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CHAPTER ONE

HARLOW

S weat dripped down my neck as the humid air turned my beach waves into frizz. My heels began to blister from running on the cracked sidewalks in my four-inch heels. People honked and waved, and some even offered me a ride.

I ended up in front of a local diner that looked like its best years were behind it, but my feet needed a break.

I pushed through the doors and asked the hostess if I could use the bathroom.

She blinked at me, and for a split second, I thought she might call the cops.

I almost burst into tears when she pointed toward the restroom.

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Instead, I was hiding out in the bathroom of a rundown diner next to a 7-Eleven with someone in the stalls humming the lyrics to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”

The room smelled like smoke and grease. I was pretty sure something skittered across the floor behind the toilet. This was as far away from the cathedral and country club wedding reception as it got.

Baz Zimmerman wasn’t the worst human being on earth. In fact, on paper, we were perfect for each other. But he was too much like my father—cold, polished, and had zero personality.

So, when the music started, and I saw his bored face at the end of the altar, looking like he was checking off a to-do list in his head, something inside me snapped, so I ran in the opposite direction, and just kept running.

I gripped the sink tighter and stared at my reflection in the mirror. When did my life stop becoming mine? How did I let things get so out of hand?

The toilet flushed, and the bathroom stall creaked open.

Out stepped an older woman who was probably in her seventies, wearing a pair of glittery jeans and a black T-shirt with a taco on the front that said, “Nacho Average Old Lady.” She looked like she could either knit you a blanket or hit you over the head with a baseball bat, depending on her mood.

Her eyes nearly popped out of their socket when she spotted me.

“Honey, I think you took a wrong turn off the highway.”

I looked down at the ridiculously big dress and laughed, even though there was nothing remotely funny about my situation. “I wish it were that simple.”

She grabbed a Marlboro Light from her purse and lit it with a match. “Are you a runaway bride or something?”

I tried to smooth out some of the wrinkles of my twenty-five-thousand-dollar Vera Wang dress that my father insisted I wear. “I guess you could say that.”

She walked over and cracked open a small window above the top of my head to vent the smoke from her cigarette. I didn’t know why she wouldn’t just go outside, but something told me she didn’t care if she got caught smoking in the bathroom or not.

“What did he do? Cheat? Push you around? Because you look worse than I did after my third divorce.”

I shook my head, trying to decide the best way to respond. “He didn’t do anything, really. I just panicked and ran when I realized I was making a mistake.”

She tucked the cigarette in the corner of her mouth and played with the wild nest of yellow-blond hair on top of her head. I was ninety-nine percent sure it was a wig. “If you didn’t love the poor sap, then why did you say yes?”

“Because my dad wanted me to marry him. The marriage was nothing more than a business arrangement.”

Just two families being pushed together for the sake of power and convenience. The wedding bands were simply a formality. Love was never part of the equation. Neither was my happiness.

She squinted at me like I’d grown a second head. “Are you serious?”

I knew it was a bad idea to try to explain this to her. “It’s complicated.”

She set her giant purse on the vanity, held out a crumpled napkin, and shoved it into my hands.

“You clearly need someone to talk to, but before you do, wipe those eyes. You look like a raccoon that got caught in a rainstorm.” I scoffed as she continued.

“Don’t look at me like that. I went to beauty school when I was sixteen.

Had to drop out when I found out I was pregnant with Junior. ”

I scrunched my nose up in disbelief at this woman. “I’m sorry, but you’re telling me this, why?”

“Because in this day and age, there is no reason to look like that when they have waterproof mascara.” Her lips pressed into a thin line as she eyed me up and down. “Judging by the shoes and dress, it appears you can afford the good stuff.”

I blinked. “Are you always this blunt?”

“I’m too old to bite my tongue. I lost my filter before you were even born.”

I let out a sad laugh. “I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.”

She leaned against the sink. “I’ve been told I’m a good therapist. So, tell me why you let your dad talk you into an arranged marriage like it’s still the eighteenth century.”

“My dad is a very powerful man and after my mom died, I spent my entire life trying to please him and do what was expected, but I have decided that stops today.”

