Page 32 of The Cottage on Plum Island
Jennifer’s eyes widened in sympathy, and she turned to face him fully. Is that where the pain in his eyes comes from? “I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago,” Harley replied with a grateful smile for her genuine condolences. “Like you, we lived with our uncle after ourparents passed.” He chuckled lightly. “Although you lived with your aunt instead of your uncle.”
“I understood what you meant,” Jennifer assured him, struck by their similar experiences. “That explains why you and Sam are so close.”
“We were close even before that,” Harley explained. “My cousin, Daniella’s parents, and mine traveled often. Her mother was my father’s youngest sister. The three of us grew up together with our uncle whenever our parents were away.”
“Sam is an incredible man,” Jennifer murmured.
“Just like Betty is an incredible woman,” Harley said, a hint of admiration in his voice. “They put their own lives on hold to care for their siblings’ children. They loved us as if we were their own.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Jennifer sniffed, wiping away a stray tear.
“I’m sorry if I seem like I’m meddling where I shouldn’t,” Harley said, holding up a hand to stop Jennifer from interrupting. “But I feel like I have to say this.” He took a deep breath. “This isn’t about your father... about Andrew. It’s about Molly.” The shadow of sorrow in his eyes darkened. “If there’s even the slightest chance that you or Liam can help her, I implore you to do so.”
Harley looked at Jennifer with pain and tears glistening in his eyes. “While Andrew may be seen as a villain in your eyes, he’s also a fatherto your half-sister. One who will do anything to save her. He’ll grasp at any lifeline he can.” He swallowed hard and wiped his eyes. “As someone who has been in his shoes, I know what he’s going through.”
Jennifer’s heart dropped, and she instinctively took Harley’s hand. “I had no idea, Harley.”
He squeezed her hand tightly for support as he told her the heartbreaking story of his twelve-year-old son Daniel’s battle with leukemia. A struggle that Daniel ultimately lost. By the time he finished recounting the devastating story of how he and his ex-wife Angela had lost their only child, fresh tears streamed down Jennifer’s face.
“Of course, I’ll help Molly,” Jennifer’s voice was hoarse with emotion. “And I know Liam will as well. He just needs to get over the shock of seeing Andrew again.”
“Did your mother and father get a divorce?” Harley’s question came out of the blue when they were discussing Molly.
“No,” Jennifer was so taken off guard by his question that the words just tumbled from her mouth. “When I was four, I got ill, and a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon that my parents knew discovered that I had an ICC, the same condition my mother had suffered with her entire life.”
He gave her hand a comforting squeeze, drawing Jennifer’s eyes to their still clasped hands. What surprised her was that she didn’t wantto let go of his hand. Jennifer was finding the warmth and firmness of his grasp comforting, as if she was drawing strength from it.
“What is an ICC?” Harley asked, concern flashing in his eyes.
“Inherited cardiac condition,” Jennifer explained. “Luckily, the surgeon who caught it was also able to fix it. Although I have to go for checkups twice yearly or if I have certain signs or systems.”
“Are you okay now?” Harley’s eyes searched hers, and she could see his concern deepen.
“I’m fine,” Jennifer assured him. “I eat healthily and follow a good exercise routine. I don’t miss any of my checkups.”
“Good to know.” Harley nodded, and Jennifer noted he still hadn’t let her hand go.
“Soon after the operation, when I was recovering, my father started to be away from home for long periods,” Jennifer explained. “My mother told Liam and me he was working in Boston.”
“Before I went to the hospital, Liam overheard them talking to Aunt Betty about my father having to go work in Boston to pay for all my medical bills,” Jennifer’s heart tightened. “Andrew started staying away for extended periods, and my mother began frequent trips to Boston. One day, my mother came home, and she was so upset. But she put on a brave face for Liam and I. The next day, Andrew arrived and packed his belongings. This time, when he left, he never returned.”
“But your parents never divorced?” Harley’s brow furrowed.
“No, when Liam and I were cleaning up the attic a few years ago, we found all my mother’s papers, but there were no divorce papers, no filing for custody of us,” Jennifer shrugged. “As far as we can tell, they were still married when Mother died.”
“What about her estate?” Harley asked.
“My mother didn’t have anything except her share of the cottage that went to Liam and me,” Jennifer told him.
Harley nodded and was quiet for a while before asking, “If that surgeon helped you, why couldn’t they help your mother?”
“According to my aunt, my mother had numerous operations, and there are only so many times you can patch up the valves and other parts.” Jennifer swallowed. Even after all these years, talking about her mother ripped at her soul. “She needed a heart transplant, but she never got her special heart.”
Tears sprung to her eyes, and she burst into tears before she could stop herself. Harley finally let go of her hand to wrap his arms around Jennifer, pulling her to him. She pushed her face into his warm chest, clinging to his strength as she wept.
“I’m so sorry, Jennifer,” Harley’s voice soothed as he stroked her hair just like her mother used to when she comforted Jennifer.
