Chapter 6
Chapter Six
T oday was going to be huge.
As she walked to Dani’s office in the Tourism Bureau, Mia allowed the frisson of excitement deep in her belly to spread until her fingertips tingled with it. Memorial Day on Jonathon Island used to be celebrated with parades and speeches and red, white, and blue bunting. The past few years, however, the celebrating had dwindled to a somber half-hour service at the historic fort cemetery. This year, Mia had convinced the town to spend it on cleanup efforts. In an hour, people would be assembling at the Little Stone Church.
Before that, though, Mia had arranged to meet with Dani at her downtown office to go over some of the applications she’d received. Since sorting them with Cody a few days ago, more applicants had submitted their paperwork.
“I think these twenty will make a good start,” Dani said. She rested her hand on top of the stack they’d sorted through. Again. If Mia never sorted another stack of papers in her life, she’d be the happiest islander on Jonathon Island. “You can set up video interviews with the council for the end of the week.”
“On it, Boss,” Mia said. “I’m super excited for some of these. I think your plan could really work.” Not to mention her housing hanging in the balance.
“That’s the idea,” Dani drawled. She pushed the stack toward Mia. “Text me with the times you set up for each one. I think we should plan on thirty minutes each, with a ten-minute break between.” They worked out the rest of the details, then Mia stood, gathering the papers together.
“Thanks again for making this happen for me,” she said. “I don’t know what I would be doing now if it weren’t for you.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me. I needed you too, remember.” Dani came around her desk and hugged Mia tight. “Personal question. Do you have enough money for food? Since you’re not getting a salary from me…”
Mia pulled back. “Dani, you’re my best friend. You can feel free to ask me any personal question. You know that. And yes, we have money for food. Like I told you before, the kids and I are getting Troy’s social security checks.” Troy hadn’t worked long enough for social security to be very high, but it covered the essentials of food and heat every month. It just didn’t leave much left over for other essentials, like paying the mortgage.
“Okay. Awkwardness over,” Dani said. She let go of Mia and picked up the stack of applications. “I’ll let you get to your kids. Here.” She handed the stack to Mia before moving back around her desk. “See you in a few minutes.”
Outside, the sun shone brightly over the placid lake water. Mia smelled someone burning brush somewhere nearby. She made her way down Main Street and then turned right on Blueberry Boulevard. Pulling a notebook out of her shoulder bag, she made a few additional notes on priority items for the cleanup today as she walked down the street.
Pick up trash.
Paint window boxes.
Sweep up leaves and small debris.
Remove tattered bunting and awnings.
Passing a third building with broken windows, she jotted down a note to ask Dani if there was money to replace the windows in some of the buildings. And, if not, she’d brainstorm a solution to make them look better with Cody. If they wanted people to choose to make a life here, they needed to make Main Street as appealing as possible. If people could see the charm she knew lay beneath the crumbling paint, they would love the island as much as she did.
Ahead, several people were walking in the direction of the church.
Hopefully, her plea for help had reached enough ears to make a difference today.
Nancy Hart fell into step beside her. “Mia! It’s good to see you.” Cody’s mom looked casual in her jeans and an old Jonathon Island Apple Blossom Festival T-shirt. “This cleanup day is a great idea. I’m glad you thought of it.”
“I hope we can accomplish a lot,” Mia said. “There are only a few weeks left before we host a bunch of potential newcomers.” She pushed back the shiver of electricity chasing around in her stomach at the thought. Would it all come together in time?
Nancy rubbed at her wrists. “Looks like you’ve got a good turnout.” She jutted her chin at the crowd gathered in front of the stone church.
Mia gaped at the group on the lawn. There were at least a hundred people here.
At the fringe of the group, Patrick Kelley was bickering with his sister-in-law Martha about something. Patrick’s wife, Whitney, one of the town’s schoolteachers, appeared to be acting as referee. Pastor Arnie, bright red hair hidden under a straw hat, and his wife, Tara, in gardening gloves, stood chatting with Mia’s mom and dad. Finn chased Maggie nearby. She spotted Nora fiddling with her phone near the rear of the group.
Liam, Cody, and Mr. Michaelson from the bank clumped together as well. Jack wove between the legs of the gathered crowd, the terrier’s tail wagging so fast it was a blur.
Cody looked her way, and his face lit in a smile. He jogged over to her.
“Ready for this?” He slipped his red ball cap off his head and readjusted it before settling it back over his head.
“As I’ll ever be, I guess. I’ve never been one for public speaking.” Her mouth dried at the thought.
“You did fine in speech class.” Cody laid a hand on her shoulder. Its weight and warmth chased some of the nerves away.
