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“I noticed fresh flowers on her grave.”

“I put those there,” David said. “I don’t want Ginger to think we forgot about her.”

A wave of guilt washed over Harlow. While she had been gallivanting around the world, raking in big bucks, her father was here…home…trying to salvage what was left of his life, making sure the memorial to his wife was taken care of.

Her throat clogged. “I’m sorry, Dad. I should have been here.”

David looked away, but not before Harlow noticed his eyes filling with tears.

“We’re all here now to keep Ginger company.” Aunt Birdie waved the spatula in the air. “But first, we need sustenance.”

“I’ve never been much of a breakfast person, but since you went to all the trouble, I’ll happily help gobble up the goodies,” Harlow joked.

David and his sister finished whipping up a hearty breakfast. Along with bacon, there were eggs, sunny side up, blueberry pancakes and crispy croissants that Aunt Birdie had made a special trip to the local bakery to purchase.

While they worked on breakfast preparations, Harlow set the table, loading dishes on her lap to carry to the cozy bistro table overlooking the rear yard.

From the window, Harlow could see hints of yellow and gold dipping the tips of the leaves. Fall, in all its glory, was only weeks away.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Aunt Birdie placed the platter of food in the center of the table and nudged her head toward the trees. “I have missed the changing of the seasons.”

“I haven’t kept tabs on you in a while now.” Harlow curiously eyed her aunt. “Where are you living these days? Hawaii? Tahiti? Some other tropical locale?”

“All of those plus more. I was living on a ship.”

Harlow’s eyes widened. “A ship?”

“One of those travel-around-the-world cruise ships. I hopped off in Montenegro and hopped on a plane as soon as I could. On my way here, I swung by an RV dealership to purchase Happy Camper, the name I picked out for my temporary home.” Birdie snapped her fingers. “And here I am.”

“You bought the RV just to come to Mackinac Island?” David placed glasses of orange juice on the table and helped Harlow into an empty seat.

“Yep. She’s a beaut, too. Happy has all the creature comforts.” Aunt Birdie rattled off a few of her temporary home’s features. “I’ll have to run it into town to the city’s pump station every couple of weeks to empty the tanks using the same horsepower that I used to get it here.”

Harlow studied her aunt’s face. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, and expense, just to be here to help me.”

“As I’ve already pointed out, I can take care of Harlow,” her father added.

“I’ll admit that maybe I’m being a little selfish. I haven’t seen Harlow, other than on the big screen, in ages. It’s nice to sit here at the table catching up. Maybe even spend time with my brother. You haven’t been in the mood for visitors since…” Birdie’s voice faded.

Harlow knew what she was going to say. Since the fire and Ginger’s death. The horrific tragedy had changed her father overnight. He’d gone from being a gracious, talkative, story-telling host who loved showing off his beloved Wynn Harbor Inn to being withdrawn, moody, even hostile at times, and that was before Harlow had hightailed it out of there.

“So.” Birdie tapped the table, pinning her brother with a pointed stare. “I walked the property. What are your plans?”

“Plans?”

“To fix the place up. Do you need money? I can help with renovations.”

“I have an investor lined up. Actually, two.”

“Dad is partnering with Easton Holdings Company,” Harlow explained.

“Not Easton Holdings, but Morgan Easton and her brother, Brett.”

“Morgan Easton.” Birdie tapped her chin. “I’ve heard the name before.”

“She inherited properties from her mother. She also found the Shifting Sands Medallion, an artifact which went missing decades ago.” David explained Morgan and her brother were using their own private funds to invest. “In fact, we’ll start scheduling the construction crews as soon as Brett and I address the fines and secure the necessary permits.”

“Wonderful. If you need another investor, I would be happy to throw some cash your way,” Birdie said. “I wouldn’t mind staking a claim in Mackinac Island’s real estate.”