Chapter 5
Harlow peered out the plane’s window as it circled Mackinac Island. Her heart skipped a beat when she glimpsed Wynn Harbor Inn, or what was left of it.
The plane circled, and the inn disappeared behind the trees. She cast a furtive glance at her father, seated in front of her and Eryn.
The last couple of days had been a whirlwind. Harlow’s release from the hospital. Returning to the Malibu mansion to pack her bags. Meeting with the housekeeper to let her know she would be gone for an extended period.
Although it wasn’t unusual. Robert and Harlow traveled often, never staying at one of their properties for more than a few weeks. Her husband kept them on a tight schedule, jetting from one place to the next.
Upon questioning the woman, she discovered Robert had only been by once to pick up some clothes. The woman insisted she had no idea where he was staying.
Harlow had heard from Robert daily, always insisting he wished she would remain in California with him. He’d also mentioned the film studio was threatening to cancel her contract and replace her with another A-list actress.
They made small talk, with her casually mentioning the fact he had done an excellent job of avoiding another confrontation with Harlow’s father. When pressed, Robert claimed he was upset at how he’d been treated.
To Harlow, he was making excuses about his brief visits, never staying long and always showing up at the hospital when Eryn and her father weren’t around. But Robert was Robert. It was all about him. Always had been. Always would be .
“A penny for your thoughts,” Eryn said.
“I was thinking about Robert.”
“Who barely visited you at the hospital since your dad and I showed up.”
“He said he would have come by more but he didn’t want to run into Dad again. He isn’t used to being called out for his behavior.” Harlow picked at a piece of lint. “To be honest, I’m kind of shocked, but then kind of not.”
“Do you think he’ll come around?”
She thought about it. “I hope so. He’s not one of those warm and fuzzy kinds of people.”
“You could’ve fooled me,” Eryn said sarcastically.
“You have to know Robert to understand him.”
“No thanks. I’ll pass.”
The conversation ended when the plane began making its descent. Soon, they were on the ground, taxiing toward the terminal. Being a small island community, most planes were private jets, which meant air traffic was minimal.
As soon as they finished taxiing, the ground crew wheeled the airstairs in place.
The trio remained seated, waiting for the other passengers to exit. As soon as the plane was empty, the flight attendant steered Harlow’s wheelchair along the center aisle. Using both hands for support, she shifted from seat to seat and soon they were on their way to the front of the plane.
With some finagling, the trio made it down the airstairs and into the terminal. There was no sign of the press. Harlow was starting to agree that her returning to Mackinac Island was the best decision she could have made.
“I don’t see any reporters,” Eryn said.
“Right? This is awesome.”
“I’m sure they’re lurking around somewhere out there,” her father said. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle them if they show up. ”
“You can chase them off with the baseball bat like you did to Caleb Jackson when he tried climbing the fence and sneaking into the pool after toilet papering the trees,” Harlow teased.
“That was him?” David grunted. “Huh. He should’ve known better than to teepee the trees. Caleb wasted a perfectly good roll of toilet paper.”
“He always was a crazy guy. I’m pretty sure he did it to get Harlow’s attention.” Eryn laughed. “Good old Caleb Jackson.”
“I wonder what happened to him.”
“He’s the island’s fire chief.”
Harlow’s eyes widened. “Fire chief? I never would’ve guessed.”
“His wife died a couple of years ago. Cancer. They never had any kids,” Harlow’s father said. “I’m sure you two will eventually cross paths.”
Harlow ducked her head, half expecting a reporter to pop out from behind the potted plants to snap a photo of her. She let out a sigh of relief when they made it through the terminal without incident.
Making a sharp left, David wheeled Harlow out of the building, down the sidewalk, and to a waiting horse and carriage. “Thank you for calling for the buggy, Eryn.”
“You’re welcome.”
David easily lifted his frail and pale daughter, gently easing Harlow onto the bench seat. He folded her wheelchair and placed it in the back.
Eryn hopped in next to her while Wynn took the empty spot next to the driver, a man he knew on a first name basis.
Harlow absentmindedly removed her sunglasses, soaking in her surroundings. Home. She could feel the stress of the past few days, from the moment she woke up in the hospital, fading.
