Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
M ia should have been thrilled. She counted the applications on her lap. Never mind that she’d already counted them seven times already. They always added up to thirteen. Thirteen applications stamped with approval from the town council. Thirteen new businesses coming to Jonathon Island, new owners moving into abandoned houses, thirteen new reasons to woo tourists back.
A part of her was excited to see the town she loved come alive again. Except thirteen meant she was still short of her goal.
That morning, she’d gotten an oh-so-delightful text from Martha reminding her of the deadline and her commitment to filling all of the businesses they’d agreed on.
Martha
I’m not doubting you can do it. Just wanted to remind you.
Way to keep the pressure on.
The subdued noises of a library on a weekday morning surrounded her. Mia had met Evie here earlier and promised to watch Evie’s kids during story time.
A roll of laughter rang out from the nook where several island kids gathered around Allean Meyer, the librarian. As per usual, the short, slim woman wore a funny hat—one shaped like a giant teacup today—and sat in a chair the kids had dubbed “the reading throne.” Once again, Mia shot a word of thanks heavenward that the public library stayed open year-round. Keeping two small children entertained without resorting to YouTube all the time proved to be a full-time task. Story time at the library became the highlight of their week.
She ran a thumb along the edge of the papers again. All her hard work from the past few weeks in a neat stack. She ought to be thrilled.
Except it wasn’t good enough.
She needed one more business filled to keep her own from foreclosure. Her deadline, highlighted in red on her phone calendar app, was only a few days away. She’d gone through all of the eligible applicants, posted several new videos, and sent the information about the opportunity to any contact she could think of. But no one was interested in the last slot.
Another wave of laughter drifted her way, Finn’s loudest in the crowd of under-fives. She wanted to put her fingers in her ears. Her chest grew tight at the thought of taking Finn and Maggie away from here. Tighter still at the thought of moving away herself.
She glanced at the Cat in the Hat clock on the wall. Story time would run another ten minutes. She could use the computer until then.
A few minutes later, she spotted Evie coming across the room. She quickly minimized the search she had up and spun in her chair to greet her sister.
“Thank you for keeping the kids today. I know you have a lot going on.” Her sister twirled her hand in the air as though to say ‘with all this’.
“Somehow, adding a few to the mix can sometimes be easier. They entertain each other,” Mia said. She put her elbows on the desk in front of her, knocking the mouse to the side. All of the searches she had minimized sprang to life again on the screen.
“What is this?” Evie stepped closer to the computer, peering at the photos of apartments as though they were hieroglyphics.
Mia slapped at the mouse, but too late.
“Are you going to move?”
“Keep your voice down,” Mia said. “I haven’t talked about it with the kids yet.”
“Why in the world are you thinking about moving away?” Evie’s voice pitched higher.
The tightness in her chest squeezed harder. She blinked rapidly against a pricking in her eyes. “I failed on this job for Dani. I couldn’t meet the quota.”
Evie put her arm around Mia’s shoulder. “You’re not a failure. Everyone knows how hard you’ve worked on this project.” Evie paused. “I know you don’t want to ask Mom and Dad for help, but?—”
“That is so not going to happen. I told you that already.” She crossed her arms. The library air conditioning kicked on, and a cold breeze fluttered the edges of her shirt sleeves.
Evie swiveled Mia’s chair and looked her in the eyes. “It was worth a try. But if you’re not going to ask Mom and Dad for help, at least you can ask God.”
Mia’s heart thumped.
No one judges you for your past except you. Cody’s words echoed in her heart for the thousandth time since he’d said them to her. I don’t think your parents are judging you…They’re super proud of you.
“Cody said something similar to me. He’s on your side about Mom and Dad too.” Mia began packing her work away.
“I can see you’re done with this conversation, but at least promise me you will talk to me before you make any decisions about moving. And talk to God about it too.” Evie handed her a stack of papers from the edge of the desk.
Mia nabbed them from her and added them to the stack. “Fine. I promise.”
“So. Cody?”
“We’ve been spending time together.” Her face warmed as she recalled exactly how they’d spent their time a few nights ago.
Evie’s face softened.
“It’s natural for us to spend time together, you know.” Mia put her hands on her hips. Except, why was she denying her feelings for him to Evie, one of her best friends and confidant ever since they were kids? She put her hands down. “The truth is, I don’t know what is up with us. I…kissed him. And then he took me on a super romantic date.”
“What?” Evie’s squeal drew some attention from the library patrons in the magazine section.
“Shh. It’s the library.” Mia resisted rolling her eyes. Barely.
“I promise to be quiet.” Evie held up her hand Scout’s honor-style. “But you need to tell me all the deets. Right. Now.”
Mia told her about the kiss and the date. “I’m finally ready to let him in, but recently he totally flaked on me.”
A crease appeared between Evie’s eyes. “That doesn’t sound like Cody.”
