Page 16 of Birdie by the Bay (Wynn Harbor Inn #2)

Harlow motioned Vic around the back of the fire truck, steering her scooter toward the double gates, a set of gates her father rarely used and only opened when equipment or deliveries were too big to fit through the smaller main gate.

“They look busy. I hate to bother them. We’ll take the side gate to get back in. ”

Scrunching down, Harlow “scooter’d” onto the curb. Vic, no stranger in helping the star avoid people—mostly ardent and overzealous fans or paparazzi, stealthily followed close behind.

They reached the double gate without incident, only to discover it was padlocked.

“Crud.”

“Now what?” Vic scratched the stubble on his chin and scoped out their surroundings. “I could lift you up and toss you over the fence.”

“It’s a thought.”

“I was joking.”

“No. Seriously.” Gripping the handlebars, Harlow pulled herself to a standing position. “Help me over to the fence. It’s lower in this one spot.”

“But…”

“Please.”

“Fine.” Vic reluctantly slipped his arm around Harlow’s waist. The burly bodyguard easily lifted her up and carried her to the fence before gently setting her down.

Grabbing hold with both hands, Harlow clung to the pickets. “This will work.”

“Now what?”

“Do you think you can haul the scooter up and over?”

“Yeah. No problem.” Vic was built like a bodybuilder. Her bodyguard, a former pro wrestler, who worked out faithfully every single day, was in top physical condition. He didn’t have an ounce of fat on him—just solid muscle.

“You want me to… Never mind. I recognize the look on your face.” Grabbing both ends, Vic lifted the scooter. “I can get it up and over, but there’s no guarantee the condition it will be in if I drop it on the other side.”

Harlow pursed her lips. “I don’t see any other way in unless…we leave the scooter hidden behind the bushes and come back for it later.”

“You’re not worried someone might steal it?”

Harlow giggled. “Mackinac Island is as close to Mayberry as you’ll ever get.”

“Mayberry?”

“You know. Mayberry from The Andy Griffith Show.”

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s a fictitious town, a place where crimes never happen. It’s so safe that locals leave their windows open at night.”

“Sounds like my kind of place.” Vic studied the fence.

Male voices echoed from the other side of the bushes.

“Great. I think they’re working their way toward us. Let’s hightail it out of here.”

“I know the drill.” He leapt over the fence, easily clearing it. Helping Harlow up and over was an entirely different story. She was deadweight, unable to assist in the “up and over” part.

“What have you been eating?” Vic groaned, tugging on her arms and struggling to get her to the other side without hurting her. “You weigh a ton.”

“Cheeseburgers, my dad’s delicious chicken bacon casserole. All the foods Robert would throw a fit about if he knew.”

“I was teasing about you gaining weight. I doubt you’ve gained an ounce.” Vic dusted his hands. “Even if I’m able to get you over, what’s the plan? If the goal is to avoid your ex, we need to find somewhere to hide…er…hang out.”

“My Aunt Birdie’s RV is down by the bay. We can stay at her place until they’re gone.”

He took a step back to assess the situation.

“I have an idea. I’m going to stand on this boulder over here, which should give me some leverage.

On the count of three, I’ll lift you up and then toss you over my shoulder.

With any luck, we’ll clear the fence and you won’t end up with a face full of slivers. ”

“Or dive headfirst into the rock and crack my skull.” Harlow swept her hair out of her eyes. “I trust you, Vic. We can do this.”

“The things you get me into,” he muttered under his breath.

“You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I suppose not. Save the glowing praise until we pull this stunt off.”

Harlow leaned against the fence panel and wrapped her arms around Vic’s neck, clinging tightly. “If carrying me all the way to Aunt Birdie’s place is too far, we can hang out in the bushes.”

“We’ll worry about it when we get you over the fence.” Vic adjusted his grip. “On the count of three. One…two…”

Heavy steps echoed on the pavement. Caleb and a city worker appeared at the precise moment Vic gained momentum, lifting her up.

“What in the…”

He faltered for a fraction of a second. That half second was all it took for Harlow to lose her grip. She started to fall backward.

Her bodyguard lunged forward. He frantically tried grabbing hold of her arm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Harlow caught a flash of movement. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, catching her before she hit the ground.

“Are you okay?”

The voice, low and husky in her ear sent tingles down Harlow’s spine. She didn’t need to look to see who had caught her. “Y-yes. I’m fine.” She pulled away, grabbing hold of the fence, which was thankfully close enough for her to reach.

“What are you doing?”

“We…uh. Vic and I didn’t want to bother you so we decided to take the side gate instead,” Harlow said.

Caleb frowned, tapping the lock. “The gate is locked.”

“We figured that out, which is why we were hopping the fence.”

Vic climbed back over the gate. He swiped at his jeans, a sheepish smile on his face. “Thank you for catching Harlow.”

She introduced them. “Vic Stern, meet Caleb Jackson, Mackinac Island’s fire chief. Vic is my bodyguard and good friend.”

“Nice to meet you.” Caleb shook his hand. “Knowing Harlow, I bet she keeps you on your toes.”

