Page 93 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

“How? I want to respect her wishes. She’s afraid to lose me like she lost Troy. So how can I show her that love is worth the risk?”

“She’s not just worried about that. She’s worried to need you. But she does need you—so show her that. Do something for her that she can’t do for herself.”

“Like what?”

Dani tapped her chin. “I think I have an idea.”

Chapter Eighteen

Mia woke just as the sun began cresting the skyline. She threw off her covers and went to the window. Outside, the sun’s rays held the Midas touch. Her fingers itched to paint the way the sun streamed through the barren branches of the oak on the side of the yard, casting each twig in gold. She grabbed her cell phone and snapped a few photos. The phone’s camera didn’t do the vibrant colors justice, but it would remind her when she set up her easel later.

Her easel. Huh. Funny how that thought had slipped into her mind.

Now that she didn’t have to worry about where she and the kids were going to be living, her creative thoughts knocked on the door of her brain and demanded entry. Yeah, moving back in with her parents felt a bit like taking a step backward, but it was worth it just to have the thousand-pound elephant off her shoulders.

Today, she would paint again. A pulse of gratitude flooded her. Cody had reawakened her desire to paint with his romantic date.

She couldn’t stop grinning as she pulled on an old pair of pants and a grubby T-shirt. She’d called Cody a few times to tell him she wanted to meet up so she could tell him she was ready for a relationship, but it went to voicemail. Something this big shouldn’t be said in a message. She would go over there later to talk it over with him.

Knowing that she would be creating again made her feel more like herself than she’d felt in a very long time.

So. Painting. But first, pancakes.

Finn and Maggie came out to the kitchen while she mixed up a batch of blueberry pancakes. She dragged a chair to the countertop so Maggie could help drop the batter onto the electric griddle, then she hoisted Finn into her arms so he could flip them.

A dozen imperfect pancakes later, they sat down to eat. “Finn, can you say a prayer for us?” Beside her, Maggie scrunched her eyes closed and knit her hands together under her chin.

Finn sat up straighter in his chair and began. “For this food that breaks our fast, for this morning come at last, for this love that we share, thank you God for all Your care.”

“Thank you, Finn,” Mia said. “After we eat, do you guys want to do something fun? I want to show you how I used to use paints.”

Both kids finished their pancakes in record time.

She buttoned Maggie and Finn each into one of Troy’s old shirts and rolled up the sleeves before donning one herself. She decided to set up in the kitchen. The light was good in there, and the sink was handy for cleanups. She covered the table with a few plastic garbage bags.

The kids trailed behind her as she moved around the house taking out her supplies from the places she’d stashed them. She made them stay down in the hall, though, as she went up into the attic crawl space for a large canvas she’d put up there.

Mia’s hands shook as she uncovered the supplies. Was she really going to do this?

She took a deep breath. Yes. This was the right choice.

Back in the kitchen again, she showed them how to squirt a little paint onto their paper plate pallet and mix the colors.

“It’s fun to see what kinds of contrasts you can make,” she said. Finn splatted blobs all over his canvas while Maggie, tongue between her teeth, made long streaks across hers from edge to edge. Mia pulled up her sunrise photo on her phone. She mixed a few colors together, trying to get the golden shade of the morning. Take it slow. It’d been a long time.

Today’s painting wasn’t about getting it right or being perfect. It was about having fun with her kids and letting her hair down.

Cody had been right. She should share this part of herself with her children. And she shouldn’t deny that she needed to create. Cody had also showed her how to be more relaxed with the kids. That they could have fun together sometimes.

The doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” The mainland probably heard Finn’s jubilant shout, but Mia let it go this time. She felt a little like shouting herself.

She heard the door open and then footsteps back to them in the kitchen. She looked up.

Cody.

He leaned in the kitchen doorway, one arm propped on the jamb. He wore dark pants and a fitted blazer instead of his usual jeans and flannel jacket. His hair was tamed, and she caught a whiff of his styling product, something spicy and heady. A smile ghosted his lips and her breath caught.

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