“Cody, we had seven people in our class. And we’d been in school together for years. I’d hardly call that public speaking.” She rolled her eyes.
“You’ll do great. I know you’re passionate about this project, and that’s all that matters. When you used to give presentations about your art projects, it didn’t matter how many people were in the room.” He patted her once then turned to stand shoulder to shoulder.
She took a deep breath, the scent of cut grass and early flowers and grilled meat filling her senses. “Thanks, Cody. Here goes nothing.” She let out the breath and then clapped her hands. “Welcome everyone.”
When the murmuring group didn’t settle down, Cody put his pinkies in his mouth and whistled loudly. She turned to him, mouth open. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” He shot her a wink and then nodded at the crowd, most of whom were turning to face them.
“Okay, everybody, listen up.” Mia tried to pitch authority in her voice. As the murmuring died down, she gripped the edges of her notebook. “Thank you so much for giving up your Memorial Day to spruce up the town we all love. I’ll divide you into teams and send you off. We have a lot to get done, but with so many people enthusiastically participating, we should finish in plenty of time for the picnic Pastor Arnie and Tara have planned.” A whooping cheer went up at the sound of this.
“As you can probably smell, Gary Jacobs stepped away from the cheese counter at Doug’s Market today and is already smoking ribs for later. A big thank you to Doug’s Market for donating the meat for our supper, and to each of you for bringing the rest.”
She walked toward a pile of supplies and the mob shifted with her. “The Department of Public Works has supplied us with trash bags.” She nodded at the stacks of black and green plastic bags. “You all know how to keep garbage separate from compostable materials. We’ve received special dispensation to use the ATV and trailer for garbage cleanup. Once you’ve filled a bag, the DPW team will come and pick it up.”
She continued down the line pointing out the flowers that had been donated for the boxes lining Main Street, and the paint for sprucing up as many places as possible. “If any of these tasks are especially interesting to you, let me know, and I will put you on that team. Otherwise, the assignments are random.”
The next several minutes was a blur of getting everyone onto teams and giving them supplies and running interference. When the others had dispersed, she took Finn and Maggie and a black garbage bag, and the three of them joined one of the groups cleaning the sidewalks.
After picking up trash for an hour, she sat down on a bench and let the kids go help Nora near the old Great Lakes Memorabilia shop. Her phone buzzed. A missed call notice came up, and she popped in her earbuds to listen to the voicemail.
“Mia, hi,” a man’s voice said, somewhat familiar. “This is Matt Goldfinch. From Kendall College? Anyway, I saw your video and the opportunity there on Jonathon Island and thought I’d get in touch. Give me a call back when you get this.” He left his phone number and the voicemail ended.
Matt Goldfinch? Of course she remembered him. Good thing she’d tucked her phone into her pocket, or she would have dropped it hearing this blast from the past.
She dialed Matt’s number.
“Hello,” a deep voice said. “Matt Goldfinch here.”
“Matt? This is Mia Franklin, Mia Jonathon.” She paused. “I got your voicemail.”
“Mia! Good to hear from you! Thanks for calling me back.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard your voice.” Mia shook her head even though she knew Matt couldn’t see her.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw your video. Mia Jonathon, back on Jonathon Island.” Matt cleared his throat. “You looked good.”
Mia swallowed hard. “Thanks.” She shook her head. “You wanted to talk about the revitalization initiative?” She glanced down Main Street. The cobblestone street and sidewalk had been cleared of all garbage and leaves and other litter. The whole town looked better already.
“This opportunity comes at an amazing time, actually. I’ve been looking for a more permanent place for my gallery, so I thought, ‘Why not Jonathon Island?’”
Her heart leapt. An art studio being established on Jonathon Island would be…amazing. She tamped down the excitement flickering in her belly. Any gallery would have her participation in getting approved, but not her art.
“I can’t believe it’s you.” Her brain still sputtered on the coincidence. Mia and Matt had almost become an item during her freshman—and only—year of college, while she and Troy were on a break. Matt was attractive, dynamic, and super creative. She’d enjoyed sharing classes with him, and they’d both challenged each other to make better art. There was a definite mutual attraction there.
Except, she’d loved Troy. Had never been able to forget about the fisherman she’d left behind.
Matt laughed. “It’s me. What’s it been now, five years?”
“That sounds about right.” She leaned against a nearby wall, its peeling shaker siding warm from the sun.
“How’s the fisherman husband? And kid?”
She blinked away the sudden prickle in her eyes. “I lost Troy two years ago in a boating accident.”
The silence on the phone lasted a beat. “I’m sorry to hear that. Troy seemed like a great guy.”
