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“Woo-hoo!” Aunt Birdie applauded. “We’ll take every small win we can get.”

“I’m going to pay Vic.” Using Venmo, Harlow paid him his overdue salary and prepaid him a month in advance.

“Thank you, Harlow. I know you’re good for it.”

“I’m good for it but Robert might not be, considering he wanted to get rid of you.” Harlow went through their other accounts to make sure he hadn’t tried pulling a fast one.

Their emergency fund was last. She started to click away when a small voice told her to take a closer look at recent transactions.

She skimmed through the list. They were few and far between, which wasn’t surprising considering the account was the designated “cash on hand” emergency account. It was one Robert made deposits into every few months, building the balance over time.

She did a quick check of the money market and savings accounts and then turned her attention to their personal checking account. It listed the usual transactions: mortgage payments, car payments, credit card payments.

Aunt Birdie tiptoed in behind her and leaned over her shoulder. She let out a loud gasp. “Dear heavens.”

“What? What do you see?” Harlow asked.

“A lot of zeroes. What on earth are you paying for?”

“Some pricey real estate. Robert has expensive taste. You should see what our business accounts look like.”

“These kinds of bills would keep me up at night.” Her aunt tsk-tsked. “At the risk of not minding my own business, how often do you use these properties?”

Harlow thought about it. “Not enough to get our money’s worth. For grins and giggles, I’m going to run some reports to see how much money we spend on our lavish lifestyle.”

“It’s a good thing you’re sitting down. No wonder you’re on a hamster wheel.”

“I’m seriously thinking about jumping off,” Harlow said. “Or at the very least, scaling back on non-essentials. I don’t have time to enjoy what we have.”

“Less can sometimes be more,” her father said.

“Here, here,” Vic chimed in. “Harlow is the hardest working woman in show business, and I mean it.”

“She would have to be to keep up with all of this,” her aunt said. “Didn’t I hear you mention something about Robert wanting to buy an apartment in London?”

“He did. In fact, the papers are probably still sitting on the kitchen counter.”

“Thank God you didn’t sign them.”

Harlow closed out of the personal account and logged into their business checking account. Going back ninety days, she studied each transaction. Hairdresser, makeup artist, Janice the publicist, dinners at “the club,” Robert’s monthly gold club fees, Rodeo Drive store purchases. Everything to cultivate their image and Harlow’s brand.

Working her way down, she kept noticing a specific dollar amount being deducted on the 29thof each month. Not astronomical, but substantial enough to catch Harlow’s eye. “I wonder what this is.”

“What?” Her father slipped his reading glasses on.

“This $6,500 payment.” Harlow dialed the bank’s main number and asked to be transferred to someone who could give her details about a specific transaction.

“Ciara speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hello, Ciara.” Harlow briefly explained the reason for her call. “I’m reviewing transactions and wondering about one in particular. It doesn’t look familiar.”

Ciara jotted down the information and asked Harlow to hold. She returned a short time later. “I was able to pull up the payment details. Do you have a pen handy?”

“I do.” Harlow grabbed a pen and notepad. “I’m ready.”

The bank representative rattled off the information, and Harlow nearly fell out of her chair.

Chapter 18