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“True. I don’t care if he knows I’m keeping tabs on him. It’ll be good for him to stew, knowing you were there.”

“I hate to say it, but I think you’re going to have your hands full,” her aunt predicted.

“Without a doubt. Which means I need to be as prepared as possible.” Harlow thanked them for making the trip. “What time are you flying back tomorrow?”

“Early morning. We’ll be arriving in Detroit at seven, which means we should be back on the island in time for me to make lunch for that cutie Caleb Jackson.”

Harlow made an unhappy sound. “I forgot all about Caleb coming by for lunch. I’ll be sure to make myself scarce.”

“What’s wrong with having lunch with an old friend?”

“He’s not an old friend. Caleb broke my heart.”

“People make mistakes. Maybe he regrets it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Harlow said. “And don’t you dare play matchmaker. The last thing I need is another man to worry about.”

“Point taken. Back to Robert…something tells me you’re in for a battle.”

“I’ll be ready for it.” She changed the subject. “What are you doing for dinner?”

“I don’t know,” Eryn said. “Maybe we can find a decent burger joint around here.”

“No way. You deserve a nice dinner for all of your hard work.” Harlow rattled off the name of a five-star restaurant down the street from her apartment, insisting she was buying their evening meal. “What time do you want to eat? I’ll book the reservation.”

“We have a celebratory bottle of champagne to drink first, while we enjoy the city view and Eryn and I relive our adventure. How about seven?”

“Seven it is.” Harlow told her the reservation would be under her name.

“Thank you. I love you, dear, and I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be buying our dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“I love you too, Aunt Birdie. Thank you for trying to help.”

“You’re welcome. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Her aunt gave her one final warning that Robert would probably call,in a fit of rage, when he found out they had been inside the apartment.

After hanging up, Birdie walked into the kitchenette and removed the bottle of bubbly from the fridge. “Find some glasses, Eryn. We’re going to toast Robert’s fury with a glass of champagne, and then we’re dining at one of New York’s finest restaurants.”

*****

Harlow stared at the photo Aunt Birdie had forwarded.Herbathroom counter filled with skincare products and cosmetics belonging to another woman. Based on what her aunt and Eryn had said about Robert’s bags, his trip to New York would be brief. It was his standard MO—stay for a few days and then move on to the next place.

Instead of taking his wife when he traveled, he was taking his young, gorgeous assistant, Jillian. Had Robert somehow worked his magic and landed Jillian a part in the upcoming movie?

“Hey.”

Harlow looked up, noticing Vic, who had left to unpack, standing on the cottage porch’s bottom step. “This is a sweet place. I know it has a lot of bad memories, but I can’t imagine never wanting to step foot on Mackinac Island again.”

“I’ve done a lot of thinking since the accident.” Harlow confided in Vic that she no longer believed her father was responsible for the fire. “Based on the original findings, someone intentionally set the fire but it wasn’t my dad. When I finish handling the disaster my marriage has become, I’m going to do some digging around.”

“Good for you.” Vic eased into the empty rocking chair next to her. “This might sound weird, but the accident changed you in a good way.”

“Because I’m no longer Robert’s little robot, obediently obeying every word that comes out of his mouth and blindly doing what I’m told?”

“By design, Robert made it easy. You did all the work. He pulled in all the money, handled the finances, kept you so busy you never had time to pay attention to what he was doing.”