“But you were horrible. You were mean to our server. We talked about it. And now you’re just eating beets?”
“Harlow, you’re not making sense.”
She told herself they shouldn’t be fighting about a stupid vegetable, but she knew it wasn’t the beets. It was everything else. It was the credit card debt and Christmas Eve and the fact that he’d been married to another woman and never told her!
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, pushing back from the table.
She ran to the bathroom and locked the door. Kip followed instantly, rattling the knob.
“Harlow, what’s wrong? Let me in. Please, honey.”
She sank onto the floor, her back against the tub. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she ignored them as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She blinked until she could see, then quickly texted her brother.
Where are you?
The answer came seconds later.
Just checked into a motel in the Panhandle. I moved out of the apartment before I left, so I got a late start. What’s up?
I want to come with you.
She thought about the closest airport to his route. Can you pick me up in New Orleans tomorrow?
Sure. Do you know your flight info?
Not yet.
Seconds later her phone rang. She answered it instantly.
“I haven’t booked my flight. I’ll do it right now and let you know.”
Austin sighed. “What’s going on?”
“A lot of stuff I can’t talk about yet.”
“Harlow?” Kip pounded on the door.
“Just a second,” she called, then turned her attention back to the call. “I’ll tell you when I see you. It’s just one crappy thing after the other.”
“Are you okay?”
“Never better,” she lied. “I’ll see you in New Orleans.”
“Okay. If you need me to come back, I will.”
Some of her pain eased. “I know. Thanks, but not necessary. See you tomorrow.”
They hung up. She scrambled to her feet and opened the bathroom door. Kip stood right outside, looking both worried and pissed.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Why did you freak out about the beets?”
She stared at the man she loved and wanted to marry and wondered how it had all gone to shit so fast.
“It wasn’t the beets,” she told him. “It was everything else. There’s too much, Kip. You and Tracey are a big part of that. I need to figure out what it all means.”
He grabbed her free hand. “It doesn’t mean anything. I love you.”
“I love you, too, but something’s wrong, and I don’t know what it is, let alone how to fix it.”
He dropped her hand. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No. I’m going to go see my mom for a few days.” Longer than that, but she didn’t want him to worry more than necessary.
“You’re running away?”
Exhaustion swamped her, leaving her unable to fight. “If that’s how you want to see it. From my perspective, I’m visiting my mom and giving myself time to think. Austin left this morning. He’s going to pick me up in New Orleans.”
Kip stepped back. “Just like that? You’re going to walk away from me? From us? Are we still engaged?”
She could feel his pain and knew this was killing him. “I want to be,” she said, her voice steady. “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
At least she was pretty sure she did. There was still the debt to be discussed. And Tracey. And at some point, she had to tell him what happened with her dad. Speaking of which, she had to let her father know she would be gone. He probably wouldn’t take that well.
“Let me go see my mom,” she said. “Let me think about everything. I’ll come back. I promise.” She pressed a hand to his chest. “Look at me, Kip. I mean it. I promise I’ll come back to you.”
His shoulders slumped. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
He didn’t, but she wasn’t going to say that. She kissed him. “Thank you. Let me book my flight. Then we can finish dinner.”
She wasn’t hungry, but it was the only peace offering she had.
* * *
Mason knew he was an idiot, but he was okay with it. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since he’d kissed Robyn, and honest to God, it was all he could think about. He’d thought about it all through dinner, occasionally sharing a look with Robyn before they both smiled and looked away. He’d dreamed about it, and it had been his first thought this morning.
Kissing her had been better than he’d imagined, and he’d imagined plenty. She was beautiful, sexy, responsive and fun. He liked how she was kind and smart. His only question was why her ex had let her go. Okay, that and why the boyfriend hadn’t married her. Robyn was the kind of woman that came around once, if a man was very lucky. Walking away wasn’t an option.
Not that he would have a choice. Ignoring his shitty track record with women, Robyn was so far out of his league as to make his interest in her laughable. He was very clear on what he brought to the table. He was a good guy who gave 100 percent. He was loyal, honest and hardworking, but he wasn’t special. Robyn deserved special.
At eleven he stopped pretending to work and made his way to Lillian’s sitting room. She’d asked him to meet her there. Given the cats, the house and Lillian’s interest in countless subjects, the meeting could be about anything. He was smiling at the thought of a rousing discussion on desalinization to solve the world’s water problems when he saw Robyn sitting across from Lillian.
As their eyes locked, he felt a surge of heat that could be embarrassing for him and upsetting for a woman in her nineties. He immediately thought of the last time the Taliban had nearly blown his ass to hell and back, which quickly took care of any arousal.
“Right on time.” Lillian motioned to a chair close to Robyn’s but not so close that he wouldn’t be able to think. “Thank you both for coming.”
Robyn’s expression turned quizzical. “So, this is an official meeting?”
Lillian smiled at them both. “I suppose it is. Doesn’t that sound exciting? I want to talk about what happens when I die.”
Robyn immediately paled, while Mason’s gut clenched.
“No,” he said firmly, surprising himself and possibly them.
Lillian raised her eyebrows. “Are you saying don’t talk about that subject, or forbidding me to die?”
“Can I forbid you to die? Because if I have that power, I’m going to use it.”
Lillian’s expression softened. “You’re a very sweet man. I knew I would like you. We’re all going to die, Mason. I’ve just had the luxury of time to plan.”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Robyn murmured.
“And yet, here we are.” Lillian smiled at them both. “Now, we all understand how Leo’s will works. Mason gets the house, and I’m leaving Robyn the contents.” She looked at her niece. “I’ve been thinking about that, dear, and I was wondering if you’d let Mason have a few books. The works on military history. That sort of thing.”
“I don’t need them,” he said quickly.