Impulsion (Station 32 #1)(73)

Collin and Harley’s conversations all revolved around their skillfully cancelling these dates and somehow figuring out how to make sure that never got back to her mother. The last thing they wanted her mother to pick up on was the fact that they had been apart. They didn’t want her or anyone to know until right before her father’s party. If they knew beforehand, everyone would be involved in trying to pointlessly reconcile the young couple. Surprise and an audience were what they needed to make this separation final in their world.

Collin was ridiculously clever about cancelling these dates her mother had planned. A few times, he even managed to get the other couples to cancel by saying that another couple would be joining them, and they would cancel because of some rivalry between the couple they were supposed to go out with and the one that Collin pretended to invite out. It was all a game, a sick, cold game, which Harley hated and was grateful that Collin could play like a pro.

Right now, though, only having to deal with these updates, long conversations every third day, was the best it had ever been for Harley. She felt herself slowly disconnecting. She even dared not to answer her mother’s daily emails on a regular basis. Most times, she never opened them unless the subject had something to do with her father. She’d just forward them to Collin.

Harley had stayed on the phone so long with Collin the night before that by the time she called her father, Donald had said he had retired for the night.

That night, of all nights, she really wanted to talk to him. While she was on the phone with Collin, she had opened the file to the sponsors, silent and public ones, that Camille had given her. She’d wanted Collin to help her find even more that she could reach out to. She was determined to show Camille she could be an asset to the family business. When Harley named a few on her screen, Collin laughed. “Harley, four of those you have on that list are your father’s. Two are my dad’s. You already have the world behind you.”

That floored Harley. She never really paid attention to her father’s assets, mainly because money was the last thing ever on Harley’s mind. She rarely spent it. What she did own, her rig, her horses, their equipment, all of that was gifted to her over the years, on birthdays, graduation, or Christmas. The condo she’d stayed in in Florida was owned by Collin’s family. The money Harley used for food or just random needs all came out of the trust that was for her school. At times, she had actually gotten in trouble for not spending money.

To stop that scorning, she withdrew the amounts she was told were reasonable to use and put the money in a different account, one that no one but herself could touch, no fear of it being frozen. So far, she could support herself and her horses for almost two years, hopefully long enough to figure out her next move if the worst came to be.

When Collin and Harley went further down the list, they figured out that in some way, some link, each sponsor was associated with her father.

Harley knew without a doubt that years ago her mother’s threats were not empty, that she could have very well not only hindered the Dorans, but the charities they stood behind. She also knew it was her father that must have defended them, must have made sure that none of the sponsorships halted.

The next morning, she was up at dawn, making sure she spoke to her father before the day got away from her.

“Always the early riser,” her father said when he came to the phone.

“I missed you last night.”

“I played golf with Conrad yesterday, long day.” Conrad was Collin’s father. Just the idea of those old friends out alone, knowing that Conrad was well aware that his son was ‘cheating’ with Quinn and that Harley’s father knew exactly where Harley was, made her stomach flip.

“Long day in a good way?”

“Just hot. How’s our boy?”

“Good. I think Wyatt is going to bring him out in the ring next week, work with him. It’s going to be a slow process.”

“I’m sure it is. No doubt you’ll need to be there past the summer, maybe longer.”

Harley felt herself smile. Her father wasn’t even going to put her in the position to make an excuse for not coming home.

“Well, someone has a big birthday coming up, so no doubt I will be coming home soon enough.”

“Only thing big about my birthday is the number,” he said with a gruff.

“Have you seen the guest list?”

“No, I haven’t. Why? Do you need to amend it in any way?”

Her smile left with a quickness, and she felt her stomach fall. “Like mother would let anyone amend that list. She’s been planning this since last year.”

“The best laid plans are the ones that crumble the fastest.”

Harley was quiet for a second, had almost gathered the nerve to tell her father that she was in love with Wyatt when he spoke up.

“I see here on the morning mail that there is a sponsorship notification, a lovely name is attached to the end of it: Harley Tatum.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m helping out with that in my spare time...you never told me.”

“Told you what?”

“That you protected them, that it wasn’t about the clients or reputation; it was about the charities.”

“Those sponsorships had nothing to do with you. Some were established before I even met your mother.”

“Are you serious?”