, the sander in his hand swishing across the surface of the boat until he could make out the fiberglass hull underneath. He needed to take off a layer of paint and all of the barnacles and other accumulated biofouling before he could hit the whole thing with a blast of primer. If everything went well, he could be putting the second coat of marine paint on by the end of the week.

After two feet more of the hull gleamed in the harsh light of the shop, he stepped back to admire his progress. Between all the interruptions, he’d finished four measly feet this afternoon. So much for his personal timeline. So much for this part of the project getting done anytime soon.

His smart watch buzzed with a text from his mom.

Mom

Can you stop by the house? Dad needs a hand clearing that branch that fell during the storm last week.

He unplugged the sander, gave the boat a hard stare, then pushed the safety glasses up onto his forehead.

This boat had waited a long time for this paint to be stripped. It wouldn’t hurt for it to wait another day.

Now that he had some guaranteed income, it wouldn’t be long before he’d be back on the water for good.

And maybe, just maybe, keep his last promise to Troy.

Chapter Two

It was hard to panic when there was mac and cheese to make and bath time and books before bed, but Mia felt the edges of it creeping in during the few quiet moments.

It had been two days since that meeting at the bank. Two days of job searching on the island. Two days of pushing off the anxiety eating a hole through her stomach. She stood at the stove in her kitchen, its chipped white surface a contrast to the brown faux stone of her Formica countertops. Noodles boiled in a large pot.

A loud bang echoed from the backyard. What in the…? She turned and looked out the window over the sink. Someone was in her shed. The door hung ajar, and a gust of wind slammed it against the wall with another bang.

“Finn, Maggie, stay put.” The kids would be safe playing in the living room a minute on their own. She’d deal with whatever was going on in the backyard and be back before the macaroni was overcooked.

Tightening her grip on the wooden spoon in her hand, she pushed open the back door. She walked on the balls of her feet the ten steps to the shed. Her lawnmower roared to life, and she yelped.

The engine cut out immediately, and a man leaned out of the shed. His dark blond hair caught the last of the evening sunshine.

“Cody?” Her heart still raced.Settle down, it’s just Cody. Breathe, girl.“What are you doing in my shed?”

“Sorry. I should have messaged you.” Cody came fully out of the shed and wiped his hands on a tattered towel. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I wasn’t scared.” Lie.

His blue eyes lit with mischief. “I don’t know if I believe you.” He nodded at her hand, still raised to her shoulder. “That’s some weapon you have there.”

The laugh that escaped was part relief and part humor. Mia lowered her hand. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure your lawnmower is tuned up for the summer. We might actually start getting grass now that the weather is warmer.” He shut one of the shed doors. “I hoped to come this morning, but my mom needed help, and then I had to meet Dani.”

“You’ve been working all day, you must be exhausted. You really didn’t have to do this.”

Cody studied the rag in his hands. “I’ll always be here when you need me.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “But next time, I’ll text first. Don’t want to get hit with any cooking utensils.”

“Har, har.” She rolled her eyes.

“Any new leads on jobs?” He stuffed the rag into the back pocket of his jeans.

She sighed. “I was looking at postings earlier today.” Her gut churned. “There’s nothing really on island.”

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