Chapter 18
Ping. Harlow snatched her cell phone off the counter and glanced at the screen. The day had only just begun and already her cell phone was blowing up.
“Who was that?” Her father sipped his coffee, eyeing her over the rim. “I don’t want to be nosy, but someone keeps texting you.”
“It’s Robert. He started texting last night and has been blowing up my phone ever since.”
“Let me guess. It’s about the movie deal.”
“He’s pressuring me to sign the addendum,” Harlow said. “I’ve been giving it some thought. To be honest, the extra time they’re offering me is generous in the movie industry, at least speaking from experience and the previous deals we’ve negotiated. ”
“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the physical therapist said it would be months before you’re firing on all cylinders.”
“Kennedy said I’m doing good. Maybe I could push myself.” Harlow’s phone rang. She dismissed the call. “He’s bound and determined to get me to sign.”
“How much money do you make on a movie project?” David made a timeout with his hands. “Never mind. You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s okay.” Harlow rattled off the number. “Thirty million.”
His jaw dropped. “Thirty million dollars?”
She nodded. “Now you can see why Robert isn’t giving up. Although some of it is spent right off the top. We have a laundry list of expenses. Managers’ fees, handlers, lawyers on retainer, security, his assistant, office rental, plus all the debt we’ve accumulated over the years. ”
“Maybe you can negotiate an even longer extension,” her father said. “I don’t want you to leave or sound like I’m rushing your recovery, but it is a hefty chunk of change.”
“I know.” Harlow bit her lower lip. It was a lot of money. It had taken her years to claw her way to the top, to reach the pinnacle of her career. She had no idea what canceling the contract would do to her reputation. Would other film studios or production companies boycott her?
Surely, they had to understand she’d been seriously injured, but then…it was a cutthroat industry. Harlow was certain at least a dozen A-list actresses were salivating over the news of her accident, ready to pounce and take her place in a heartbeat.
“I still have a few days to sign and send it back.” Her expression grew glum. After getting the first of Robert’s half dozen texts, she’d tested her body, to see how far she could push it, only to discover it didn’t take long before pain shot through both legs .
There was no way she could stand for hours, at least not yet. If she signed the extension, what would happen if she found herself struggling to keep the pace? Yes, there would be stunt actors to handle the dangerous scenes, but most of it would still be on her to perform.
Was it worse to back out now or take a gamble, hoping she would be physically ready to fulfill her end of the deal?
“Let’s get out of the house.” David set his empty coffee cup in the kitchen sink.
“And go where?”
“Into town.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Remember what happened the other day at the café?”
“More than half of the islanders know you. Have known you since you were in diapers. They won’t treat you any differently than anyone else. ”
“It’s been years since I’ve wandered around downtown. It would be fun to check it out.” Harlow rinsed her cup in the sink and returned to her room to swap out her sweats for a favorite pair of capris and a printed cotton T-shirt.
She smiled as she slipped it on. Robert would hate her outfit. He hated T-shirts and casual clothing, always drilling into her head she was a star which meant Harlow needed to act and dress like one.
And if she did dress a bit more casually, it had to be designer duds he pre-approved. If Harlow really thought about it, her husband controlled most of her everyday life. Where she went. What she ate. What she wore.
It was like a breath of fresh air not having him micromanage her every thought and move. In fact, she was beginning to enjoy being in control of her life again.
Harlow grabbed a ball cap off the dresser, popped it on her head, and returned to the living room. Mort and her father stood waiting by the door.
“I like your shirt. You know how much your mom loved sunflowers.”
“She did. What happened to her sunflower patch?”
“It’s still here, in the corner, on the other side of the gazebo. If we have time, we’ll stop by there on our way home.” David helped Harlow navigate out of the house and to the front of the property.
Reaching the sidewalk, she noticed a shiny yellow tandem tricycle parked near the gate. “A tandem trike.”
“I borrowed it from a friend, one of the bike rental shop owners. He told me I could keep it for as long as I needed.” David made a move to lift her from the wheelchair.