Okay, she had to admit that was stretching things a bit. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. He had a good reason. He’d taken the boat?—”
“He went out on a boat!” Evie clapped her hand over her mouth at Mia’s pointed stare. Then, quieter, “Sorry, I just know what a big step that would be for him. For you too, while we’re at it.”
Mia’s stomach roiled at the thought. She put her hand on it. “Anyway, his motor died, and I had to do it all on my own. Well, not totally alone. Matt showed up and helped me.”
“I see that look in your eye. Is this going to be some rom-com love triangle?”
“Stop. It’s not like that.”
“Good, because wasn’t he the guy in college that called you a fishwife when he heard you were marrying Troy?” Evie’s eyes flashed. “And said something about settling for mediocrity?”
“Yeah. But that was because he didn’t want my talent to wither away.” Looked like he was right.
“Still, doesn’t sound like the kind of thing you’d want a potential boyfriend saying.”
“You don’t have to worry about it. In fact, Matt kind of made me feel uncomfortable. He was pushier than I remember him being in college.” She waved away Evie’s look of concern. “He’s harmless. Just more invested in pursuing a romantic relationship than I am. Cody walked in while he was hugging me.” And, yeah, her life did sound a little like a soap opera all of a sudden.
“I’m sure you can clear all of that up with a simple conversation.”
Mia rolled her shoulders. Over by the reading throne, the kids were starting to stand for a round of “Shake My Sillies Out,” their traditional closing song.
“The thing is, we did clear that up with a simple conversation. But…I don’t know. I’m afraid to rely on him too completely. And afraid that I will lose him too.”
“Give it time. You can trust Cody. Allow him to show you that. And am I beating a dead horse if I remind you that you can pray about this too?”
She gave her sister a smile. “You’re right. As always.”
The kids interrupted any further conversation, but Mia was still thinking about Evie’s words when she arrived home after the library and dropping some paperwork off at Dani’s office.
Lunchtime led to quiet time, and then Mia found herself all alone. She sat in her chair across from Troy’s empty one. Speaking of moving on…Maybe Constance would like to have that. She’d mentioned needing a better place for Grandma Harmon to sit, and Mia needed to start letting go of more of Troy’s things. She’d never liked the chair, as it didn’t fit with her other furniture, but he’d insisted on keeping it. She sent her mother-in-law a quick text, offering to bring it over.
That task completed, thoughts of eviction and Cody warred for top spot in her mind.
Fine, Evie, you’re right. I should talk to God about all of this. “Lord, you know my needs. Help me figure out how to stay on the island.” Her parents’ faces swam into her mind, but she pushed them away. “And give me wisdom with Cody too.” A short prayer, but long overdue. Her heart calmed as she sat in silence a moment more. Her phone pinged.
Constance
Sure, we’d love to have the chair.
Mia
I’ll carry it over after the kids get up from their quiet time.
Before making promises, she should have tried to move the thing. Mia stood and crossed the room. Putting a hand on each armrest, she shifted the chair a foot. Okay. This would be doable. Something rustled near the wall.
What the?
She shifted the chair out another foot.
Peering around the back of the chair, she spotted several pieces of paper. She tugged them free.
Plum-colored crayon covered the front and back of an application she had printed weeks ago. Maggie. The little girl must have hidden one of the papers back here so she wouldn’t get into more trouble.
Mia gave a little laugh. God didn’t always answer this clearly, but today she couldn’t deny He was showing His love for her. She remembered reading this proposal but had forgotten it existed in the hassle of the rest of the job. A woman had proposed a curio shop that specialized in maritime-themed treasures. The attached photos of the product she intended on carrying, as well as some design ideas, looked perfect for their hopes for downtown Jonathon Island.
Her heart moved quicker than a school of minnows when someone tried to catch them as she dialed the number written on the paper. Hopefully, this Grace Marconi would still be interested in moving.
“Hi, is this Grace?” She twirled a pen through her fingers.
“This is she.”
“Hi, this is Mia Franklin from Jonathon Island? I’m calling you about your application.” Mia explained to Grace that the council was still looking for candidates for the revitalization program. “Are you still interested?”
Several minutes later, she hung up the phone and pumped her fist in the air. She dialed another number. “Dani? I have some really good news.”
* * *
Nothing like a run in the sun to make a man feel better about life. Cody got tired of his own company this afternoon in the shop and decided to hit the bricks.
His route took him along the road, past businesses, and then through the older, residential area of town. Most of the houses he’d worked on were through here. A run past them couldn’t hurt. Couldn’t hurt to run past Mia’s either. Maybe catch a glimpse of her dark curls pulled back by that bandanna that brought out the green of her eyes.
I think choosing you might be a good choice. Her words sank into his heart and found a nice spot to live.
