All of which made sense, but still… “You should have told me.”
“I respected his request to stay quiet for a few days.”
“But he’s my kid.”
“Yes, he is.” His tone was cautious, as if he wasn’t sure how this was going to go.
Robyn wasn’t actually angry—she was more interested in finding out how things had happened between Austin and Mason. While she liked him a lot, he still had to earn her trust.
“It was a judgment call,” he said. “I did what I thought was best. If you don’t agree, we should talk about it.”
“He wants to join the navy. I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“The kid has potential. He’s smart, he makes decisions with his head, and he’s steady. He’ll be a good officer. He wants to command a destroyer.”
“So he’ll be gone six months at a time.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “Not everything is about you.”
She closed the distance between them and felt him wrap his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I like having my kids close. He’s going away.”
“They grow up. It’s God’s way of saying go find a hobby.”
She found herself laughing and crying at the same time. She grabbed his hand, then pulled him along behind her. She walked to the bookcase-lined wall, fumbled under a shelf until she found a lever, then eased it back and slid the bookcase to the side.
“Holy shit!” Mason stared at the man-sized opening. “Another secret passage? Where does this one go?”
“To the master bedroom. Lillian’s still downstairs with Austin, so we can go from her room to mine.”
She flipped the light switch. Mason followed, then pulled the bookcase back into the place. Together they went upstairs and came out, as she’d promised, in Lillian’s sitting room. From there it was an easy walk to her room.
Once they were inside, she locked the door and turned to him.
“I need you,” she said simply.
“You have me, body and soul. You should know that by now.”
“Oh, Mason.”
She had more she wanted to say—including the fact that he was the most unexpected, wonderful surprise. But once he started kissing her and touching her, talking seemed very, very overrated.
twenty-six
HARLOW ABSENTLY STROKED the cat on her desk. Queen Mary, a stunning gray cat, had draped herself around Harlow’s laptop, making it nearly impossible to type. Under normal circumstances, that would be annoying, but this morning Harlow was grateful for the impediment. Without it, she would be forced to answer the email on her screen, and she wasn’t ready.
I’m going to have an opening the first of September. The charters vary. Fishing, sightseeing. We do a regular circumnavigation of the Keys. We also do a three day trip up and down the Keys, but you’d have to work your way into handling that.
I’d be happy to talk to you if you’re interested. I’m starting interviews in two weeks, so I’d need to know something by the end of the month. I know you’re in California so we could talk via Zoom.
And there it was. A job offer. Sort of. Or at least an interview. She would be working in a different part of Florida, with another company. She wouldn’t be her father’s daughter—she would just be another captain, the newest hire, so the one getting all the undesirable assignments.
She continued to pet Queen Mary, wondering what to say. It was one thing to talk about leaving her dad’s company, but it was another to actually do it. Her father would be pissed, maybe enough to say she could never come back. There was also the reality of relocating to Key West.
Kip couldn’t come with her—not and keep his job. He was making good money where he was and had an established clientele. Would he want to start over somewhere else? And shouldn’t she talk to him before even considering the interview?
Overhead the rhythmic banging of a headboard hitting a wall began again, slow at first, then faster and faster. Harlow groaned.
“It started last night,” she told the cat. “About midnight. This is the third time. It’s a little gross to think about.”
She didn’t care that Mindy and Payne were having sex, she just wished they wouldn’t do it right above her head.
She saved her email as new, then closed her laptop and left her room. She made her way to the breakfast room, where Lillian and Austin were sitting at the table.
“Darling!” Lillian held out her hand. “I’m so happy to see you.”
Harlow hugged her great-great-aunt, then poured herself coffee and took a seat. She looked at her brother.
“They’re at it again.”
“Mindy and Payne?”
Harlow nodded. “Someone needs to look at that poor bed frame. I think it’s going to fall apart.”
Lillian laughed. “I’ll mention it to Salvia. She can put it on the maintenance list. However, we should probably wait until after our guests have left.”
Austin looked at the clock on the wall. “I’m going to take a shower. If they’re not done, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, they don’t go that long, so you should be safe.”
Austin grinned. “Old people. You never know what they’ll get up to.” He stood and circled behind Lillian. After hugging her, he whispered, “Thank you.”
He left. Harlow added clotted cream and jam to a scone, wondering why her brother was thanking Aunt Lillian.
“You seem to have something on your mind,” Lillian said as she sipped her tea.
Harlow stared at her. “You can’t possibly know that. I’ve been here like five seconds.”
“I’ve known you since you were a baby. So what is it?”
“I’m trying to figure out what to do about my job. Should I go back and work for my father, knowing he’ll always see me as his kid?”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“He doesn’t respect me.” Harlow nibbled on her scone. “I’m not sure I’ve earned his respect, so maybe I don’t have the right to complain. Now I wonder if I should quit and go somewhere else. I could earn my place in that company, get some real experience, then work for my dad later, when I’m more than a twenty-two-year-old with delusions of grandeur.”
“You’re being very hard on yourself.”
Harlow wished that was true. “I kind of think I’m being honest with myself for the first time. It’s not fun, but I’m hoping it builds character.”
Lillian studied her. “How about if I mess up all your plans?”
Harlow laughed. “I don’t think you have that much power.”
“Oh, my sweet, how wrong you are.” Lillian set down her cup. “I’m leaving you and your brother two hundred and fifty thousand dollars each. Before you joined us, I told Austin what I’m about to tell you. I’m going to give you both the money now. Why should you wait until I’m dead? I’m delighted to help him pay for college. So I say to you, if you want to buy your kayaking company, then you’re about to have the money to do that.”
Harlow stared at her wide-eyed. “What? I mean, are you serious? You can’t give me that kind of money.”