Page 21 of Birdie by the Bay (Wynn Harbor Inn #2)

Harlow sat on the porch waiting for Nigel Beckworth, who arrived promptly at noon the following day. As he drew closer, she realized the attorney was exactly what she’d envisioned. Tall and trim, as if he spent time in the gym. Not old, but mature.

He was all business in his tailored silk suit. Bald, except for sparse locks of hair curving around his ears. The attorney’s eyes were warm and crinkled up, which meant he smiled a lot.

“Harlow Wynn?”

“That’s me.”

Nigel extended his hand. “It’s my pleasure to meet you.”

“Same here.”

“I’ll be quite honest. I’ve been reading a few of the tattling tabloids, curious to find out about your accident. Some said you were severely hurt, while others claim you’re faking an injury. How are you doing?”

“Recovering.” Harlow briefly filled him in, explaining she was working with a physical therapist and hoped to be back on her feet soon. “I have less than a month to be on set in Vancouver.”

“Do you think you’ll be ready?”

“I hope so.”

Harlow’s father appeared. He and Nigel shook hands, chatting briefly about the flight from Toronto. He offered their guest something to drink, to which the attorney politely declined.

“I have paperwork to go over.” He patted his briefcase. “I’ll need a spot for us to spread out.”

“In here.” David wheeled Harlow into the house. Mort, who had trotted out to greet their visitor, and Nigel followed behind.

“Thank you for making house calls, Mr. Beckworth,” Harlow said.

“Nigel. Please call me Nigel. As I mentioned before, I met with another client this morning, so I figured I might as well swing by.”

“And you can call me Harlow.” She paid him the retainer fee and then handed him the list of assets she’d assembled. “As I mentioned on the phone, there was a misunderstanding about the business bank accounts. The credit cards were tied to the old accounts and the new ones are on the way.”

“Splendid. It will be one less issue for us to tackle.” Nigel peered at her over the rim of his reading glasses. “You’ve asked me to have the papers drawn up. Are you ready to file?”

“I was thinking of maybe starting with a legal separation. Remain married for the sake of…my career.”

“And then what? Eventually you’ll file for divorce?”

To be honest, Harlow never envisioned her marriage ending. Divorce seemed so final. She wasn’t sure she was ready for such a serious step, or being the one to make the first move.

“It’s your call.” Nigel reviewed what Harlow had given him. “Unfortunately, splitting assets and liabilities during separation can get sticky.”

“The bills. How would they be split?” Harlow thought about Jillian’s Malibu townhome they had been paying for.

“The division would have to be agreed upon by both parties and by order of the court,” Nigel explained. “If you go that route, because assets and liabilities would already be divided, a divorce will go much more quickly, if you eventually ended the marriage.”

“None of this is going to go smoothly,” Harlow predicted.

The attorney shuffled through the papers. “I see no mention of children.”

“We don’t have any.”

“I see. This will enable the process to move more expeditiously. We won’t have to concern ourselves with a custody battle. Still, considering your assets and other factors, this may take some time.”

Harlow blew air through thinned lips. “Maybe I should bite the bullet and file for divorce instead of dragging it out.”

He cleared his throat. “Clearly, you’re struggling with the finality of this decision. Until you are a hundred percent certain about what direction you want to take, I suggest you hold off. Sleep on it. Give it some thought.”

“I am conflicted. You’re right. On the other hand, I’m not keen about going through this twice.”

“It’s something to consider. In the meantime, I’ll have my team on standby.

When you’re ready to pull the trigger, give me a call.

” Nigel gathered up the papers and placed them inside his briefcase.

“It’s been quite some time since I visited Mackinac Island.

I was thinking about having lunch in town.

Would you care to join me? It will be off the clock. ”

“Off the clock? Then you have yourself a lunch date.” Harlow headed to her room to grab her jacket and swap out her wheelchair for the scooter. She caught up with Nigel and her father, who stood chatting on the porch. “Why don’t you have lunch with us, Dad?”

“Yes. Please join us, David. I spoke with Morgan Easton the other day on the phone. She reminded me she and Brett were partnering with you to restore Wynn Harbor Inn.”

“We are. On a smaller scale with renovations that will be much more manageable.”

“Morgan is excited about the project.” Nigel turned to Harlow. “Have you met Ms. Easton?”

“Not yet. I’ve done a little digging of my own,” Harlow said. “She’s had an interesting life.”

“I think you two would get along splendidly. She’s a lovely person. Warm, thoughtful, down-to-earth. She has a great deal of spunk and is a go-getter.”

“I’m sure we will,” Harlow said. “At least I hope I’m around long enough.”

“If I have my way,” David said. “Now that you’re home, I’m not letting you get away,” he joked.

The trio reached downtown and David picked the restaurant, choosing a café one block back from the busy strip.

They were promptly seated. A server appeared. She gave Harlow, who was sporting a pink ball cap and sunglasses, a second look but didn’t question who she was.

