Page 40 of Wynns of Change
Aunt Birdie waited until they were upstairs and in Harlow’s bedroom. “Can you believe it?”
“Actually, I can.” Harlow tossed her sling bag on the dresser. “Robert gets dumped and figures his best bet is to salvage his cash cow marriage, aka me.”
“You’re not a cash cow, but you are the money-maker.”
“He won’t be in any hurry to cancel our contract.” Harlow sucked in a breath. “Something tells me I’m going to be stuck with him until the bitter end.”
Aunt Birdie glanced over her shoulder. “I like Selma. She seems like a good person. She has Robert’s number.”
“I guess everyone had his number except for me,” Harlow said. “I’m so disgusted with him right now. It’s a good thing he’s not here. I would be tempted to give him a piece of my mind.”
“As much as he deserves it, you need to get the divorce behind you before you tell him what a lowlife he is.”
“I’ll keep reminding myself it will be over soon.” Harlow wandered to the window and stared out at her gardens, now full of weeds without her tender loving care. They had been her favorite part of the Malibu property. Her aunt had hit the nail on the head. The rest of the place, the house, the furnishings, were fit for a museum. A cold, sterile, lifeless mansion.
Harlow wouldn’t be sad to see the house go. Or the New York apartment, for that matter, although she would miss the condo in Palm Beach. She loved walking along the beach early in the morning, breathing the salty sea air and watching the waves roll in. It was one of her few happy places.
She briefly thought about Lighthouse Lane, how she felt the moment she stepped inside—peace, serenity, a quiet strengthand solitude. It was another reason she wanted everything to go smoothly, without any hiccups. Lighthouse Lane was waiting for her. Harlow could feel it in her bones.
But her hopes and dreams were in jeopardy if Robert caught wind of her wanting to purchase a place of her own. He would drag his feet.
“What does this Jillian look like?” Birdie asked. “She must be a real looker.”
“I have pictures of her.” Harlow scrolled through her phone’s photo album until she found one of Jillian, standing in front of Robert’s Maserati, posing with one hand on her hip. She handed the phone to her aunt.
“I have to admit, she’s a very attractive woman. What’s her last name?”
“McElroy. Jillian McElroy.”
Birdie repeated it. “Doesn’t necessarily roll off the tongue, does it?”
“She could easily come up with a stage name,” Harlow said. “I guess Jillian is smarter than I thought. She’s already moving onto greener pastures.”
“Keep your cool. Don’t let Robert get under your skin,” her aunt advised. “It’s a good thing you’re back on your feet. He would come off like a world class jerk if he filed for divorce while you were still in a wheelchair.”
Harlow’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at her aunt. “Aunt Birdie, you’re a genius.”
“I am?”
“You gave me a brilliant plan to convince Robert to abandon his idea for us to salvage our marriage. It might even motivatehim to move a little faster.” Harlow shared her idea, laying out exactly how she would make it work.
Aunt Birdie clapped her hands. “It’s a brilliant idea. You’re an amazing actress. If anyone can pull this off, it’s you.”
Chapter 18
Harlow and her aunt made quick work of packing up her sentimental mementos and clothes. After loading the boxes into the car, she and her aunt drove to the nearest post office to ship them to Mackinac Island. They celebrated by dining at Harlow’s favorite Asian restaurant, one of the few things she would miss about living in Malibu.
While they ate, her aunt shared tales about some of her travels with her husband, George, before he died. “I sure do miss him.”
“He seemed like a great guy and very funny. George had a great sense of humor.”
“He was the best,” Birdie said wistfully. “What I wouldn’t give to have him back.”
Harlow squeezed her aunt’s hand. “At least you were blessed to have someone you loved as much as George.”
“You’ll find your soulmate, Harlow. Mark my words…the day will come when adorable little rug rats will run around calling me Great Aunt Birdie. They can visit me at Petoskey Point. We’ll go treasure hunting, explore Mackinac Island’s woods, do all the awesome and fun things cool aunts like to do,” Birdie joked.
“Have you ever thought about marrying again?”
