Page 11 of Birdie by the Bay (Wynn Harbor Inn #2)

“So this is New York City.” Eryn spun in a slow circle, trying to take it all in. The sights. The sounds. Horns honking. A thick haze of fumes from the buses rumbling down the streets, filling the air.

And then there were the crowds. People rushing by, heads down, cell phones in hand. She began to feel slightly claustrophobic. “What on earth does Harlow see in this place?”

“I have no idea,” Aunt Birdie said. “Between you and me, this is not my cup of tea. Give me the high seas any day.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Eryn dug her phone from her pocket and clicked on the walking app. “We’re close to our hotel.”

“Don’t look now, but we’re standing right in front of it.” Birdie motioned to the nondescript brick high rise with the hotel’s name emblazoned on the front in gold lettering. “Let’s unload our bags and scope out the scene.”

Check in was quick. They dropped their carry-on bags in the room and headed back out. Using Eryn’s handy-dandy phone app, they quickly reached Harlow’s apartment, which was only a block away.

“Now what?” Eryn surveyed their surroundings.

“I noticed a quaint coffee shop next door. It has a bird’s-eye view of the sidewalk. Let’s head in.”

Once inside, Birdie ordered two double shot tall lattes, along with pumpkin cream cheese muffins. “I’ll sit on this side looking this way. You take the spot close to the window. What does Robert look like again?”

“I’ll show you.” Eryn typed Robert Barbetz into the search bar and pulled up several online photos of Harlow’s husband. She handed the phone to Aunt Birdie.

“I think I’ve seen pictures of this clown before.” She slipped her reading glasses on. “Yep. This is the guy. I feel bad for Harlow, being injured and having to deal with this mess.”

“Me too.” Despite having visited her friend several times over the years, traveling to Palm Beach and even California, Eryn had only met her bestie’s husband once. During all other visits, he’d been “away” or “out of town.”

She’d never made it to New York. Looking around, Eryn realized she wasn’t missing much. She preferred the quiet island life over the hustle and bustle of the big city any day. What was the saying? The city that never sleeps . And how could they? People were everywhere.

During her sporadic visits, Eryn had noticed subtle changes in her best friend.

Not necessarily Harlow becoming callous or uncaring, but having a harder edge.

She chalked it up to Harlow being forced to build a barrier, to protect herself from those who wanted her time and attention…

not to mention trying to take advantage of her.

Clearly, Robert couldn’t care less about his wife. All she was to him was a meal ticket. A walking, talking pot of gold. And he was a gold digger.

The more Eryn thought about it, the angrier she became. Proof. What Harlow needed was solid proof Robert was cheating on her.

She knew David Wynn would do whatever he could to protect his daughter, but eventually Harlow would be forced back into the spotlight. She’d signed up for the movie deal. In only a few short weeks, she would have to travel to Vancouver.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Aunt Birdie said.

“I was thinking about Harlow’s upcoming job in Vancouver and her having to deal with Robert by herself.”

“Why would she be by herself?”

“Her bodyguard Vic is MIA. Other than Janice, I don’t know anyone else Harlow trusts.”

“She trusts us.”

Eryn sipped her latte, eyeing Birdie over the rim of her cup. “To tag along on the movie set?”

“It’s a great idea. I like it. I’m free as a bird. Shoot, David will probably be thrilled to have me out of his hair.”

Eryn laughed out loud. “Nah. You’re keeping him on his toes.”

“He seems to have mellowed toward me a little.”

“So, are you serious about traveling to Vancouver with Harlow?”

Birdie drummed her fingers on the table. “Sure. Why not? You could go too.”

“I’m …” Eryn had heard the stories about the movie crews, the gossip, the shenanigans that took place. Harlow made it sound like a scene right out of a soap opera. “I have some vacation time I haven’t used.”

“Why don’t we make it a girl’s trip and hang out? I’ve never been on a movie set before.”

“Me either. Harlow might not want us in Vancouver.”

Aunt Birdie waved dismissively. “We’ll stay out of the way and on the sidelines. I think she would feel more comfortable knowing people who love her are close by.”

“So we can make sure Robert isn’t being a jerk.”

“Exactly.” Birdie’s head snapped to the side. “Six o’clock. Looks like wretched Robert.”

Eryn craned her neck. “Nope. Close. Robert has more of a rugged look, like a mountain man.”

“He certainly doesn’t match the Hollywood image. I wonder what’s lurking in his background, the skeletons hiding in his closet.”

“That’s an excellent question.”

Birdie changed the subject. “What’s the scoop with Caleb Jackson? Harlow and I ran into him in town yesterday. She seemed a little edgy around him.”

“You want my honest opinion?” Eryn asked.

“Of course.”

“They still have feelings for each other. At least Harlow does.”

“I sensed the same. In fact, if you’re free around twelve thirty tomorrow, you can swing by the cottage.

” Aunt Birdie told Eryn about Caleb and the city workers who were coming by late morning to flush the hydrants.

“I invited Caleb to lunch. Judging by the look on his face, he knew it made Harlow uncomfortable.”

“And he accepted,” Eryn guessed.

“Yep. So Caleb is coming by for lunch tomorrow if you want to join us.”

“I would love to. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it. I’ll need to get back to work.”

“I understand.” Aunt Birdie sent a quick text to Harlow, letting her know they’d checked into the hotel and were sitting in the coffee shop, staking out the apartment. “This is odd.”

“What?” Eryn leaned in.

“Harlow wanted to know if we had a problem at the front desk when we checked in. She said there was an issue with her credit card. She ended up putting the room charge on another card.”

“You don’t think.”

“Robert tinkered with Harlow’s credit cards.” Birdie finished her sentence. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

“Based on how he’s acting, I wouldn’t be surprised if he cancelled them.”

Birdie set her coffee cup aside. “I’m sending her a message, suggesting she check out her bank accounts.”

Harlow texted back, letting her know she already had and that some of the money was gone. Or at least no longer available for her to access.

“This guy is the scum of the earth.” Birdie shook her head in disgust. “He’s going to go for guardianship. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Which makes proving he’s screwing around on Harlow even more important,” Eryn said.

“Money sure can bring out the worst in people.”

“Robert Barbetz wasn’t a good person to start with.”

The women grew quiet, mulling over the new information. Harlow needed to act and fast. If only they could catch Robert and Jillian together, not that the court would care, but for Harlow to confirm her suspicions once and for all.

“I think we need to move this operation to DEFCON 2 level,” Aunt Birdie said.

Eryn wrinkled her nose. “DEFCON 2 level?”

“You bet.” Aunt Birdie finished her latte and sprang to her feet. “Let’s roll.”