“Being his wife isn’t the same as being his daughter.” Robyn touched her cheek. “And that is all I’m willing to say on that topic.”
Harlow’s gaze turned knowing. “You’re protecting him. Not because you’re still in love with him, but because he’s my father.” She smiled. “You’re a good mom. I hope when I have kids I’m just like you.”
The unexpected compliment had Robyn blinking back tears. “Thank you. That’s very sweet.”
“Not that I’m having kids for a while. Like ten years. I’m not ready. I can barely handle my life, let alone someone else’s. Do you think—”
Robyn’s phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at her screen.
“It’s Mindy, calling instead of texting.” She answered the call. “Hello?”
“It’s me. So, the house in Santa Barbara. Is it some crazy oversized thing that takes up a couple of city blocks?”
“That’s the one. Why?”
“I’m here.” Mindy’s voice cracked. “Robyn, I’m in so much trouble. Payne found out about Dimitri. The look on his face about killed me. He got so quiet and was so hurt. It was like he ripped out my heart. We fought, then he wouldn’t talk to me anymore. I didn’t know what to do, so I left the kids with my mom and flew out here, to be with you. I hope that’s okay.”
Robyn opened her mouth, then closed it. She had no idea what to say. “Um, sure. Are you in front?”
“I’m in the Uber. I didn’t want to let him go until I was sure this was the house.”
“It is,” Robyn said with a brightness she didn’t feel. “Drive around back. Keep going until you see a bunch of cars in front of the garage. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
She hung up and scrambled to her feet. “Mindy’s here.”
“Your boss Mindy?”
“That’s the one.” Robyn hesitated. Harlow was going to learn the truth soon enough. “She had an affair, and her husband just found out. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen. It’s a disaster. And now she’s here.”
Harlow took a couple of steps back. “Wow, that’s a lot. Okay, well, good luck dealing with your friend.”
“Escaping while you can?”
Harlow grinned. “It seems the sensible thing to do. I’ll spend some time with Lillian.”
Leaving Robyn to deal with the mess Mindy had made of her life. How fair was that?
twenty-three
HARLOW FOUND HER aunt in her sitting room, photo albums strewn around her. With a smile, Lillian patted the space next to her. “Come sit with me, and we’ll go through memories together.”
“I’d like that.” Harlow settled close and hugged her aunt. “Mom’s boss, Mindy, just showed up. I think there’s going to be some drama later on.”
“Other people’s drama is the best kind.” Lillian reached for an old, battered photo album. “Let’s look at this one. Your uncle is very dashing.”
They flipped through pages of pictures. Scribbled notes on the side dated them back to the 1960s.
“You got some good height on your hair,” Harlow said, smiling at a picture of her aunt with bangs, a headband and shoulder-length hair that flipped up at the ends. “Your skirt is a little short.”
“I was daring, and miniskirts were all the rage.” She patted Harlow’s arm. “Look at your uncle.”
“So handsome. You’re a cute couple.”
“We were very much in love, right until he died.” Lillian sighed. “I won’t tell you we never fought, because we did, but we learned from our mistakes and did better.”
She turned the page. Harlow stared at the pictures of large crowds with signs about the right to vote.
“What are these?”
Lillian peered at the photographs. “Your uncle and I spent two summers down South, helping register Black folks to vote. It got a little dicey every now and then, but it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“You were part of the Civil Rights Movement?”
“They didn’t really call it that back then, but I suppose we were.”
Harlow studied the pictures more closely. Her aunt and uncle had risked their lives in a social movement that changed the country, and she was whining because her father hadn’t been honest about buying her a business?
“I need to work on my priorities,” she murmured.
“Why?” her aunt asked.
“I was just thinking how upset I am about my dad, but these pictures put everything in perspective.”
She explained about the kayaking business and how she’d thought her father wanted to buy it.
Lillian listened attentively. When Harlow finished, her aunt said, “It seems to me you acted in good faith. He’s the one who changed the rules.”
“I was entitled. I should have thought it through.”
“But you did. You researched the company and understood the numbers. You didn’t do anything wrong, Harlow.”
“Then why do I feel stupid and young?”
“Because you were betrayed by someone you trust. That always hurts. You’ve always been tenderhearted.”
“You’re being too nice, Lillian. I don’t feel tenderhearted. I think I can be difficult.”
Lillian brushed aside that comment. “I remember when you were a little girl. Maybe ten or eleven. You’d beaten the cancer, but you were still recovering from the treatments. You and Austin and your mom came here for the summer. Leo and I loved having you.”
Harlow remembered that time as well. She’d grown stronger out here, running around with her brother, sailing with her mom. She couldn’t recall specifics, but in the back of her mind, there was a sense of sadness about the trip. Something had happened—she just wasn’t sure what.
“We were here a long time,” Harlow said. “Did I go visit the local elementary school? I sort of remember that.”
“You might have looked it over.” Lillian carefully avoided her gaze.
“Why would I have done that?”
“You were interested.”
She’d been ten. No kid was that interested in another school—especially in summer. She also recalled her mother crying. Robyn had tried to conceal it, but Harlow had found her in tears more than once. There had also been quiet conversations behind closed doors.