Today had taken Harlow by surprise. She’d imagined the party might be slightly awkward, since Stella was her only real connection in town. Thankfully, that hadn’t been the case at all. Nick had been as charming as ever, and they had finally exchanged cell phone numbers with the expectation of meeting up for coffee. She’d gotten the chance to talk to Miles about her work at Paws, which seemed to fascinate him. Harlow sensed that he might have a future in veterinary medicine.
Meeting Stella’s hot husband and seeing the pair so happy together had been heartwarming. And she’d actually met Dante West! A megastar. He hadn’t put on airs or acted like a big-time celebrity, which Harlow found refreshing. Lucy was just as amazing as Stella, with a heart as wide open as an ocean. She had been a bit envious, seeing Stella’s parents and her in-laws fawning over baby Jade. It caused a little hitch in her heart just knowing she would never experience a moment this precious with her own parents. Although her mother was still alive, her health was precarious at best. She and Malcolm had been forced to make some hard choices regarding her day-to-day care. The simple truth was that her mother’s health had been failing for a number of years. Dementia had done a number on her mind.
One year ago, Harlow and Malcolm had placed her in a nursing home on Cape Cod. Bay Shore was one of the best facilities in the country, and it was located not too far from where Deidre had grown up. Malcolm was only an hour-and-a-half drive away, while Harlow had flown in from Seattle as often as she could in order to see her. Being in Mistletoe would make those visits easier.
Harlow loved taking her mother for walks on the beach and eating clams at Tugboat’s, overlooking Hyannis Harbor. She loved seeing her mother smile as she looked out across the ocean and told Harlow stories about learning to swim at five years old in Cape Cod water. How Harlow wished things could be different. Stolen moments were all they had now as her mother’s memories began to fade.
Just as she let herself inside, her cell phone began to buzz and she looked down at the screen, smiling as she glimpsed Malcolm’s number. She picked up the phone, eager to hear her brother’s voice and see his face.
“Hey there, good looking. What’s up?” Harlow asked as her brother’s irresistible face popped up on the screen. His mahogany skin and strong features were as familiar to Harlow as observing her own face in the mirror. Seeing him served as an instant pick-me-up.
“Just checking on you. How are you making out?” Simply hearing Malcolm’s voice and knowing he wasn’t on the other side of the country was comforting.
“I’m actually doing pretty well. I went to the celebration for Stella and Luke’s baby. Believe it or not, I was very sociable.” Harlow was pretty proud of herself. Making new friends in a small-town setting wasn’t her thing. Malcolm knew that better than anyone.
“You look pretty,” Malcolm said, letting out a low whistle. “I know you mean business when you pull out the red dress.”
Her twin knew her so well. Red was her go-to color. Just wearing her favorite hue made Harlow feel empowered. In many ways it was a suit of armor.
“Thanks, bro. Something unexpected happened.” Harlow bit her lip.
“Let me guess. You didn’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight,” Malcolm teased.
“Stop it,” she said, laughing at the faces he was making. “Nick was there. And it turns out he’s Stella’s brother-in-law.”
She watched as surprise registered on Malcolm’s face. “Get out of here. It doesn’t get any more small town than that,” he said with a chuckle.
“Ain’t that the truth!” Stella said. “Six degrees of Nick Keegan.”
She could see that Malcolm was in his art studio, working on his next collection. As always, she was awestruck by his massive talent. Even as a child, he’d exhibited signs of being an artistic genius. Getting noticed in the art world hadn’t happened overnight, but thankfully Malcolm was now a rising star. His pieces were in demand all over the world.
“Did you confess to Stella that you have the hots for Nick?” Malcolm asked with a playful grin. She knew Malcolm was poking her to see her reaction. Little did he know she didn’t have time for games today.
“No, but I did tell Stella that you have the hots for her. Oh, wait. I think our connection is going out.” She began to make crackling noises with her mouth. “I’ll talk to you later, Malcolm.”
“No. Wait. You didn’t really tell Stella that, did you? Don’t hang up on me,” Malcolm pleaded as she disconnected the call. Harlow burst out laughing at the panicked tone in his voice. Always cool, calm, and collected, Malcolm had sounded rattled. In a little while she would text him to let him know she’d been joking.
Harlow noticed via a notification on her phone that she had a voice mail. Harlow hadn’t looked at her cell phone once during the party, so she hadn’t seen any missed calls. She tapped her screen and listened to the message, which came from a Cape Cod number.
“Good evening, Miss Jones. This is Aretha Simmons at the Bay Shore Rehabilitation Center. I’m calling about your mother. I hate to tell you that things aren’t getting any better. Matter of fact, they’ve taken a turn for the worse. If you could please call me at your earliest convenience, we can discuss future steps.”
Feeling numb, Harlow called Aretha back and listened to the update. Her mother’s care team was recommending a transfer to the unit for patients with severe dementia. Harlow hung up after making plans to head to Cape Cod within the next few days. She didn’t have the heart to call Malcolm tonight to break the news to him. He would immediately know what this meant, and it would shatter his heart. Their mother’s condition was declining rapidly, and she was considered at a terminal stage.
Pain spread throughout Harlow’s body, blinding her to anything else but the need to curl up in a little ball. It wasn’t fair. Harlow wanted to rage against the unfairness of it all. Her mother had lost so much, only to be dealt a terrible hand with her dementia diagnosis. All of a sudden, Harlow was catapulted back to the terrifying moments after her father’s death, when her family had imploded. She had done her best to stuff down all of these feelings in an attempt to bury the pain. But now, when she hadn’t expected it, those emotions had come back with a vengeance, threatening to bury her all over again.
Chapter Six
Nick drove along Main Street and tried his best to immerse himself in the fall decorations gracing all of the store windows. Pumpkins were beginning to pop up everywhere. Halloween outfits were on display at the toy store. A witch’s hat and broom were hanging on the door of the novelties shop. Autumn was in full effect. Nick wished he could soak it all in and enjoy his favorite time of year.
He really needed a hot shower and some coffee. Days like this were tough. Every time he went out on a search and rescue mission Nick reminded himself that success wasn’t guaranteed. Knowing that fact still didn’t prepare him for failure. Nick took it personally that he hadn’t been able to rescue a hiker, Larry Zabo, who had gotten lost at Acadia National Park. A fall from a ledge had resulted in catastrophic injuries. Try as he might, Nick couldn’t get the image of the hiker’s devastated parents out of his mind. Their hearts had been shattered.
All he really wanted to do right now was scoop his own son up in his arms and never let him go. But Miles was at school and that embrace would have to wait till this afternoon. The most difficult part of being a single parent was the fear that something might happen to him, leaving his son an orphan. Many times he had pondered the wisdom of continuing in his profession due to the inherent risks involved in high-stakes rescues. But each and every time, Nick had come to the conclusion that he was serving a higher calling by working in search and rescue. Nick helped people on a daily basis. What could be better than that?
He loved his profession, but on days like this it dredged up agonizing memories of his own loss. Although he knew Kara had died on impact, it still gnawed at him that he’d been working a rescue when she had been killed. How many people had he rescued in his years in search and rescue? More than he could count.
As he drove past the Coffee Bean, Nick made an impulsive decision to pull into a free space out front and head inside for a cup of molten hot java. He was going to need it to stay awake for the next few hours so he could pick up Miles after soccer practice.
As he entered the shop, Nick closed his eyes and breathed in the heavenly aroma of coffee beans and baked goods that assaulted his senses. The smell alone was enough to give him a pick-me-up.