She puffed on her cigarette, and I watched as a tiny trail of smoke drifted out the window. “So, the old man was controlling. Good for you for running.”

I gave her a tight-lipped smile. “My dad’s probably furious. I have no idea where to go from here.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Well, maybe it’s time you start over.

I’ve seen a lot in my seventy-five years on this planet, and what you did takes guts, sweetie.

And take it from an old bat like me who has dumped three bad boys before.

It’s better to break things off now than years down the road when you’re three kids in and turning to a bottle of Bombay Sapphire to keep you warm at night. ”

That sounded terrible.

“I have no idea where to start. I’ve spent my entire life doing what everyone else wanted. I forgot how to want something for myself.”

“Why don’t you start by calling a friend? If you don’t have any, I can give you a ride somewhere.”

Who the hell was I going to call? I didn’t have any real friends. Not the kind that would drop everything to come get me. Every person in my life was tied to my dad.

Except for one .

My eyes snapped to hers. “I appreciate the offer for a ride, but do you have a cell phone I could use?”

My friend Molly had my phone, but she was likely still at the church.

The lady pulled out an old flip phone and passed it to me. “The battery is low, so make it quick,” she said.

“Thank you.” I blinked. “So, you’ve really been divorced three times?”

She parked a hand on her hip. “First one was a gambler, second was a hustler, and the third one liked my sister better than me, if you know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I heard they are both living in a nursing home. She just had her hips replaced, and he just lost all his teeth and can’t afford dentures.”

I bit back a laugh, but it slipped out anyway. “Wow.”

“Yep.” She leaned against the counter. Her mouth split into a grin. “I’m now on husband number four. Nice fella. Met him at a Jimmy Buffett concert. He’s taking me on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas next month.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“That’s exactly why I’m going. Gotta take advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffets.”

I smiled, unable to help myself. This lady was something else. “You don’t think I’m crazy for running?”

“I think you would have been crazy if you stayed.”

I hadn’t realized how far I’d fallen in life until I found myself in a dingy bathroom with a chain-smoking beauty school dropout who was on husband number four, giving me life advice.

“Thank you.” I paused. “I’m Harlow, by the way.”

“Blanche,” she replied. “Now, are you going to call your friend, because I don’t have all night? I need to get home and take my Omeprazole before my acid reflux kicks in.”

I typed in the digits and was grateful when Molly picked up on the first ring.

“Hello,” she whispered into the phone.

“Molly, it’s me.”

She gasped. “I can’t believe you ran. Where the hell are you? Everyone is freaking out.”

I inhaled a shaky breath and pushed my veil off my shoulder. “I’m at a diner not too far away called Stella’s.”

“Stay there. I’m on my way. Your dad is pissed, by the way.”

I had no doubt that he was. What I did was unforgivable in his book. There was a good chance my dad would never speak to me again. But there was no going back now, even if I wanted to, which I didn’t.

“I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t marry him.”

I should have felt guilty. I knew I should, but I didn’t. Instead, a strange sense of relief settled over me.

She sighed into the phone. “I’m glad to see you finally came to your senses. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay out of sight until I get there.”

I handed Blanche her phone. “Thank you. My friend is on her way.”

She patted my shoulder. “Good luck to you, sweetie.”

She was about to walk away when I stopped her. “Wait.” I slid the enormous four-carat diamond ring off my finger and handed it to her. “Here, take this. Pawn it, keep it, buy a car with it, I don’t care.”

Her mouth pulled into a grin as she stared at the sparkling diamond. “I bet I could upgrade my interior cabin to a balcony suite if I sold this. Hell, maybe I could buy the whole damn boat.”

I smiled. “You deserve it.”

She frowned and looked up at me. “You sure you don’t want to keep it?”

I folded her fingers around the ring, so it was tightly in her palm. “Positive, it’s yours.”

She pursed her lips before walking to the door. She glanced over her shoulder one last time. “Nice dress, by the way. It’s a shame you had to waste it on that bozo.”

Then she was gone.

I looked up at the ceiling.I just ran from my wedding. From my father. From the only life I’d ever known.

My throat felt tight, but I refused to cry, because I had finally made a decision that was entirely mine.