Harlow stopped him. “I want to try getting on by myself.” Using her hands and momentum, she pushed up and spun around, nearly falling flat on her face.
With a look of determination, she dragged herself to the rear seat, landing on it with a jarring thud.
David helped swing her leg to the other side. “I thought for sure you were going to face-plant on the sidewalk.”
“Me too.”
“Are you sure you can hold on?”
“I can’t pedal, but I still have full use of my upper body as long as you don’t try any crazy stunts.”
“I’ll leave those for you and your scooter,” her father teased. He folded her wheelchair and hooked it on the back of the trike before climbing into the front seat. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be,” Harlow quipped.
After a quick check of the brakes, off they went, with Mort happily trotting along beside them .
A light breeze blew off the water, tossing Harlow’s hair and tickling her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, soaking up the sun’s rays. It felt so good. Fresh air. Sunshine. The smell of Lake Huron…crisp and clean. Birds chirping. It had been a long time since she’d been on a bike. Years. Since before she left Mackinac Island.
There never seemed to be time to enjoy what she’d worked so hard for. Endless meetings. Endless photo shoots. Nonstop wheeling and dealing, at least for Robert. Even when they had downtime and hung out at their Palm Beach condo, her husband was always rushing.
Harlow thought about Victor “Vic” Stern, her bodyguard, a man she considered one of her few friends. He’d worked for her for years, making sure she stayed safe. Vic was there when a crazed fan broke into their Malibu home, had stopped him in his tracks .
He’d also always been the one to keep her company when Robert was out of town. A twinge of sadness threatened her peaceful island vibe.
Harlow had texted Vic twice to check in and been met with silence. Nothing. Nada. Zip. It was almost as if he’d vanished from the face of the earth. She made a mental note to ask Robert about him.
They reached the edge of town, and David slowed, giving Harlow a chance to take it all in. To her right was the Mighty Mac…her bridge to home. Directly in front of them was downtown Mackinac Island. It looked the same, yet different. Better. Instead of evoking memories of a backward town which hadn’t kept up with the times, it was charming, cozy, enchanting.
Their first stop was the hardware store. Harlow and Mort waited on the sidewalk while her father ran in to grab a few things. People passed by. A few cast her a second glance. Not gawking “star-struck” stares, but merely casual curiosity .
She started to relax, glad she’d accepted her father’s invitation to tag along. It felt…normal. Harlow was once again an islander, running errands. Not a famous actress. Just a regular person.
After finishing, they stopped by the Mackinac Island Hotel to say “hi” to Eryn. She chatted with them for a few minutes before being summoned to handle a customer complaint.
Instead of returning the way they’d come, David turned onto a side street and cut through the center of the island, the area where the locals went about their daily routines. They cruised past the store and reached the fire station.
She studied the building and thought about Caleb. Caleb Jackson, her high school sweetheart. Caleb broke her heart when he left to join the Air Force. Looking back, it had been the turning point for Harlow to focus on her future.
Not long after, she’d been “discovered” by a big name talent scout and whisked off to New York to embark on her modeling career. Soon, Hollywood agents were on her doorstep.
Harlow was on the cusp of making it big when Robert strolled into her life. The rest was history…at least until now.
She noticed a couple emerging from the building. It was Caleb and a woman, close to her father’s age, if she had to guess.
“There’s Caleb.” David tapped the brake.
Harlow ducked down. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Stopping to have a word with him.”
To Harlow’s horror, her father veered right, turning toward the fire station.
Caleb waved goodbye to the woman. He made a move to head back inside when he noticed David and Harlow riding toward him.
Tall, tan, fit and smiling. And still devastatingly handsome. Caleb Jackson had quit his family’s plumbing business after signing up to serve his country. He called it his ten-year plan, assuring Harlow he would come home yet insisting in the same breath that she promise him she wouldn’t wait around.
But she did…wait. For almost two years. Her heartache morphed into resentment and finally resolve. If Caleb could follow his dreams, so could she. Not long after, the fire happened. There was no reason for her to stay, so she left.
