“No, but that’s hardly a surprise.”
On her way home, Harlow nearly called her mom a dozen times, but even as she reached for her phone, she put her hands back on the wheel. She knew her mom would totally take her side against her dad, but she was less sure about what she would say about Kip. No one expected much from Cord, but Kip was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be the guy taking care of Harlow for the rest of her life. But he’d kept an important truth from her.
Once in their apartment, Harlow pulled on a one-piece bathing suit and did a few laps in the community pool. The physical exercise helped burn off some of her energy but did nothing for her hurt and sadness.
As she showered, she tried to work up some mad, but it couldn’t seem to overtake the pain she felt. Kip had betrayed her with his silence. Worse, early in their relationship, she’d explained why lies of omission were such a big deal for her, and he’d said he understood.
It was his night to work until the store closed. She tried to keep herself busy with wedding planning, but realized that between her fight with her mom and this new information about Kip, she wasn’t in a wedding mood. She stared at her engagement ring and told herself they would get past this. They had to—she loved Kip.
By the time she heard his key in the lock, she’d worked herself into an emotional frenzy. He walked into the apartment and saw her curled up on the sofa. His smile faded as he got closer.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why didn’t you tell me my dad’s dating your sister?”
Kip sank down on the sofa and swore under his breath. “He told you.”
Hope that he hadn’t known died. “Zafina came to see him. I would say they showed me more than told me.” She glared at him. “You kept it from me.”
“I know. I was wrong, and I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what to say. When Zafina told me, I was pissed. How could she do that to us? Did it have to be your dad? We had a big fight, and I’m still mad at her.” He looked at her. “Harlow, I swear I wasn’t trying to hurt you or keep it from you. I just kept hoping they’d end things.”
“How long have you known?”
“A month.”
“What?” She sprang to her feet. “You’ve known a month and you never said anything? You slept with me and told me you loved me, all the while keeping this from me? What else aren’t you telling me?”
He stood and faced her. “That’s all. I swear. I do love you, more than I’ve loved anyone. I didn’t know how to tell you, what to say. I didn’t want to upset you.”
“You have upset me. A lot.” She fought tears. “I’ve told you this is my thing. Don’t keep secrets. Just tell me stuff. I can handle it. You don’t get to say what I can know. You don’t have the right.”
He nodded, looking miserable. “I’m so sorry. I felt horrible the whole time.”
“Not horrible enough.”
“I was wrong. Really wrong. Please believe me. Harlow, I love you.”
She heard the sincerity in his words and felt his pain. He swallowed, and his eyes filled with tears.
“I love you,” he whispered.
She rushed into his arms. He held her like he would never let go.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated over and over.
“It’s okay.”
“I didn’t know what to say.”
She felt her own tears on her cheeks as she gave in to a strangled laugh. “It’s not an easy thing to talk about. WTF? My dad is dating your sister? That’s the same as you dating my mom.”
He drew back. “I think your mom is great, but that is never happening.”
She smiled. “I know. I’m just saying, why did he have to do that?”
“Why did Zafina? Come on. Find somebody else.” His humor faded. “I really am sorry.”
“I got that. I’m letting it go. You not telling me,” she clarified. “I’m still freaked about my dad.”
“You and me, both.”
six
ROBYN HELD THE oval platter carefully, looking for any cracks or nicks. On first glance, the piece was in excellent condition. She turned it over and saw the familiar stamp with an anchor and the words Davenport and Stone China on the back. She looked at Mindy.
“Davenport Flying Bird,” she said with a smile. “1805 to 1820.”
Mindy cheered. “I was hoping you’d say that. We have about two dozen pieces in the crates my sister sent. Supposedly they’re all the Davenport Flying Bird pattern. It’s too busy for me, but collectors are passionate about it.”
Robyn studied the exotic bird, the blossoms in orange, yellow and blue. “I see the appeal. I’m not interested in collecting it, but it’s a beautiful pattern. I’ll go through what she sent and catalog it, then look at the wish lists to see who will want to know about what pieces.”
Mindy offered clients a chance to keep a “wish list” on file, detailing items they were interested in buying, should they come up. The computerized lists allowed for easy searching when new items came in. Robyn had a feeling they would quickly sell everything that had been sent.
“I’ve never gotten into china,” Mindy said, opening another box. “I appreciate that you know as much as you do about it.”
“Compliments of my aunt Lillian. One of the rooms in her house has hundreds of teacups and saucers from all over the world. Some of them date back centuries. We used to spend hours up there, trying to date pieces. She has a few full sets of dishes, but mostly it’s the teacups.”
Mindy grinned. “One of these days, I’ll have to go with you when you visit her. I’m dying to see her house.”
“It’s pretty special.” More significant than the house was Aunt Lillian herself. “I should go see her this summer. She’s mentioned it a couple of times.”
“How old is she?”
“Ninety-four.”
Mindy grimaced. “Visit with her while you can. You’ll feel awful if she passes away and you didn’t make the time. This is our slow season. Take off time whenever you want.”
Robyn wasn’t looking for more guilt in her life, and she knew her boss was right. “I’ll look at my calendar.”
Mindy unwrapped a set of bowls, also in the Flying Bird pattern. She put them on a shelf, then glanced at the screen on her phone. Her mouth curved into a smile.
“Dimitri,” she said.
“You’re texting?”
“Some. Just little flirty stuff.” Mindy sighed dreamily. “After our last lesson, we talked for nearly half an hour. The man is so good-looking. When he touches me, I go up in flames.”
“He shouldn’t be touching you,” Robyn said flatly. “This is trouble. He’s a practiced seducer, and you’re getting involved in something you can’t handle.”
Mindy smiled. “Oh, I’ll handle it just fine.”
“Ugh.”
Mindy laughed. “Come on. This is good for me. My life is ordinary. Why can’t I have a little fun?”
“It’s not the fun I object to. It’s the screwing up your marriage.”
Mindy waved away the concern. “Payne will never know, but obviously you have strong feelings, so we’ll talk about something else. How’s the wedding planning?”