Chapter 19
Harlow held her breath, watching as her husband casually strolled along the sidewalk. “Robert. What are you doing here?”
“You won’t reply to my texts or answer my calls. I figured if I showed up on your doorstep, you couldn’t ignore me.”
“Because you’re pushing too hard to get me to sign the addendum.”
“I thought you would be happy. It took a lot of negotiating on my end to get you extra time.” Robert’s eyes narrowed. “I had hoped you would be a little more grateful.”
“I’m still not able to be on my feet.”
“Not at all? ”
“Not without being in a lot of pain,” Harlow snapped.
“But every day you’re healing,” he insisted.
“I already told you—the doctor told you, it could be months, not weeks, before I’ve fully recovered.”
“Look, the studio is willing to work around your injuries. All you have to do is sign off and focus on getting better.”
“What happens if I sign and then realize I can’t fulfill my end of the contract?” she asked. “Then what?”
“You’ll do it. I know you, Harlow. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
“That’s the kindest, most thoughtful thing you’ve said to me since I woke up in the hospital,” she said sarcastically.
“I’ll let you have a moment alone.” David called Mort and the two of them went inside .
Harlow waited until he was gone. She stared at her husband, noting the defiant look on his face. She could feel tears well up in her eyes. He wasn’t there to check on her, to be by her side. It was all about the contract, the money.
Maybe she should sign. Sign and then, if she couldn’t keep her end of the deal, Robert would finally realize he had asked for too much. Yes, Harlow could push her body, but she also knew there were limitations.
And, if she agreed, he would leave her alone, at least for a few weeks. “I’ll sign.”
Robert beamed. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I knew you would come around. I have the addendum right here.”
Harlow digitally signed off and handed his phone back. “Again, I’m not sure if I’ll be healed enough to work full time. You know how brutal the schedule can be. They’ll expect me to work twelve or more hours each day. ”
“You’ll handle it like the pro you are.” Robert tapped the screen and shoved his phone in his pocket. “Now that we have the paperwork taken care of, let’s get you packed.”
“Packed?”
“Yeah. You’re flying home with me. I’ve already arranged for a nurse to move in and care for you. I’ve also lined up a topnotch therapist who will be at the house first thing tomorrow morning.”
She cut him off. “I’m staying here.”
“Don’t fight me on this, Harlow. I never should’ve let you come here in the first place. I can do a better job of supervising your recovery in California.”
“You didn’t want to help, Robert.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before I realized it was better for you to be home, for me to oversee your recovery.” Robert pushed past her, making his way up the steps. “I’ll pack your bags. Where’s your room?”
“Robert.” Harlow's voice grew panicked, realizing he was dead serious. “I’m not flying to California with you.”
“We’ll leave your stuff here. Your dad can send it to you.” Robert grabbed Harlow’s wheelchair and began pushing her down the walkway.
“Help! Dad!” Harlow screamed her father’s name. Robert—her own husband—was abducting her!
The front porch screen door flew open. David appeared, Glock in hand. “Let go of my daughter.”
The color drained from Robert’s face. He stared at the gun. “Th-this is my wife. She’s going home.”
“She doesn’t want to leave. You can’t take Harlow against her will.”
“She isn’t thinking straight. Harlow will change her mind when she realizes this is all for the best. ”
David motioned to his daughter. “Do you want to leave?”
“No. I don’t.”
“You have your answer.” David tightened his grip on the Glock. “Leave now or I’m calling the police.”
“Harlow,” Robert said. “This is crazy. Surely you can see it’s in your best interest to come home.”
“I signed the addendum. You got what you wanted. I have a month.”
“I think it’s best if I monitor your rehabilitation and therapy.”
“So you can push me? I’m staying right here.” Harlow clenched her jaw, her eyes flashing with anger. “If you want to get a hotel room on the island and talk in the morning, when you have a clearer head, we’ll make tentative future arrangements for down the road. ”
“Stay here?” Robert frowned. “I chartered a private plane. It’s waiting at the airport to take us to Detroit. We’re flying directly from there to Van Nuys.”
“ You’re flying to Van Nuys,” Harlow corrected. “I guess this means you don’t plan on staying with me.”
“Jillian and I have a meeting at nine in the morning down in Long Beach. You know I’ve been negotiating the next deal, another big one. The plan is to get you settled in, and then she and I will take off.”
“You weren’t even going to spend one night at home with me?” Harlow’s voice cracked. “Not even one night?”
Robert looked away. “The trip here was last minute. I have meetings scheduled I can’t cancel.”
“I see.” She lowered her head and stared at her hands .
“Look, business is business. You’re on the mend. It’s not like you’re on your deathbed. Besides, I would only be in the way. You need to focus on healing.”
“And I’ll do it from here.”
“Fine. Have it your way. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.” Robert backed up, still keeping a watchful eye on her father and the gun.
Harlow stopped him. “I’ve been trying to reach Vic. He’s not answering his cell phone.”
“Vic is gone.”
“Gone where?”
“He quit,” Robert said. “I told him we wouldn’t need him for a few weeks. He decided to look for other employment.”
Harlow choked back a sob. Her friend. One of her only friends was gone. “He never even called to check on me. ”
“You know what a cutthroat business this is. I guess you got to see Vic’s true colors.” Robert’s expression softened. “I know how close you two were. We’ll find you another bodyguard.” He eased in next to her. Keeping one eye on David, he placed a light kiss on top of her head. “I wish the accident had never happened.”
“You and me both,” she whispered.
“Take care. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Harlow watched her husband walk away. He never looked back, never turned around, and soon he was gone. She felt a light hand on her shoulder and looked up to find her father somberly gazing at her.