“You have no idea.” A wide smile spread across Vic’s face. “Caleb Jackson. Harlow has had nothing but good things to say about you.”

Caleb shot her a suspicious side glance. “What kind of good things?”

“I…uh. Well, you’re a great guy. Solid, you know.” Vic shook his fist. “The best.”

“I would’ve thought she had other things to say, but I’ll take what I can get where Harlow is concerned.”

She squared her shoulders, mustering up an indignant expression. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I get the vibe you’re not a huge fan of mine.” Caleb wisely changed the subject. “We’re finishing up. Feel free to use the main entrance.”

“Thank you.” Harlow, with her shoulders back, slid onto the seat of her scooter and took off.

Meanwhile, Vic, Caleb and the city worker strolled behind at a leisurely pace, casually chatting while they walked.

Harlow reached the gate, patiently waiting for the men to catch up. “Thanks again for breaking my fall. Aunt Birdie texted earlier. She’s at Dad’s place, working on lunch.”

“We’re going to clean up and will swing by in a few,” Caleb said.

“I’ll let her know.”

Before he could reply, Harlow hit the gas and took off, moving so fast Vic was forced to jog to keep up. “Where’s the fire?”

“I want to stop by the house and be out of there before Caleb shows up.”

“You really don’t like the guy? He seems like a cool dude.”

“We have some unpleasant history.”

“So, he broke your heart and joined the Air Force. You can’t hold something that happened years ago against him.”

“He came back and married someone else,” Harlow said.

“While you were here waiting for him?”

“No. I was working on my career.”

“Ah. You wanted him to wait on you ,” Vic said.

Harlow abruptly stopped. “It got complicated. Whose side are you on?”

“Yours. Always yours. Listen, it’s none of my business, except when you decide you want to avoid the man at all costs and convince me to haul your butt over a fence.”

“We’ve been through worse. We’re home,” she announced.

Vic held the door and waited for Harlow to cruise inside.

They found Aunt Birdie in the kitchen, buzzing back and forth.

“Hey, Aunt Birdie.” Harlow looked around. “Where’s Eryn?”

“She had to go to work.” Her aunt wiped her hands on her apron, curiously eyeing Vic. “Hello.”

“Aunt Birdie, meet Vic.”

Her aunt beamed. “It’s nice to meet you. David mentioned Harlow’s friend was here. You’re the one who keeps my niece out of trouble.”

“Yes, or at least I try to, when she’s not insisting that I drag her over a fence.”

“Drag her over a fence?”

“It’s a long story,” Harlow said. “Where’s Dad?”

“Picking berries for dessert,” her aunt said. “Before Eryn left, your father filled us in on Robert’s call.”

“He’s ticked.”

“I bet. I would’ve loved to have seen the look on his face when he found out we helped ourselves to his bottle of champagne.”

“And took his girlfriend’s skincare products.”

David appeared in the doorway. “I thought I heard voices.” He held up a bowl of raspberries. “You made it back in time for lunch.”

“I’m not eating lunch with your guests,” Harlow said.

“You’re seriously not sticking around?” Aunt Birdie asked. “Your dad made another chicken bacon ranch casserole, and I whipped up a grilled vegetable medley.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Harlow said. “I’m going to make myself scarce.”

“You sure you don’t want to have lunch?” Vic hungrily eyed the counter filled with casserole and the vegetables along with a loaf of crusty bread.

“You can stay. I’m not.” Harlow, determined not to run into Caleb, literally or figuratively, a second time, sped straight through the living room and out the front door.

Mort started to follow her but changed his mind. The thought of missing out on a snack was too big a risk, and he plopped back down.

“You can stay, Vic,” David said.

“I appreciate the offer but my job is to keep an eye on Harlow. Although I wouldn’t mind eating leftovers,” he hinted.

“We’ll have plenty left.”

By the time Vic left the house, Harlow was long gone. He finally tracked her down, hiding out under Aunt Birdie’s awning. “This is a cool camping spot.”

“My aunt snagged a primo location. I nicknamed it Birdie on the Bay,” Harlow said. “Dad picked this spot because it was far enough away from his place.”

“Your aunt and dad seem to get along pretty good.”

“They’ve had their moments. Dad knows it’s only temporary, unless Aunt Birdie follows through with her plan to build on the vacant lot she bought.”

“I’m sorry I lost my grip on you earlier,” he apologized.

“It was my fault. I was the one who lost my grip. I would have almost rather fallen flat on my face than have Caleb catch me,” Harlow sighed.

“Seriously? He seems like a decent guy.”

“He must’ve wondered what the heck was going on.” Harlow grinned at how they must have looked. Her holding onto Vic’s neck for dear life. Him trying to lift her up and over the fence.

He patted his pocket. “I want to give Makena a call. You gonna be okay for a few minutes while I take a walk?”

“Absolutely. Take your time.” After Vic left, Harlow pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She scrolled through her email messages and found one tagged confidential. Curious to find out who it was from, Harlow clicked on the link, her heart plummeting.