He hadn’t stopped thinking about their date the past few days. The way Mia had looked in the moonlight…Yep. They needed another one. Soon. How often could he take her out while still honoring her wishes to go slow?
So, yeah, that part of his life was going well. The “what to do about the fishing business” part…not so much. He hung a left down Lilac Lane. At the dead end, he would turn back around and head home. His smartwatch buzzed, alerting him that he’d run four miles already.
Shoot. Mia’s house looked as dark as a night out on Lake Huron. Lights off, curtains pulled. Must have a meeting in town. His feet pounded past her place, but he pulled up short at the Franklins’ house. Mrs. Franklin held a grocery bag in each arm with a plastic bag dangling from her right hand. As she reached into the purse slung on her left elbow, her bags tipped.
He jogged up the short sidewalk. “Mrs. Franklin. Let me help you with those.” Careful not to drop her groceries, he took the paper bags.
“Thanks.” She fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked the front door. She reached for the bags again.
“I can bring them in, if you’d like.” A pause that stretched long and thin fell between them. Constance Franklin had not had much to say to him or his father in the years since her husband and son passed away.
He understood that. He had a hard time talking to her too. He was alive, and her son wasn’t. The guilt of that tore a hole in his gut every day.
Walking into the Franklin house hit just as hard. How many times had he been here with Troy over the years? He knew this place almost as well as he knew his parents’ home.
He breathed in the cinnamon scent of the candles Mrs. Franklin loved, walked past the “wall of fame” featuring Troy in his high school uniform, in his cap and gown, and various ones with friends and family. He paused at the one with Troy in a tux and Mia in her wedding gown, before entering the kitchen to set the bags on the table, scarred from many years of use.
Mrs. Franklin put down her things too then went to the sink and filled an electric teakettle.
He braced a hand on the back of one of the wooden chairs ringing the table. “I guess I’ll?—”
“Stay for a cup of tea.” Mrs. Franklin didn’t look at him as she reached for a pair of coffee cups still in the second cupboard from the left.
Hokay. “I’m a little sweaty from my run.”
She looked at him then. “I was married to a fisherman for almost thirty years. Sweat at my kitchen table is not going to be a problem.”
He pulled out his usual chair and sat down, his arms naturally finding their places on the armrest.
“I’m going back to check on Mom, before the kettle whistles.” Mrs. Franklin slipped out of her jacket as she left the room.
He looked around the warm room. Light-colored cabinets lined the walls. A flowery curtain hung over the window above the sink. The once familiar place held so many memories. He’d been here almost as much as at his own house in high school, then less often after Troy and Mia got married. Then not at all these last two years.
The kettle whistled, and he stood and poured water over the teabags in the mugs.
She’d given him Troy’s cup from pottery class. He remembered their pottery unit in school. He and Mia and Troy had all decided to make matching cups. His and Troy’s had turned out a little lopsided, but Mia’s had been perfect. Looked like Mrs. Franklin had held on to Troy’s, despite its flaws. The blue rim had a chip in it.
Cody moved back to the table and sat. A few moments later, Mrs. Franklin joined him again.
Mrs. Franklin cupped her hands around her tea and stared down into it. “Thank you.”
He barked out a laugh. “For what?”
“For being willing to brave this awkward situation with me.”
He remembered her self-deprecating humor. “My pleasure.”
“I’m glad you offered to help today. It forced me to act. The truth is, I’ve been a coward. There are things I need to say to you, things long overdue.” She rolled her shoulders.
He waited. Gave her space. It was the least he could do.
She took a long swallow of her tea then looked him straight in the eye. Her face hard, lips in a tight line. “I want you to know that I don’t blame you or your father for what happened to Steve and Troy.”
The floor shifted as if it might give way under him. It was a good thing he was seated. “Okay…”
She put a hand up to stop him from saying anything else. “I know it would be easy for you to think that I do blame you, that that’s the reason I don’t talk to you. But I know that accidents happen, and that’s what that whole incident was. An accident.”
Cody took a full, deep breath, his first since coming in the house. “It means a lot to me to hear you say that—” But Mrs. Franklin hadn’t finished.
“I can’t talk to you, I can barely look at you, because I am reminded of him. Of my boy. What would he look like two years older? How would he be as a dad to his growing kids?” She fisted a hand and raised it to her mouth. A long, sharp, icy shard pierced his heart. “Steve I can mourn, I can let go. I’m still dealing with that grief, but it’s manageable. But no mother should outlive her son.” The last words came in a whisper. The clock above the sink ticked a few seconds past.
She folded her hands in her lap and looked at him again. “But I’m a coward for not telling you over and over these past few years that nothing that happened was your fault. You are not guilty. And I’m a coward for pushing you away and not holding you close. I lost two sons that day.”
“You didn’t lose me.” His voice roughened by unshed tears. You are not guilty . Yeah. He’d be reliving those words often. “I’m right here. If you want me to be.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. And when I saw you jogging up my walk, I vowed to tell you the truth.”
