Page 45 of Wynns of Change
“Oh, my.” Selma placed a shaky hand against her brow. “Mr. Barbetz did not care if you were injured.”
“Robert was showing his true colors once again. A tiny part of me thought it might be a mistake to throw everything away, that maybe I should give him a second chance, to see if he had truly changed.” Harlow folded the wheelchair and propped it against the wall. “I guess I dodged that bullet, didn’t I?”
Chapter 20
Ting, ting, ting.As soon as Harlow’s plane touched down, she turned her phone’s airplane mode off and the texts started rolling in.
The first and most urgent was from Nigel Beckworth, asking Harlow to call him at her earliest convenience. With only her carry-on, she made it through Mackinac Island’s small terminal and onto the curb within minutes.
She promptly dialed his number.
“Good afternoon, Harlow. How was your trip to the West Coast?”
“A whirlwind. I finished my retakes, had brunch with the director and am contemplating my next big project.” Harlow told him about running into Robert at the Malibu house. Sparing him the details, she expressed her concern he might drag his feet.
“Drag his feet?”
“And drag my name through the mud,” Harlow said. “It didn’t go well.”
“Dragging your name through the mud would be to his detriment, considering he plans to enforce his manager’s agreement,” Nigel reminded her.
“Until the very last minute,” she sighed.
“You won’t have to worry about it. He and his attorney signed off on the papers.”
At first, she thought she’d heard him wrong. “Robert signed off?”
“I received a copy first thing this morning.”
She whooped loudly. “I’m shocked, but also thrilled.”
“So am I.” Nigel briefly filled her in on the next step. If all went as planned, Harlow and Robert’s divorce would go through within a matter of weeks, by year’s end at the latest. Being stuck with her soon-to-be ex for another twelve months was an entirely different story.
But Harlow would take all the wins she could get, and this was a biggie. “Thank you, Nigel. This is good news, great news.”
“Congratulations. It’s refreshing to see the good guy, or in this case, the good gal, win.” Before hanging up, her attorney promised to stay in touch.
Harlow continued scrolling through her texts. A daily one from her father, wishing her smooth travels. A message from Eryn, checking in with her after talking to Harlow late last night and telling her bestie about tricking Robert.
She also noticed a group text from the Mackies, a reminder about their next get-together, this time back at Noelle’s flower shop.
Nigel’s news gave Harlow the green light to celebrate. During the flights home, she jotted down plans to host a special dinner for those who had stuck by her these past few months, from the moment she woke up in the hospital.
She started to put her phone away when she noticed one last text. It was from Caleb Jackson, asking her to call him. Harlow found a quiet spot and dialed his number.
“Hey, Harlow.” Caleb’s voice, low and husky, sent shivers down her spine. It was the same voice she’d heard when they were a couple, talking late into the night, sharing their hopes and dreams…before he shattered hers by breaking her heart.
Knock it off,she silently scolded herself. “Hi, Caleb. You sent me a message.”
“I have an update about the fire investigator.”
“Awesome. I hope it’s good news. I’m on a roll,” she joked.
“With good news?”
“I just landed, returning from a quick trip to California, knocking off a few things on my to-do list,” she said. “I have other good news, but I won’t bore you with the details.”
“It may be good news. I figured it would be best to talk in person. Do you have time to swing by? I’m at my house on my lunch break.” Caleb gave her his address, near the center of town where the locals lived.
