Page 43 of The Cottage on Plum Island
“Yes.” Harley nodded. “Well, not at first because I came home to surprise my family early from an assignment to find Daniel was with her mother, and Angela had anotherguestsleeping over.”
The knot in her stomach twisted at the look of hurt and betrayal that flashed in Harley’s eyes.
“I don’t quite know what to say to that,” Jennifer said honestly. “Although I did find one of my exes cheating on me, I caught him and his other girlfriend on a romantic picnic in Central Park in New York.” She squeezed his hand. “It was nothing like your experience.”
“Finding anyone cheating, no matter the circumstance is a gut-wrenching experience,” Harley assured her. “For the record, that man didn’t deserve you if he didn’t know what he had in you.”
Jennifer stared at Harley, stunned, not quite knowing what to say to his compliment, while something went wild with excitement in her stomach. Her butterflies weren’t just fluttering around wildly. They were having an electrifying party.
Get a grip, Jennifer. This is Harley. We don’t get along. The only reason we are right now is because of all the drama I’ve dragged him into.
A drama that has caused him haunting pain from memories.
She mentally flicked away her thoughts as if they were annoying ants and focused on what Harley was saying.
“How… Uh.” Jennifer cleared her throat. “How long have you been divorced?”
Jennifer was trying not to think about their clasped hands or what the gentle caress of his thumb over the top of hers was doing to her nervous system.
“I’ve been divorced for thirteen years,” Harley answered. “We were married for eleven years.” He released her hand and sat back, holding her gaze. “Have you ever been married or engaged?”
Jennifer drew her hand back and clasped both hands in front of her. The one Harley had held still tingled from his touch.
“No to both questions,” Jennifer told him. “I think the longest relationship I’ve had was two years.” She took a breadstick from the basket that had magically appeared on their table. “That was the Charlie who cheated on me.”
“Was his name Charlie, or are you using Charlie as an insult?” Harley asked her, the amusement back in his eyes.
“His name was Charlie.” Jennifer grinned, knowing the look that was about to cross Harley’s face when she told him the man’s last name. “Charlie Chapman.”
“Are you joking?” Harley’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her suspiciously.
“Nope.” Jennifer’s lips curled into a full-blown smile. “His name was really Charlie Chapman.”
“His parents gave him that name?” Harley asked, gaping at her. “He wasn’t an actor, and that was his stage name?”
“Nope, it was the name his parents gave him.” Jennifer laughed, and Harley joined her. “I didn’t believe him either when I first met him. I thought it was a bad pickup line. And no, he wasn’t an actor. He was a Wall Street broker.”
“His name must’ve drawn a lot of attention on his portfolio,” Harley commented, letting go of her hand to sit back in the chair.
“His name drew a lot of attention everywhere he went,” Jennifer said, remembering her two years with Charlie. “Can you believe that some people believed his story when he told them Charlie Chaplin was his great-great-great-great grandfather that he was named after?”
“Wow!” Harley gave a low whistle. “Did he say Chaplin when telling that story?”
“Yup.” Jennifer nodded, taking a bite of the breadstick.
“Just shows how people can selectively hear what they want in certain situations,” Harley pointed out.
Their burgers arrived, and they ate silently for a while before Jennifer asked, “Why don’t you like Ethan Blackwell?”
Harley looked at her in surprise, finished chewing the bit he’d taken, and wiped his mouth before replying, “What is it you like to say?” He raised his eyebrows. “That’s not my story to tell. I can only say that he was instrumental in ruining the life of someone I love.”
“Ah.” Jennifer nodded. “So that narrows it down a bit,” she teased him.
“I don’t have a wide circle of people I love,” Harley said, pouring milk into his coffee and stirring it. “So you could probably take a fewstabs at guessing which one, but I still won’t be able to confirm or deny anything.”
“Noted,” Jennifer said and read between the lines.Stop prying!“Can you tell me why you accused Andrew’s sister-in-law of being responsible for what happened to Daniel?”
“You are full of questions today,” Harley commented, leaning back in the chair and observing her. “If I answer your questions, but about me, you have to answer mine.”
