“Are you going to ask him about Cheyenne?”
Harlow had seesawed back and forth, wondering if she should mention the woman. On the one hand, she was curious about why the two were together. But on the other hand, she shouldn’t be surprised they had crossed paths, seeing how they were more alike than different.
She had no idea how old Cheyenne was, although she suspected the woman was at least a few years younger than Harlow—the perfect age for Robert to mold and shape into his next rising star.
“If the subject comes up,” Harlow said. “I suppose I could ask him in a roundabout way where he’s staying.”
“He seems like the type who would want to be in the thick of the action, not here on Mackinac Island, especially during the holidays.”
“I doubt he’ll stick around for long. You’re right, though. This is only a stopoff on his way to New York City. We have mutual friends who live there. We’ve spent the past several years watching the ball drop from their place, near Times Square.”
David thoughtfully contemplated his daughter. “Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes, but not right now,” Harlow said. “I’m enjoying every minute of being here…being home.”
“I hope your lunch meeting is equally as calm and stress-free.”
“Me too.” Harlow gave him a thumbs up. “Robert won’t do anything to upset the gravy train. He has limited power now and won’t want to mess things up since I’ve signed on for a very lucrative deal.”
“You know him better than I do.”
Harlow told her father she would be back in a couple of hours and took off. She grabbed her winter bike, a fluorescent purple bicycle with fat winter tires she’d recently bought from Arlen at the bike shop. She still remembered the day she’d picked it up and taken it for a test drive, nearly wiping out on the icy street.
Unlike a traditional pedal bike, which is what Harlow had grown up riding, the fat tires gripped the snow, and it took some practice to get the hang of it. Thankfully, Arlen was on hand to give her useful tips, and soon she was on her way.
Harlow loved her new bike and being able to take off whenever she wanted. Although she adored Marty and he was always around if she needed a lift, the bike meant freedom, free to “scooter poot” when the mood hit.
Coasting into town, she dodged several snowmobiles lining the sides of the street. Harlow’s first stop was the storage barn, the delivery center to find out when her father’s Christmas present, shiny and brand spanking new, would be arriving.
Up next was the post office to drop off mail, followed by the deli, the place she and Robert planned to meet and only a stone’s throw from Clifton Manor. In fact, if she stood in the middle of the street, she would have a bird’s-eye view of the hotel’s front porch.
Harlow parked her bike and slipped into the deli. A “Seat Yourself”sign greeted her. She found a quiet corner table and took a seat facing out so she could keep an eye on the door. Removing her cell phone from her pocket, she noticed a missed call from Janice, her publicist, and promptly called her back.
“Hey, Harlow. How’s the winter wonderland?”
“Winter wonderland is right. Thankfully, the roads have been plowed. My family and I are celebrating Christmas on New Year’s Eve now that Santa has delivered most of our presents and the grocery store is restocked.”
“Better you than me, honey. The reason for my call is that I was wondering if you signed the contract for the new project Robert has been working on.”
“I have.”
“Hmm.”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“Maybe.”
Harlow heard nervous tapping on the other end of the line…not a good sign when Janice was the one doing the tapping. “The studio has also signed the actor, your co-star.”
“When?”
“Friday.” Janice hurried on. “I just found out. For some reason, the studio was keeping it under wraps.”
“Friday is the same day I signed. Who is it?”
“Derrick Flynn.”
“Derrick Flynn, one of the most obnoxious actors in the business?” Harlow’s stomach churned. Obnoxious may have been an understatement. To put it bluntly, the guy was a major jerk, yet his female fans swooned over him. By all appearances,the good-looking smooth talker knew how to turn on the charm, at least in public. Behind the scenes, he was an awful person. The only reason the studios put up with him was because he had an uncanny ability to draw in the female moviegoers…in droves. People “in the biz,” other actors with clout, refused to work with him.
