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“It would be a nightmare,” David grumbled. “Having you as a sister is bad enough. I can’t imagine having you as a business partner.”

Birdie clenched her fist and playfully punched her brother in the arm. “Very funny.” She sobered. “I’m glad to hear this beautiful piece of property will be restored.”

“I am too.” Harlow scooped a spoonful of eggs onto her plate before passing the dish to her aunt. “Maybe there is a silver lining to my accident. It brought our little family back together again.”

“It did.” Birdie lifted her glass of orange juice. “I propose a toast.”

Harlow lifted her glass. Her father grudgingly lifted his.

“To fresh starts and moving forward.”

Harlow clinked glasses. “Moving forward,” she echoed. “No matter what obstacles life throws at us.”

Little did she know the sentiment would echo back to her over and over again. Obstacles and challenges, greater than anything Harlow had ever encountered, were heading her way.

Chapter 2

Harlow helped clear the dishes after breakfast, but with limited mobility she seemed to be more in the way than actually helping. Finally, her aunt shooed her out of the kitchen.

Feeling restless, she grabbed her cell phone and wheeled herself out to the front porch. Thinking about her father’s plans for Wynn Harbor Inn and curious to find out a little more about Morgan Easton, Harlow turned her phone on and typed the woman’s name in the search bar.

The first story to pop up was about the medallion. Harlow began reading and soon became fascinated by how she’d tracked down the priceless artifact, hidden away at Locke Pointe, an inherited property owned by her mother’s family.

She did some preliminary research about Easton Holdings and Brett Easton, in particular. Harlow clicked on his profile and enlarged the photo. He was a good-looking guy. Dark hair with bangs swept off to the side, a boyish grin and mischievous expression. Discovering he was single, Harlow suspected he had more than his share of women vying for his attention.

She opened a new tab, curious to find out if Morgan was married. Another story appeared, along with a snapshot of her smiling, looking off to the side toward someone beyond the camera’s lens. Next to it was a photo of a man, maybe a year or two older than Harlow—Jason Greer, Easton’s ex, who was serving time in prison.

“Wow.”

“Wow, what?” Aunt Birdie slipped out onto the porch.

“I started doing some research about the Easton family. Morgan has an interesting past.” Harlow told her aunt what she’d found.

“Your father mentioned Brett Easton. I’m sure you researched him as well.”

“Yep.” Harlow turned her phone so her aunt could see the photo.

Birdie let out a flirty whistle. “He’s a hottie. Maybe after you ditch the loser you’re married to you can hook up with this fellow. He looks like a catch.”

“Aunt Birdie,” Harlow chided. “Robert isn’t…a loser.”

Her aunt pursed her lips. “From everything I’ve learned, he’s trying to force you back to work before you’re ready.”

“Robert is business oriented. He sees everything in black and white.”

“I guess this is the reason he isn’t here? Because he’s busy handling business?” Birdie arched her eyebrow.

Harlow looked away. “He can be hard to understand.”

“Don’t make excuses for him, Harlow. A loving husband would want to be with his wife, caring for her.”

Her aunt’s blunt words stung her to the core. Birdie wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. Still, the reality of the situation was that a man she loved had all but abandoned her. Although he had shown up at Wynn Harbor Inn, attempting to bring her home. Not because he had a change of heart and wanted to take care of Harlow. He planned to dump her off at their place in Malibu to be looked after by a caregiver before leaving.

“Dad, and you, are both right. Robert is showing his true colors,” Harlow sighed.

“Better to find out now, before you have children.”

“Robert doesn’t want children.”