Page 34 of Bridge to Home

The last communication was that morning when she let him know she was on her way to meet withthe physical therapist. He never replied. Harlow was almost certain he wanted to wait until after her appointment, when she had an update.

He was either in complete denial about her condition or determined to salvage the movie deal, no matter what the cost. Whether Robert wanted to or not, it was time for them to talk.

Chapter 13

Harlow promptly dialed her husband’s number a second time. One ring. Two rings. On the third ring, she figured it was going to voicemail again. Instead, he picked up. “Hello, Harlow.”

“Hello, Robert.”

“How did it go with the physical therapist?”

“She confirmed what we already knew. I need to give my muscles time to heal along with targeted therapy, massages, stuff like that.”

“You’re a strong woman. I have complete faith you’ll recover and be back on your feet before you know it.” Robert’s voice grew faint. He said something in a low voice.

Harlow asked him to repeat it.

“I said I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Harlow could feel her lower lip tremble. “I’m scared, Robert.”

“It will be all right. You’ll see.”

Harlow heard a voice…a woman’s voice in the background. “Who is with you?”

“No one. Why do you ask?”

“I heard a woman’s voice.”

“You’re imagining things.”

Harlow’s scalp tingled. It was Robert’s assistant, Jillian. “I hear Jillian’s voice. You said no one was with you.”

“I thought you meant like a colleague or friend. Jillian is with me a lot. I mean, she works for me…for us.”

“For you,” Harlow muttered under her breath.

“What did you say?”

“Never mind. I got a text, an addendum for the movie project. They’re giving me a few extra weeks to arrive on set.”

“Which is a very generous offer. I’m glad they finally sent it over. All you have to do is digitally sign it and send it back.” Harlow noticed a tapping on his end. “While we’re on the phone, I thought you told me you were going into seclusion to recover.”

“I am. I’m on Mackinac Island. My first physical therapy session is Thursday.”

“It doesn’t look that way.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I saw a photo of you out having lunch at a restaurant.”

Harlow explained how she’d gone to the doctor. After the appointment, Eryn, her father, and she had stopped at a nearby café to grab a bite to eat. “Paparazzi, fans, whatever you want to call them, found out where we were eating and showed up.”

“As if you didn’t know this would happen.”

“Why does it matter? I’m injured. I’m sure the news has hit every social media outlet from here to Timbuktu.”

“Because it doesn’t look good. You still have the big movie project to think about. I’m waiting for Orlane to call me any minute, demanding to know what’s going on. Every casting director in the business will be wondering.” Robert droned on, ticking off a list of what she should and shouldn’t be doing.

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