The Summer Getaway: A Novel(22)

She scanned her emails, added a couple more charters to her calendar, then wandered into her father’s office. He was typing, but looked up and smiled when he saw her.

“How’d it go today?” he asked.

“Good. They enjoyed themselves and want to book an overnight for next week.”

“I like that.”

She slid into the chair on the visitor side of his desk and tried to see her father as a stranger would. Cord was forty-six, but he looked younger. He was fit, tanned, with an easy smile. She guessed he was good-looking. The dad-factor made it hard to judge. He always had a girlfriend, most of them a lot younger, which hadn’t bothered her until he’d started dating Kip’s twin.

“How’s it going with Zafina?” she asked.

He frowned. “Why would you ask?”

“I don’t know. I just wondered. You two met when? At my graduation party?”

“No. We met when I had dinner with Kip’s parents back in March. She was there.”

Harlow grinned. “That must have been awkward, Leah and Zafina at the same dinner. They don’t seem as if they’d like each other.”

“I didn’t take Leah. It was just the four of us. Zafina and I hit it off. After Kip’s parents left the restaurant, we went to the bar and made a night of it.” He smiled. “And that was all she wrote.”

“Wait, what? You started dating Zafina in March?”

He nodded, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on his desk. “That’s nearly four months with her. I hadn’t realized.” He grinned. “That might be a personal best.”

“But you didn’t break up with Leah until the end of April. I remember because she called me crying about it. She wanted me to change your mind. As if.” She stared at him. “Wait. You were cheating on Leah with Zafina?”

Her father’s expression turned smug. “I like to keep my options open.”

“Dad, that’s awful.”

How could he? Good men didn’t cheat. Only losers did. Her dad was a decent guy—she’d always believed that. He was her father.

“Hey.” His feet slammed to the floor. “Don’t look at me like you’re disappointed.”

“I am disappointed. I may not like all your girlfriends, but you should at least treat them like human beings. It’s bad enough that you’re dating my fiancé’s sister, but now this? I don’t understand. Is this who you really are?”

She had more she wanted to say, but before she could get her mad on, Austin stuck his head in the office.

“Dad, we have an appointment.”

Cord looked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve asked for some time to talk to you. You’re always busy, so you said to make an appointment. I did. For now.” He pointed to the computer. “It’s on your calendar.”

Cord brushed him off with a wave of his hand. “This isn’t a good time.”

Harlow stood. “I’m out of here. You two go ahead.”

Austin stepped into the room, but Cord shook his head. “No. I’m not doing this now. I have to go.”

To cheat on Zafina, too? But Harlow only thought the question.

Her father tucked his cell phone into his shirt pocket and grabbed his sunglasses. “Harlow, lock up before you go. Austin, we’ll talk another time.”

With that he headed out of the building. Harlow watched him go, feeling awful about what she’d just learned.

“He’s being especially jerky today,” she said.

“I got that. What were you talking about?”

“He admitted he cheated on Leah with Zafina. For like two months. I can’t accept that. Our dad’s not supposed to be like that.”

Her brother shrugged. “Yet he is.”

“Why are you so calm? This is disgusting and upsetting and a lot of other words I can’t remember right now. My stomach hurts, and I want to hit him. Where’s your emotion in this?”

“You’re surprised by him.”

There was something in the way Austin spoke—as if he were the older sibling, waiting for her to catch up.

“So you knew?”

“Not the specifics, but Dad’s not the faithful type.”

“Since when?”

Austin turned away. “Since he got his freedom.” He walked out of the room. “See you tomorrow.”

“Austin, wait. What do you know that I don’t?”

His only answer was laughter. Then she heard the front door close, and she was left alone with too many questions and not enough answers.



* * *



Mason turned at the marina and began his slow run back to Shoreline Park. He’d found several options for his morning run, but so far, this was his favorite.

He’d never spent much time on the West Coast and hadn’t known what to expect. The topography was beautiful, with the mountains to the east and the ocean to the west. Most mornings were cool—in the fifties—with some days never warming up as the marine layer settled in for a good long stay. But on other days, it was sunny by nine. He was beginning to think there was nothing more beautiful than the Pacific Ocean on a perfect, sunny day.

He was still having trouble wrapping his head around the changes in his life. He was living in the most unusual house he’d ever seen, getting to know an old woman, while battling fifteen cats who draped themselves on his bed, or rubbed against his leg, meowing, shedding on everything he owned. The cats came and went, despite his closed bedroom door, which meant there were secret passages in the house.