A sense of peace enveloped her. It had been what felt like an eternity since she’d stepped foot on Mackinac Island. Only now was she beginning to realize how much she missed it. Missed being surrounded by nature and water. Missed the charm and authenticity of an island without motor vehicles, a place where folks lived a much simpler life.
Instead, she’d traded it in for fame and fortune, for a relentless rat race. For power and prestige, living in a fishbowl with almost zero privacy. Here, she could move around freely, without attracting a lot of attention, at least she hoped so.
But first, she needed to walk again. Walk and then reassess her life. As each day passed, it became clear Robert and she had serious issues to address—both business and personal.
Harlow had taken a hard look at her life. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was sad and depressing. Skyrocketing to fame had skewed her view and shifted her focus from what was truly important.
In the glitzy, glamorous world of Hollywood and model runways, it was all about connections, snagging the top jobs, keeping your name and image out there. Harlow had it all, yet she was realizing her life lacked substance, meaning, even genuine relationships, other than her friendship with Eryn and a couple of others.
She cast her father a thoughtful glance. He’d taken charge as soon as he arrived, handling her discharge, coordinating her departure, making sure they left the hospital via a private rear entrance, far away from the prying eyes of the media.
Arriving at the Malibu mansion, he and Eryn got to work, arranging flights, helping her sort through her hundreds of emails, even offering suggestions about how to respond to questions about her accident, something she’d intentionally put off.
The last task before packing up and boarding the plane was contacting the studio about extending the timeline for her to show up at the movie set. Robert would be furious, but there was no way around it. Harlow would not be able to fulfill her end of the deal, at least not as quickly as her husband wanted her to.
She’d left a message and so far hadn’t heard back, probably because Robert handled the negotiations and contracts. In other words, they would deal directly with him.
Harlow held out a smidgen of hope Robert was in shock and would come around, would man up and be there for his wife.
Her father and Eryn both insisted they didn’t believe it would happen. As far as they were concerned, Robert Barbetz had walked out on Harlow when she needed him most.
More than once, she wondered if he loved her. Yes, they got along well. They could do anything, go anywhere they wanted—when Harlow wasn’t working.
If she stood back and took a hard look at her life, she was only fooling herself if she thought she wasn’t “on the job” 24/7. Constantly being photographed, her every move reported, dissected, judged. There was a price for fame and fortune. A high price. Maybe too high.
The horses clip-clopped along the shoreline. A light breeze blew off the lake. A stray strand of hair tickled Harlow’s cheek. It was so quiet, so peaceful, so incredibly picturesque.
Eryn tapped her arm. “I see the bridge to home.”
Harlow scooched forward, glimpsing the Mackinac Bridge in all its glory over the tippy top of the pine trees. Years ago, when the girls were young, they made up the saying that whenever they saw the bridge they knew they were almost home. “I see it. Our bridge to home.”
“I bet you forgot all the fun facts you knew about the bridge,” Eryn teased.
“Are you kidding? I know more about the bridge than when I lived here,” she boasted.
“Such as?” her father asked .
“The hundred millionth crossing happened back in the summer of 1998.”
As their carriage drew closer to Wynn Harbor Inn, her heart pounded loudly in her chest. They rounded the bend. A thick hedge of bushes blocked her view, almost completely covering the pristine white picket fence.
“It looks like I need to trim the bushes back,” David said.
The hedge cleared, and the Wynn Harbor Inn sign appeared.
Harlow swallowed hard, glimpsing the remnants of what had once been the family’s grand and glorious inn. Despite the shell of the building, all that was left of the main structure after the horrific fire, the grounds were still meticulously manicured.
Vivid pink and purple hydrangeas were in full bloom. A thicket of yellow coneflowers swayed in the gentle breeze. Vibrant orange Michigan lilies, their blooms reaching up toward the bright blue sky, clustered near what had been a sweeping front porch offering an unobstructed view of the magnificent Lake Huron and Mackinac Bridge.
Harlow’s father hopped down as soon as the carriage stopped. He grabbed the wheelchair and unfolded it before slipping his arms around his daughter and carefully lifting her from her seat. “Welcome home, Harlow.”