The Summer Getaway: A Novel(105)

“What about Kip?”

She drew in a breath only to realize she didn’t have an answer. “We’ve done the distance relationship before. We can do it again.”

“Things are different now. You’re engaged.”

“We’ll figure it out.” They had to. She couldn’t lose Kip, too. “I won’t be that far away. There’s the ferry from Fort Myers to Key West. We have that, or the drive. It won’t be that hard.”

Austin put his hands on her shoulders and rested his forehead against hers. “You’re lying, sis.”

“I know, but let’s pretend I’m not.” She stepped back and pointed to the cart. “Would you please get these down to Salvia?”

“What are you going to do?”

“Find Dad.”

Her father was in his room, on the phone with the office. When he saw her, he waved her in, then kept talking.

Harlow crossed to the open French doors. The past few days had been unseasonably gray and cold, as if the weather, too, mourned Lillian’s passing. She shivered slightly in the breeze, then moved back into the bedroom and sat on the bench at the foot of the bed.

As her dad concluded his call, she tried to figure out what to say. She had a feeling that whatever it was, he would be mad at her. Something she would have to deal with. She’d made up her mind and would accept the consequences.

Cord dropped his cell phone to the desk. “We’ve got to get back to the office,” he said, sounding grim. “Things are falling apart. Thank God the funeral’s tomorrow. I’m taking off after that. What about you? How long are you going to hang around here? I need you back at work, kid. I’ve been more than generous with your time off, but enough’s enough. You can mope just as easily back home.”

“Mope?” she repeated. “I’m not moping, Dad. Lillian was an important part of the family, and she died. No one’s moping.”

He held up both hands. “Sorry. Poor choice of words.”

“You think?”

She consciously drew in a deep breath and told herself to stay in her head. Giving in to emotions wouldn’t make the conversation easier. She had to remember what was important.

“I’m not coming back,” she began.

Cord glared at her. “What the hell? Are you serious? What are you going to do, sit around doing nothing? Did your mother put you up to this? I always knew she resented you working for me. She thought you should experience something more. I told her to butt out. That you and I had been planning your future since you were a kid. You belong with me.”

Harlow was on the emotional edge. Too much had happened in too short a period of time: Kip’s revelations, finding out about the business, having to figure out what to do about her career, then worst of all, losing Lillian. She had nothing left in her. No fight, no resources. She was raw and hurting, and she needed a father who understood that.

But as she stared at his angry expression, she knew that would never happen. He couldn’t see past himself. He was only the “fun parent” because he wasn’t willing to take enough responsibility to be anything else.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” she said quietly, then stood. “I’ll get you a formal letter of resignation by close of business today.”

Cord’s face drained of color. “You can’t mean that. Harlow, you can’t. I need you. Come on, baby, don’t be like that. We’re a team, you and me. You’re my girl. How are you going to learn about the business if you walk away? Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen.”

His shift in position gave her emotional whiplash. One second she was sitting on her ass and hanging out with her mother, and the next she was his baby girl and they were a team?

“This will be good for us,” she told him. “I need to go be on my own and learn a few more skills. Maybe in four or five years, we can revisit the idea of me working for you.”

She walked out, then downstairs. She found her mom in the kitchen, helping Austin unload teacups and saucers onto the counter so they could be washed.

Harlow walked directly to her. Without saying anything, her mother hugged her tight. After a few seconds, Harlow stepped back.

Her mom touched her cheek. “I’m sorry your dad was a jerk.”

“I didn’t tell you he was.” She swallowed. “But you knew he would be. You knew all this time, and you protected him. He never deserved you.”

Robyn gave her a sad smile. “Honey, no one is a hundred percent at fault in any relationship. I did a lot of things wrong. I let him get his way too much. I subjugated my dreams for his.” She paused. “There’s other stuff. Don’t think it’s all on him, because it’s not.”

“I know. I’m partially to blame for what went wrong at work. He doesn’t make it easy, though.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

Austin grinned at Harlow. “You could join the navy with me. We could go through training together. It would be great.”

Harlow managed a smile. “That’s not happening. But I’ll be there to celebrate every accomplishment. You know that, right?”

His gaze met hers. “I absolutely know that.”



* * *



The rain was so loud on the roof of the old Spanish-style church that no one heard the first song. But as the minister took her place in front of the congregation, the drops lessened, then stopped. By the time the eulogies began, the sun was out.