“My kids keep me going.”
“Kids, plural?”
“Yep, Troy and I have a little girl too. Finn is four, almost five now, and Maggie is two.” She searched for them in the crowd before seeing the purple bobble on Maggie’s ever-present hat bent over a window box full of newly planted flowers.
“Hmm. I bet she looks just like her mother.” Matt paused. He cleared his throat. “Listen, Mia, I’m not going to beat around the bush here. I really want to do business on Jonathon Island. I’ve already booked a trip out there to check things out. Even if I don’t get into the program, I’m considering going the traditional route to establish myself there.”
Something like interest fluttered in her chest. She pushed away the question of whether Matt was as good looking as he used to be. He certainly was as focused on what he wanted as always. “Oh. Okay. I can show you around. You just need to fill out the application paperwork. And then there will be a video interview.”
“Why do video if you can be in person?” Matt chuckled. “I’ll be there next week. I can talk to the committee, get a feel for the island. Maybe even reconnect with you.”
“Shoot me the dates and times you have available, and I’ll let Dani know to schedule a meeting.”
“That would be great.”
“Okay, well. Great. I guess I’ll see you la?—”
“It will be really great to see you again, Mia.”
“You too, Matt.” She hung up the phone and clutched it to her chest for a minute. “You too.”
The air buzzed with the laughter and conversation of a hundred of her friends and neighbors, and a warmth lit in her heart that hadn’t been there a moment before.
Huh.
Life sure had a way of surprising you sometimes.
* * *
Was his dad avoiding him? Throughout the workday, Cody had noticed his father working alongside his mother. Every time he approached the two of them, his dad had seemed to find something to do a few steps farther away.
Whatever was going on, Cody was determined to figure it out at the picnic.
Cody watched as Mia guided Maggie’s hand, chubby fingers clutched tight around a paint brush almost as big as the toddler herself. Did she even know how amazing she was? The two of them had joined him after the garbage crew had finished. Finn was occupied with petting Jack just down the block. Cody shook off the thought and forced himself to stop staring at Mia.
He turned and looked at the progress the rest of the townspeople had made. It was as if Main Street had transformed in the space of an afternoon. The old peeling paint covering the window boxes of the store fronts had been sanded off, and fresh new white paint brightened up the street. The garbage and leaf cleanup crew had left Main Street’s cobblestones nearly sparkling. And slowly, the newly painted window boxes were being filled in with fresh flowers he couldn’t identify, their jaunty red and yellow heads bobbing in the light breeze coming off the lake.
He glanced back at Mia and Maggie. The toddler now had a streak of white along the front of her shirt. He laughed as she grinned up at her mother. He walked over to the two of them and crouched down. “Let me help you with that, little lady.” He took the paintbrush from her hands and stood again. “Let’s go find a place to wash this out.” He took Maggie’s hand, and together he and Mia and Maggie walked toward a spigot where people were washing out their brushes. After this was finished, they all began making their way toward the little stone church.
At the church, the scent of smoky barbecue filled the air. Tables had been arranged all over the lawn, and food was piled high. His stomach grumbled, and Mia laughed. She elbowed him in the ribs. “Sounds like you’ve worked up an appetite.”
He rubbed his stomach. “You know it.”
Just as he was about to ask Mia to eat dinner with him, Elise Jonathon walked over. “Want some help with getting the kids’ plates, Mia?”
Mia agreed and they headed off. He watched them go, a creeping fatigue stealing over him.
“How long are you going to stand on the sidelines of your own life?” Dani, hand wrapped around a dripping pulled pork sandwich with her plate balanced in the other hand, stood next to him.
“What?” His ears rang as though he’d just been hit with a sucker punch.
She nodded at Mia. “I see the way you look at her. I know you want your friendship to be more. So, why aren’t you making it happen?”
“You know why.” Hunger had turned to something else. A churning ache.
She shook her head. “I know what you say, but I don’t quite believe it. I think something else is holding you back. I just can’t figure out what. But, if you wait too long, you’re going to lose her.” Without another word, Dani took another bite of her sandwich and walked away.
Reeling, Cody looked around for a place to sit. Something solid he could lean on.
Was Dani right? Could he lose Mia altogether? Nah. She loved the island too much. Whatever happened, they would always be friends.
Over by the dessert table, his dad paused, hand hovering above the choices. Cody jogged over. “You can’t go wrong with Tara’s blueberry pie.”
His dad jumped. “I didn’t see you there.”
Cody reached for a plate and then served them both a slice of pie. “Are you avoiding me?” May as well jump in with both feet.
