Page 85 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

A roll of thunder cascaded over the house.

Mia raised an eyebrow at Cody. “You are not going out in the rain.”

He raised one back at her, and her heart did a flip. “I’m a fisherman. I’m used to getting a little wet.”

She went gooey that he would even offer. Not too long ago he wouldn’t have gone out on the water at all. “No. Absolutely not. It’s not worth the risk.”

“You are worth it?—”

“Mama!” Maggie’s shriek cut off whatever Cody had been about to say and brought Mia back to the present. “I done.”

Later, after helping get the kids cleaned up, she walked Cody to the door. “Stay dry out there.”

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “See you later, Mia.” Another roll of thunder chased him down the walk.

Mia shut the door and then leaned her forehead against the wood. She might not have her house for much longer, but she had Cody, and she had her kids. That would have to be enough.

Mia shouldn’t lose her house when there was something he could do about it. Cody might be fast friends with loss, but that didn’t mean Mia and the kids had to be as well.

As he walked home, the rain slackened to a light drizzle. He pulled out his phone and keyed in the number he’d spotted on the Harpers’ application. They agreed to meet him at the dock in Port Joseph and grab a piece of pie together at a nearby shop that evening.

The storms must have moved all the way off, because an hour later as he docked his boat in the public slip, his rain slicker held only a few drops on it, which could easily have been from the spray off the boat. Spotting the neon sign for the café, he hustled toward it.

Inside the combination convenience store and café, the wooden booths and smell of cinnamon were a welcoming embrace. Near the door sat an older couple, late sixties at least. Must be them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Harper?” Cody held his hand out and Mr. Harper shook it, his grip tight.

“Thanks for coming over,” Mr. Harper said, giving an additional squeeze before letting go. “We were just about to order some pie.”

Cody slid into the booth across from the couple. They looked like they fit together in that way people do after having been married for a long time. Maybe he and Mia would look like that someday.

“I’ll get right into it.” Cody laid his hands on the table. “Your shop would be a great fit for our community. I’d be happy to answer any concerns you have, and then we can get those papers signed tonight for the meeting in the morning.” Guilt twinged at having snagged the paperwork behind Mia’s back. But she would forgive him when he returned with them signed, and her house secure.

Mr. and Mrs. Harper shared a long look.

For the first time, Cody’s gut clenched. They were going to sign, weren’t they?

Before they could say anything, the waitress arrived with three slices of apple pie. Cody dug into his first bite. Sweet apple and the spicy cinnamon notes burst on his tongue. No wonder the place smelled so good.

“Jonathon Island is a great place to live and work.” Sure, he was quoting verbatim from Mia’s website, but they were good sales points, couldn’t hurt to use them on the Harpers. “We’re a tight-knit community, but very open to bringing new people into the fold.” He took another bite of the pie.

“Let me stop you right there,” Mrs. Harper said. “We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this opportunity, especially since getting that call this afternoon. And I’m sorry to tell you…” She paused and looked down at her plate. The apple pie turned to ash in his mouth.

Mr. Harper cleared his throat. “We won’t be signing the papers. We thought we were ready for a new adventure, but once it became a reality, we realized we like it right here.”

“But you seemed so excited.” Even as he spoke the words, Cody knew they were futile. “Is there anything I can say to change your mind?”

Mrs. Harper looked him in the eye again. “We do love Jonathon Island. We’ve visited many times. And we appreciate the gesture of you coming over here to talk to us. But we’re too old to be making that change. In fact, all of this discussion made us think about selling our shop and starting our retirement.”

The last of his hope died a swift death.

A few minutes later, Mr. Harper laid some bills on the table then stood and clapped Cody on the shoulder. “Have a safe trip home.”

Cody stood from the table and wandered through the convenience store. He’d failed. The words kept ringing through his mind. He’d lost the Harpers, and now Mia would lose her house.

He stopped in front of a candy display without really seeing it until a bright yellow package caught his eye. Gushers.I used to love those things.Mia’s words from their date jolted through him. Thinking about her that night, in her yellow sundress, lit a fire in him. He would go home, talk to Mia, and they would come up with a plan together.

Nothing was lost yet.

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