While they ate, Harlow shared stories about life on the set.

Actors and actresses that she’d worked with over the years.

Exotic locations she’d traveled to. The more she shared, the more it seemed as if she was talking about someone else’s life—not hers.

It was the complete opposite of Mackinac Island’s laid-back lifestyle.

The meal ended, and Harlow and her father directed the driver to the airport to drop Nigel off for his return flight to Toronto. Before leaving, she promised to decide the following day and get back to him.

David escorted Nigel inside, leaving Harlow waiting in the carriage. She got the same feeling she had the previous night of being watched. She shaded her eyes and studied their surroundings.

People were coming and going. A carriage pulled in next to the wagon, picking up a large group who had just arrived.

David returned a short time later. “Now that you’ve met Nigel, what are your thoughts?”

“He’s exactly the kind of person I was looking for. He answered all my questions. I felt very comfortable with him.”

“He’s the best around,” David said. “Nigel will be worth every penny.”

Back at Wynn Harbor Inn, Harlow and her father swung by Aunt Birdie’s place. As they drew closer, they found her aunt and Lottie seated at the picnic table, chatting like old friends.

“Oh boy,” David playfully grumbled. “Double trouble.”

“I figured seeing how you weren’t in any hurry to introduce me to your sister, I would do it myself,” Lottie said.

“We’ve been comparing notes.”

“Comparing notes?”

“About you. We’ve both agreed you’re stubborn as a mule but have a heart of gold.”

“I’ll take being stubborn as a compliment.”

“Because it is.” Lottie tapped Birdie’s hand. “I invited Birdie to join us for our next Mackie night out.”

“We had a ball,” Harlow said. “It’s a great group of women.”

“I can’t wait.” Her aunt changed the subject. “Vic just left. He was wondering where you were.”

“I should go check in with him so he doesn’t worry.”

Her father started to follow. Harlow stopped him. “There’s no need to rush off. You can hang out with Aunt Birdie and Lottie.”

“Birdie has an excellent idea about what we should do about sprucing up the landscaping down here by the bay. We want to run it by you.”

“Great.” David rolled his eyes. “Here we go.”

Harlow told them goodbye and steered her scooter onto the roadway. Instead of heading straight home, she took the long way past the meandering gardens. She found herself on the path leading to her mother’s gravesite.

Harlow told Ginger about Nigel’s visit and asked her what she should do about Robert.

“I wish you were here,” she sighed. “Aunt Birdie has been great and you would love Lottie. I’m making friends and was even invited to be a Magnificent Mackie. I never thought it would happen after all these years, but the island is working its magic.”

A light breeze tossed Harlow’s hair. She quickly smoothed it back. “Dad and I are going to find out what happened the night of the fire. I have to leave, but I’m coming back as soon as the filming wraps up.”

A flit of movement caught Harlow’s eye. Her scalp tingled again, a sure sign she was being watched.

She swung the scooter around and hit the gas. Moving at a brisk clip, she didn’t slow until she reached her father’s cottage.

Vic must’ve been watching for her. He called out and caught up with her near the road. “Hey, Harlow. You sneaked out on me this morning.”

“Nigel and I went over the paperwork and then he invited Dad and me to lunch.” Harlow cast a wary glance over her shoulder. “I think I saw someone over by my mom’s gravesite.”

“After last night, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to search the area first thing this morning,” he said. “I noticed one of the fence pickets was broken, a few feet away from where I tried hauling you over the other day.”

Harlow’s eyes widened. “We busted Dad’s fencepost?”

“It was in the general vicinity of the gate, but not the exact spot, so I know we didn’t break it.” Vic motioned to a camera mounted in the corner of the porch. “I noticed your dad has surveillance cameras and was wondering if I could take a look at the recent recordings.”

“Great idea.” Harlow led him inside and to her father’s computer. It wasn’t high-tech or high-speed, but it did the job.

Vic accessed the recordings from the previous night, around the time Harlow had heard the noises.

Sure enough, a figure clad in dark clothing appeared. Harlow cruised by in her wheelchair with the trespasser following at a safe distance.

Switching cameras, he tracked down the porch’s camera directed toward the road.

Vic appeared. Harlow joined him and began motioning. “This is when I told you I thought I saw someone.”

Mort dashed past, running in the direction the person had gone.

Harlow briefly closed her eyes. “I knew it. Someone was following me.”

“I want to look at the other recordings, the camera covering the area where you saw someone just now.”

It took a minute for them to locate the right one. Both grew quiet. Harlow appeared next to her mother’s gravesite. Moments later, her head shot up. “Right there.”

Vic zoomed in. A person wearing a gray hoodie and denim jeans ran behind the bushes. “They have something around their neck.” He hit the arrow button, zooming in for an even closer look.

Harlow’s heart plummeted. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yep,” Vic grimly replied. “This confirms someone is definitely after you.”