“What do you mean?” His dad forked a bite of pie into his mouth.
“Every time I came near, you walked away.”
“I was busy, we all were.” His dad shrugged and took another bite.
Cody took a bite too. The normally sweet and tart treat tasted like cardboard in his mouth.
Around them the people of Jonathon Island laughed and talked. He heard Jill Kelley complimenting Janine Dirks on the pretty arrangement of flowers in the boxes.
His dad moved a step away and Cody followed him. Up near the blue-gray stone walls of the church sat two empty lawn chairs. “Want to sit a minute?”
His dad nodded in agreement, and they threaded their way through the other picnickers to the chairs.
They sat in silence for a while, finishing their pie, Cody tasting none of it. He put his plate on the ground, and Jack came over to lick the crumbs. He dropped his hand down and scratched the dog’s ears.
Beside him, his dad sighed and then rubbed a hand over his face. A gesture that Cody knew well, had even picked up as a habit himself. “What’s bothering you, Dad?”
His dad laid his hands on his knees, the leathery knuckles whitening as he gripped. “I sold some of the equipment. Your mother thought I should tell you.”
“What?” Cody rocketed up, the lightweight chair tipping behind him. “Dad, you knew I wanted to buy that from you.”
“Sit down, Cody.” His dad leaned over and righted the chair. Cody slumped into it, the nylon and aluminum construction groaning in protest. “I only sold a few of the outriggers and a couple of other things. Turns out the place that had made the offer for everything couldn’t afford all of it.” He scrubbed his hand over his face again. “I wanted a little extra cash to take your mother someplace nice for a vacation. We’ve never really taken one. I’m taking her to Arizona. It’s supposed to be a good climate for arthritis.”
And, yeah, this was probably the most words Cody had heard his dad say over the past couple of years, but he could hardly concentrate on what he was saying. He should be happy that his mom would get some relief from the aching that plagued her. He should be a good son. But all he could think about was how his dad had chosen someone else to sell to. He almost didn’t want to give voice to the question on his heart, but in the end, he couldn’t stop himself.
“And the fishing license?”
In the silence between them, Cody heard the tap-tapping of a pileated woodpecker in a tree nearby. The rapid tapping echoed his own heartbeat.
“I still have it.” The words dropped from his dad’s mouth and straight into his heart. “Your mom is right. I ought to hang on to that a while longer.” His dad stood. “Anyway. Thought you should know.” Then he made his way off into the crowd.
A moment later, Mia flopped into the chair next to him then lifted Maggie onto her lap.
“Guess what?” Her eyes sparkled. She’d removed the bandana that had covered her hair earlier and now it spilled everywhere. Her sun-kissed cheeks glowed. Maggie settled against her mother’s chest, and Mia wrapped an arm around her.
“You sold Finn to the circus?” His mind still scrambled over his dad’s revelation, but he welcomed the distraction.
“An old friend from college is one of the applicants for our revitalization effort.” She patted Maggie’s back and the girl’s head dropped lower. Wouldn’t be long before she was sleeping in her mother’s arms. He’d put money on it.
“Mia, that’s…” But what was it actually? Good? Bad? From the light in Mia’s eyes, it must be a good thing. “That’s great.”
“It really is. He’s such a fantastic artist.”
“He?” Wow. His voice squeaked like a prepubescent teen.
“Mm-hmm. I think his gallery will be an amazing addition to the island.” Mia brushed a hair off her forehead. “He was always pushing all of us to get better. At the time, he seemed so wise, so mature. Some of the girls had huge crushes on him.” Her gaze grew distant.
“And you?” Cody could barely speak.
“There was a time…” Then she shook her head and laughed. “Anyway, that’s all in the past. I can hardly wait to see what his paintings are like now. He’ll be coming on the ferry in a few days. Maybe you can meet him.” She sighed and leaned her head back on the chair, closing her eyes. “Today was a good day. It’s the first time I honestly feel like this can work—like I’m going to save my house.”
“I’m so glad. You deserve it.”
She gave him a knowing look. “Because of all the bad things that have happened to me?”
“No. Because you’re a hard worker and brilliant.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” She made a face, laughing at herself.
But he could only be serious. “I would. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Mia.”
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. Leaned back against the seat again. “Thanks, Cody. And hey, you’re getting closer to achieving your dreams too, right?”
Considering his dad still wasn’t budging on the license and the girl of his dreams was excited about an ex-crush and his art gallery potentially moving to town?
Yeah, he was totally living the dream.
But instead of doing what Dani suggested and going after what he wanted—what was seeming more impossible by the day—Cody just gazed across Lake Huron. “Yep.”