“Yes, we need to.”

“Mom, I’m starving.” Hazel reached for the front door. “Vickie only had these gross tuna things she called sandwiches, but they were more like doll sandwiches, and they had cucumbers in them.” She made a face. “I’m gonna make myself some real food.” And she was gone.

A week ago, Hazel wasn’t speaking to Zoey or Mike, demanding to move out, sure her life was ruined. Now she was raiding the kitchen after joyriding with Mike. If this was any example of the roller coaster ride her high school years would be like, they were all going to have gray hair at her graduation.

Mike came up the steps slowly, making Zoey feel like she was some dangerous animal he was trying to approach.

“I’m not going to bite you, for God’s sake. Come up and sit. I need your help.”

“You got it.” He came up and sat in the Adirondack chair next to hers. “I’ll do whatever you need. I just want to...”

“This is about zoning.” She stopped him cold. If she let herself think that this was Mike sitting next to her—the Mike she hadn’t touched, had barely spoken to—she wouldn’t be able to focus on... What was she saying again?

“The Schiff lady?” Realization dawned on his face. “What did she do now?”

Zoey fished the certified letter out of her pocket and handed it to him. “I got this in the mail today. The town is reviewing whether or not this property is being improperly used as a commercial business in a residential zone.” She blinked, wondering how much stress one human heart could take in a week. “Karen Schiff is behind this. With the storm and everything, I haven’t gotten around to moving Dad’s sculptures, and now...” She shook her head. “Mike, I’m just starting to turn a decent profit with the repair business, but I can’t afford to rent another building somewhere. What am I going to do?”

His hand settled over hers. It was probably meant to be calming. But his touch immediately amped up her heart rate. He stared right into her eyes. “The first thing you’re going to do is take a deep breath. I know this letter sounds very formal and even a little threatening, but this is boilerplate language for zoning disputes. The town has to cover their butt legally, so they create word salads like this.” He held up the letter.

When she’d opened it an hour ago, a wave of panic had washed over her. It was bad enough that her relationship with Hazel was so shaky. That her relationship with Mike—both relationships, friend and lover—might be ruined. And now her business was on the line. Commercial property wasn’t easy to come by in Rendezvous Falls, and it wasn’t cheap.