“Morning, David.” Caleb sauntered over, his lopsided smile a ray of sunshine. He faltered slightly when he noticed Harlow scrunched down in the seat behind her father. “Harlow.”
“Hello, Caleb.” She forced a smile.
“I-I heard you were back. Are you…how are you?”
“Banged up and learning to walk again. Other than that, I’m dandy. ”
“It’s good to see you. Been a long time.” Caleb cleared his throat, a sign Harlow knew meant he was nervous.
“Yes, it has.”
An awkward, momentary silence ensued.
Mort trotted over. Caleb absentmindedly patted his head. “Hey, Mort.”
“I got a notice about the city coming by to flush the fire hydrants next week,” David said.
“And you want to make sure the guys don’t mess with your lilac bushes,” Caleb said. “I’ve already reminded them.”
“Thank you.” David started backing up. “How are your folks?”
“They’re fine. Dad’s thinking about retiring. My brother is gonna take over the plumbing business.”
“Tell them I said ‘hi’.”
“Will do.” David spun the bike around and told Caleb goodbye .
Harlow waved and quickly turned away. She could feel Caleb’s sharp hazel eyes watching her.
Finally, they rounded the bend and were out of sight.
“You weren’t very talkative,” her father commented. “I’m surprised. You and Caleb were good friends back in the day.”
“We dated. He broke up with me and joined the Air Force.”
“That’s right. I forgot all about you two dating. I’m sure Eryn told you his wife Tiffany died.”
“I don’t believe she ever mentioned Caleb. Tiffany who?” Harlow asked.
“Tiffany Rowland. You went to school with her.”
“I remember her. She was one grade below me.”
“She and Caleb weren’t married for very long before Tiffany was diagnosed with cancer. She went fast.”
“How awful. ”
“It was a shame. They didn’t have any kids.”
Harlow grew quiet. Poor Caleb. You never knew what hand life was going to deal you. She couldn’t begin to fathom losing her spouse at such a young age. Even as awful as Robert was acting, Harlow would be thrown for a loop if he died.
She pulled her phone from her pocket. Robert hadn’t tried calling or texting in over two hours. Maybe he’d given up. She doubted it. If anything, her husband would double down.
Thirty million dollars was a lot, even though she was required to put in long, grueling twelve to sixteen hour days and then there were the press events on weekends. It was good money—an incredible amount of money. In some ways, she couldn’t blame him. He’d worked hard to land the deal and the thought of it slipping away would be frustrating.
“I haven’t heard from Robert since we left the house,” Harlow said .
“No news is good news,” her father said.
“Not with him.” An uneasy feeling settled over Harlow as she slid her phone back in her pocket. Something was up as far as her husband was concerned. She could feel it in her bones.
*****
Back home, she spent the rest of the afternoon resting in between practicing the gentle exercises Kennedy had taught her. The sooner she could heal and walk, the sooner she could get on with her life, whatever path or future it might be.
During a break, she pulled up the addendum and went over it line by line. It was straightforward, extending the date she was required to show up.
Dinner was a light affair. More like breakfast—scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and juice. Harlow was never much of a breakfast person unless it was a boiled egg or grapefruit and granola.
After clearing the kitchen, she and her father meandered out onto the porch while Mort wandered off to explore. Eryn showed up, and the three of them chatted. Once again, she couldn’t believe how quiet and peaceful Mackinac Island was. No planes flying overhead. No emergency vehicle sirens wailing. Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Eryn finally left, promising to check in with them the following day, her day off, to make plans.
The evening sun set, and Harlow stifled a yawn. “I think I’m going to turn in early since I’m pretty sure Eryn will try dragging me into town again tomorrow.”
“It’s good for you to get out and explore instead of being cooped up in the house.” David made a move to grab her wheelchair. He abruptly stopped in his tracks.
A familiar figure stepped through the gate. Harlow’s eyes grew round as saucers when she realized who it was.