The Summer Getaway: A Novel(76)

“You’re not stunted. We all forget to look past ourselves sometimes.”

Harlow had the feeling she did that more than most. “Kip and I checked out the wedding facilities at the club. With his mom.”

“How was that?”

“Weird. She nearly lost it at the cost. The deposit on the ballroom is fifty thousand.”

Her mom flinched. “Okay, or a car.”

“I never talked to Dad, so I have no idea what the budget is going to be.”

“That’s a good place to start. I’ll kick in some as well, but first find out what he’s willing to spend.”

Harlow tucked her leg under her, angling toward her mom. “You don’t have to pay for my wedding.”

“I’m going to help, sweetie. I want to. Right now I’m figuring out my financial future and coming up with a plan. Selling the house will help.”

Harlow nodded rather than get into it with her mom. The money from the house was going to be a big part of her mom’s income. No way she wanted to take any of it for her wedding.

“What else?”

Harlow told her about what had happened with her dad and the kayak business.

“I thought he meant it,” she admitted. “I feel so stupid. Like a kid playing dress-up. It’s just we talked about it like he really wanted to buy the business. But he made it clear he didn’t. This whole time, he was lying to me.”

Her mother put down her coffee and hugged Harlow. “Okay, that’s awful. I don’t get it. Why not tell you from the start that he wasn’t going to buy the company? Why string you along? It wasn’t as if you were thinking about going to work somewhere else. He didn’t need to bribe you into coming into the company. You two always talked about running it together. I’m sorry. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

The words and the hug made her feel better. “I put so much effort into something that was never going to happen. Plus he talked about overpaying me because I’m his daughter. I don’t know, Mom. Maybe I don’t belong there.”

Robyn’s gaze was steady. “Don’t make any sudden decisions. You’ve wanted to work with your dad since you were a little girl. Why should that change? You see how he expects things to be. Now think about what you want. I’m not sure you’d be happy working somewhere else.”

“I’ve never even tried.” She sighed and put down her coffee. “There’s more. Dad and Zafina.”

Her mother’s expression tightened. “I don’t know what to say about that.”

“Because there aren’t any words. If they get married, she could be my stepmother and sister-in-law. He could be my dad and my brother-in-law, which is even more disgusting.”

“I’ll admit that one stopped me as well. I wish there was a way to break them up.”

Harlow laughed. “Me, too.” Her humor faded. “There’s also stuff with Kip.”

She sucked in a breath as she gathered the courage to admit what she’d found out. “It’s a lot. His family celebrates on Christmas Eve. They open presents and don’t go to church. Judy didn’t let the kids believe in Santa, so no stockings.”

Her mother looked at her. “Sad, but workable. What do you really want to tell me?”

Harlow wasn’t surprised her mother guessed there was more. “Kip has credit card debt. Over twenty thousand. We were supposed to talk about it, but we never did. Other stuff happened.”

“The debt is big news, and it’s unfortunate, but not the end of the world. You need to understand his history and decide if he’s learned his lesson and won’t do it again or if this is a pattern.”

Harlow nodded. “You’re right. We have to talk about it.” She plucked at the hem of her T-shirt. “Kip was married before.” She raised her gaze to her mother’s face. “He eloped when he was nineteen. The marriage didn’t last long. I found out when I had dinner with his parents. I didn’t know, and his mother said something about Tracey calling.” The tears returned. “He was married and he never told me.”

Her mother pulled her close and held her.

“You said I didn’t know him very well. What if you’re right? I love him, Mom, but what if I can’t trust him?”

Harlow sniffed and drew back, wiping her face. “What if there are other secrets? Worse ones? What if everything’s a lie?”

“Everything isn’t a lie.”

“But some things are.”

“Yes.”

“How do I figure this out?”

Her mom looked at her. “I don’t have an answer right this second.”

“But you always know.”

“This is bigger than regular stuff, sweetie. Kip’s a good guy, and I believe he loves you, but I don’t know what to say about him having been married before. It’s not that he was married, it’s that—”

“He didn’t tell me,” Harlow finished. “Those stupid lies of omission.”

“You’re not wrong to be upset. This is really significant. Have you talked to him?”

“Not much. Between that and Dad and a stupid fight about beets, I ran.”

Robyn laughed. “I ran, too, so I’m not going to judge. Sometimes the immature response is the right one.” She hugged her again. “I’m really glad you’re here. Let’s hang out as much as we can. I’ve missed you.”