Page 13 of The Cottage on Plum Island
While Jennifer saw the men off, Caroline ventured into the kitchen. As the delivery truck drove away, Caroline abruptly interrupted Jennifer’s troubled thoughts by handing her a note found on the refrigerator door.
Gone out!
Aunt B.
“Gone out!” Jennifer hissed in frustration. “Where on earth would she go?” Her hands shot up in exasperation. “And why didn’t she call to let me know?” She shot an irritated glare at the note. “Aunt Betty knew I was at the lighthouse for most of the day.”
Before Caroline could respond, the rumble of Harley’s pickup truck echoed in the driveway. Seated beside him was Aunt Betty.
“Oh, they’re home,” Caroline remarked, slipping past her irate friend to welcome them.
Jennifer’s fury flared. A wildfire fed by dry, gasoline-soaked grass. Her rage intensified as she closed in on Harley, who’d just exchanged pleasantries with Caroline, and strolled toward the passenger side of his truck.
“How dare you?” Jennifer hissed, her fists clenched, as she confronted Harley, dismissing her aunt’s cheerful greeting from inside the pickup.
“Can you be more specific?” Harley drawled, raising his eyebrows and calmly meeting her enraged gaze. “There’s so much you’ve accused me of—sabotage, negligence, and incompetence,” he added, his tone laced with amusement.
“How dare you just take my aunt out without letting me know?” Jennifer didn’t think she could get angrier than she already was, but somehow, he managed to escalate it.
“Your aunt left you a note.” Harley tilted his head casually, a smile lifting the corner of his mouth.
“This is the twenty-first century, Mr. Neanderthal,” Jennifer said through gritted teeth. “We have these devices called mobile phones that people use to let others know when they’re taking their loved ones on a joy ride!” Her voice raised a few decibels.
“My phone battery died!” Harley shrugged. “And Betty left her phone at home.”
“Well, that makes it all okay, then!” Jennifer’s voice shook with sarcasm and rage. “And it makes me feel so much better about you travelingon the roads with my aunt!”
Harley shrugged. “Betty needed a lift, and I took her where she wanted to go.” His cool eyes held hers. There was no apology as he stared at Jennifer with a small smile tugging at his lips. “It’s not my fault you can’t keep track of your aunt.” He looked at her innocently. “Maybe you should hire a guard to keep track of her movements for you.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, or get one of those spy cameras you can attach to a pendant for her. That way, you’ll know everything Betty’s doing.”
Jennifer glared at him, her anger and frustration nearing the point of no return. “You know what?” she sneered. “I may not be able to keep track of my aunt’s every moment, but what I can do is remove bad influences from her life.” She glared at him. “You’re fired. Get your tools you have scattered all over this property, and go!”
That got a rise out of him. A look of stunned disbelief shot into his eyes, sparking a flash of anger as he raised his hands. “Fine by me,” he growled. “It will be such a relief not to have to come here each day and find ways to avoid you!” His eyes narrowed. “I can actually start to look forward to each day again without schooling myself for whatever nitpicking problem you’ve dreamt up about my work.”
“Nitpicking?” Jennifer had never wanted to slap a smug look off someone’s face as badly as she did right then, and she commended herself on her restraint, especially as shewas so angry.
“Jennifer and Harley!” Betty’s voice cracked like a whip over them. “That’s enough!” She looked at Harley. “You’re not going anywhere.” She looked at Jennifer. “I asked Harley to take me to visit Sam.”
They spun to see that Caroline had helped Betty from the pickup, and she’d hobbled over to them on her crutches.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Betty, but he has to go!” Jennifer gestured with her hands. “He is insufferable, disregards anyone else’s opinions, and has absolutely no respect for other people’s feelings.”
“I’m insufferable?” Harley gave a disbelieving laugh. “Lady, you may as well be talking about yourself. If it weren’t for you having to triple-check everything I do, my uncle wouldn’t be lying in the hospital right now. Betty wouldn’t have had to sneak out to see him because you have her under house arrest!”
“I think you should leave!” Jennifer’s anger raised her voice. “Before you get me into trouble for punching you!”
“Oh, so now you’re threatening me?” Harley raised his eyebrows as the two of them went head-to-head. “And do you really believe a tiny slip of a woman like you can cause me bodily harm?”
“Should we find out?” Jennifer took a step closer.
“No, thank you,” Harley taunted back. “I don’t want to go to jail for defending myself and accidentally hurting you in the process.”
“Am I talking to myself here?” Betty’s voice hardly registered with Jennifer and Harley. “Caroline, you hear me, right?”
“I’ve got this, Aunt Betty,” Caroline said, stepping in between Jennifer and Harley. “Okay, this is going a bit too far.”
“She started it,” Harley said, stepping back and giving Jennifer an angry sideways glance.
“She started it,” Jennifer mocked in a silly voice before squinting at him in disgust. “What are you? Twelve?”