“That’s okay too. Take the time you need.” He started to stand.
“Wait,” she said. “There’s more I want to say.” He settled back down. “Gossip around town says you are trying to reopen your dad’s business.”
“Yes. That’s right. I wanted to honor Troy’s memory. We’d always planned to take over the business together, as you know. But that’s a dream that I’m thinking about letting die. Everything seems to be against me.”
A frown line crossed her forehead. “But why let it die?”
He outlined the trouble he’d had sourcing parts, the interruptions every time he started making progress on repairs, and finally, he told her about his dad refusing to transfer the fishing license.
She nodded slowly. “Those are a lot of problems. Maybe it’s not my place to say, but I think you should still try. Troy would tell you to never give up. To keep running, like he used to cheer when you were in track. He loved being out on the water with you.”
“That sounds like Troy.”
“It would honor Troy’s memory. But ultimately, you need to do what is right.”
“Being a fisherman is all I know. I love it.” His heart lightened.
“Speaking of love…” Her face softened for the first time that afternoon. “Don’t you think it’s about time you ask Mia out?”
“What?” The word exploded from his chest.
“Come on. You’ve been pining for that girl since ninth grade. Maybe even longer. Don’t get me wrong, I saw how you supported her and Troy, and I’ve always admired you for that. But you don’t have to step aside anymore. Troy would want his family taken care of, and I can’t think of anyone who would do a better job…if that’s what you and Mia both want, of course.”
“I appreciate that.” More than she would ever know. He opened his mouth to tell her that he’d taken Mia out a few nights ago, then hesitated. He should check with Mia before spreading that news. Even if Mrs. Franklin did just bless their potential relationship.
Mrs. Franklin set her cup down and pushed her chair back. “While I’m feeling brave, I suppose you should come through to the backyard.”
“Okay…” He felt like a broken record, but all of this was giving him conversational whiplash.
She led him out the back door and toward a shed. Next to the shed was a large shape covered with a tarp. He knew that shape. It was the speedboat Troy had been tinkering with throughout high school and beyond. Many Friday nights found the two of them fiddling with the outboard motor or slapping some duct tape over a new crack in the seat cushions. Mia would sit in a lawn chair nearby, her long legs crossed, Pharrell Williams on the radio, the three of them laughing at something stupid.
Mrs. Franklin walked fast toward the boat. She peeled back a corner of the tarp. “Troy would want you to have this.”
He hauled up short. “No. Absolutely not. I already have a boat. Besides, that should belong to Mia.”
“Nope. Not this. It means more to you than it would to Mia. Plus, I know you spent a lot of your money on it too. Almost as much as Troy. That boy never could keep a dime in his pocket.”
He ran a hand over the hull. The blue paint sparkled in the June sunshine. He remembered long debates with Troy over the color choice. Cody would have gone with a racing red, but Troy picked blue. Once finished, Cody had to admit the blue really worked.
“The boat is yours. I already put the title and registration in your name. When we go back through the house, I will give them to you. Keep the boat or sell it, I don’t care, but that boat is yours.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
She waved away his words. “Like I said, it might be a while before we can go back to the way things were, but I needed to get this stuff off my chest.”
They walked back through the house. When they got to the front door, he noticed movement out the small window. He saw what looked like a walking couch cushion, topped with a purple bobble. Behind that, marched another cushion, this time topped with a pair of bright eyes under a mop of curly blonde hair. Trailing behind was Mia, carrying the chair that the cushions must belong to.
He hurried out the door and down the walk, just in time to catch Maggie as she tripped on the cushion, falling forward onto it, bobble flopping.
“Whoa there, little lady.” He swooped her up, laughing. Mia set down the chair and brushed a hair out of her eyes. Could Maggie hear the beating of his heart? “Let me help you guys.” He set Maggie down and picked up the cushion.
Maggie put her little hands on her hips. “I do it mine self.”
“I see.” He bit his lip against a smile. “Stubborn, like your mama.” He shot Mia a wink. “Fierce too. Maybe she will let me help her.”
As he took the chair from Mia their fingers brushed. A zing ran up his arm and landed somewhere in his heart. “Let me help you with that.”
“Thanks.” Mia held his gaze. “It’s not heavy, just awkward.”
“I can see that. Where are we going with it?”
“Grandma Harmon’s room,” Mia said. “Were you just at Constance’s?”
He smiled at her over the top of the chair. “This has been a banner week for me. Mrs. Franklin and I had tea. I’ll have to tell you about it later.”
He walked up the yard to the Franklin house, Mia at his side and Maggie and Finn tottering along with their cushions—and finally, some peace in his heart.
He still didn’t know what the future held—with his dad’s fishing business or with Mia—but a guy sure could get used to this kind of life.