Page 24

“Enjoy the rest of the day. You know how short our summer seasons are. Before you know it, the weather will change and fall will be upon us.”

Back on board the sailboat, they set off for the remainder of their journey around the island. All too soon, they pulled alongside Wynn Harbor Inn’s private dock.

David made quick work of securing Winnie. After finishing, father, daughter and Mort trekked back toward the cottage. As they neared the gate, Harlow’s heart skipped a beat when she noticed a large, hulking figure standing on the porch, cell phone in hand. “You’re here!”

The man shoved his phone in his pocket and strode toward her. “Harlow. I can’t believe it. I finally found you.”

Chapter 10

Tears welled up in Harlow’s eyes at the sight of her friend, Vic. “I left a message on your cell phone letting you know where I was.”

“I never got the message. Robert fired me not long after your accident. He took my cell phone, seeing how it was company property and all, and told me you wanted nothing to do with me. I was getting ready to track your father down when Janice called.”

Harlow’s stoic demeanor crumpled. Vic, her friend. Her trusted confidant was here. For her.

“I hope it’s okay for me to show up on your doorstep. Looking back, I guess I should’ve called first.”

“We’re glad you’re here.” David stepped forward and shook Vic’s hand. “My daughter speaks highly of you.”

“And I think the world of Harlow. Like I said, Robert told me she didn’t want me around any longer, that she had planned to have me replaced and now, with the accident, it was time for me to vamoose.”

“He’s lying. Robert lied to you.” Harlow rambled on about him taking money from their bank account, about him all but abandoning her. “He’s been hinting around to others that I’m emotionally unstable.”

Vic looked away.

“It’s true. He fed you the same lies.”

“He made an offhand comment about how you may have intentionally wrecked your car. Between you and me, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear he plans to petition for your guardianship.”

Harlow began to feel lightheaded. Vic had voiced her greatest fear. For all she knew, Robert was already putting the wheels in motion. But he would wait…he would wait for their big, fat lucrative movie deal to wrap up to collect the money, and then what? Call in his own mental health specialist to have her deemed unfit and put her in a mental institution?

Meanwhile, he had taken money from their bank accounts, maybe even already stashing it away in an offshore account. He wasn’t going to get away with it. Not by a longshot. “I’m beginning to think he wishes I would have died. It would have saved him a lot of trouble.”

“I’m sorry, Harlow. Robert doesn’t have your best interests in mind,” Vic said. “What happened that day?”

“I dropped my cell phone and reached down to grab it. When I looked back up, a big box truck was coming right toward me. I jerked the wheel. It’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital.”

“What about Robert?”

“He’s been around.”

Her father cleared his throat.

“To make sure I make it to the filming location in Vancouver,” she added.

Vic rubbed his thumb against his fingers. “It’s all about the money. I won’t mince words. You know how I feel about Robert.”

Harlow knew exactly how Vic Stern felt. The two had never hit it off. Vic refused to take any of Robert’s crap because he didn’treport to Robert. He worked solely for Harlow. Knowing what she knew now, he probably resented how close they were.

In fact, more than once, he’d accused her and Vic of having an affair. Harlow had laughed in his face. Vic was in love with Makena, a gorgeous woman with soft brown eyes, and a warm, infectious laugh.

The moment Harlow met her, she knew she had “the look” and had promptly called one of her contacts, a top modeling scout, to arrange for Makena and the scout to meet.

The introduction had helped set the groundwork for her career. Makena was fast becoming one of the most sought-after models in the industry.

“And your gut instinct this entire time has been spot on. Based on what I’m discovering, I’ll have to fight for every penny I’ve earned, fight to defend my reputation, you name it.”

“Did Robert mention he landed a movie role for Jillian?”