“D-do you think Robert loves me?” she stammered.
David placed the gun on the table. He wrapped both arms around his daughter, his heart breaking when he felt her shoulders trembling. “I can’t speak for your husband because I don’t know him. I can tell you that your father loves you more than you could ever know. Are you gonna be all right?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine.” Harlow mustered up a half-hearted smile. “Seriously, it will all work out. I’ll either be able to handle the workload or I won’t. Besides, as you have so pointedly reminded me, I’m a Wynn.”
“Yes, you are.” David proudly patted her hand. “Robert Barbetz should know better than to try pushing my daughter around.”
A flash of movement near the front gate caught Harlow’s eye. Her father must’ve noticed, too. Her first thought was Robert had returned, but the figure was too small, too petite.
“What in heaven’s name is she doing here?”
“Who?” Harlow craned her neck.
“Your Aunt Birdie.”
Aunt Bonnie “Birdie” Potts ambled to the picket fence gate and let herself in .
Harlow’s jaw dropped at the sight of her father’s sister, a woman who popped in and out of her life, showing up on a whim every so often when she tracked her niece down.
To describe David and his only sibling as having a contentious relationship was putting it mildly. While Harlow’s father was a homebody, content to spend his days on the idyllic island, living a simpler life surrounded by nature, Aunt Birdie’s personality was the epitome of a free spirit. Although never getting the official version about how her aunt had acquired her nickname, it fit her to a “t.”
To sum it up, Aunt Birdie flitted from place to place, never staying too long in one spot.
And Harlow had always admired her. A woman who spoke her mind, who lived life to the fullest, by her own rules and with gusto. Not only with gusto, but with oodles of money, courtesy of her deceased husband, a wealthy investment banker who had been years older than Birdie. He suffered a heart attack while on safari, during a day trip he’d taken without his wife.
Having no children and Birdie being his only beneficiary, she’d continued her travels, never settling in one place.
Harlow couldn’t help but smile as Aunt Birdie drew closer. Her curly gray hair spiraled out of control, sticking up all over her head. Her sharp blue eyes didn’t miss a thing. “How come I had to find out my beautiful niece Harlow was involved in an accident from the disinformation news on the internet?”
David ignored his sister’s question, answering it with one of his own. “What are you doing here?”
“I invited myself since the last time you extended an invitation was over a decade ago.” Aunt Birdie planted her hands on her hips, her expression softening when she noticed Harlow. “What happened, sweetie? ”
“I did something stupid. I tried grabbing my cell phone while driving and crashed.” Harlow absentmindedly tugged at her shirt. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”
“It’s okay.” Aunt Birdie knelt next to the wheelchair and grabbed her hand. “Is it true…you’ll never walk again?”
Harlow made a choking sound. “Is that what you heard?”
Birdie nodded. “They’re saying you’re paralyzed.”
“What a bunch of bull hockey,” David blustered. “The press doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
“I have a physical therapist coming in.” Harlow pulled herself from the wheelchair, to show her Aunt Birdie the rumors were false.
Her legs started to wobble, and she sank back down .
“I’m so relieved.” Birdie wrapped her arms around Harlow and held her close. “As soon as I found out, I couldn’t get here fast enough.”
A hot tear trickled down Harlow’s cheek. So much was in her embrace. Love. Acceptance. Family. “Thank you for coming to see me.”
“Coming to see you?” Birdie pulled back, leveling her gaze so their eyes met. “My dear Harlow, I’m here to stay.”
“Here to stay?” David roared. “There’s no way you and I can live under the same roof.”
Aunt Birdie slowly stood. She squared her shoulders and faced her brother, a serene smile on her face. “I’m fully aware of that. I’ve secured temporary living arrangements.”
“How temporary?” he asked.
“Until Harlow has healed.”
A man wearing a brown work uniform appeared, clipboard in hand. “I hate to interrupt, but we need to unload your delivery. We’re blocking the street. Have you figured out where you want to put it?”
David’s brows furrowed. “Delivering what?”
“The temporary accommodations I brought over on a barge.” Birdie scooted behind Harlow’s wheelchair and pushed her down the sidewalk. “Would you like to see it?”
“More than anything.” Harlow hid her grin, noting the thunderous expression on her father’s face. Life at Wynn Harbor Inn was going to get much more exciting…and she couldn’t wait.
David sidestepped his sister and daughter, storming down the street toward the front. By the time Aunt Birdie, Harlow and the delivery driver caught up with him, he was standing in the road staring at a travel trailer, hooked up to an apparatus attached to a team of horses.
Harlow watched her father pace along the side, the tips of his ears fire engine red. “What do you intend to do with this? ”
“Park it on your property. I want to be close to Harlow, to help her through this,” Birdie said.
“I’m already helping Harlow.”
“I’m sure you are. However, sometimes women need other women.” Birdie patted her niece’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”
“Yes. I mean, of course.” Harlow began shaking her head.
“You don’t want me to stay?” Birdie pursed her lips.
“I would love to have you here,” Harlow said sincerely. “However, it’s up to Dad. This is his home.”
Harlow and Birdie gazed expectantly at David, who had stopped pacing and now stood…almost too calmly staring at the RV sitting alongside the curb.
“Well, David?” His sister finally spoke. “Are you going to kick me to the curb? ”
“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re already there.”
“You know what I mean. Are you going to deny me access to my niece?”
“Of course not.” David threw his hands up in defeat. “You can unload it around back. I may live to regret this, but go ahead and put Birdie’s trailer over by the bay.”