Chapter 12
“Aunt Birdie is gone.” Harlow hurried into the house, having taken Mort out for an early morning stroll down by the lake. “Happy Camper is locked up tight.”
“She promised to text me to let me know when she was on the last leg of her flight in case she didn’t have internet when she landed in Havana.” David set his coffee cup on the counter. “What’s on your agenda this fine Monday morning?”
“Loads of exciting stuff,” she joked. “Actually, I plan to rehearse my lines.”
“Do you need help?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m good.” Harlow hopped on a barstool and snagged a banana from the bowl of fruit. “What are you up to today?”
“I’m meeting with the construction supervisor to make a minor change Brett suggested.” Her father went into a detailed explanation concerning a structural issue involving the fireplace. “Brett is sharp. It’s a shame he has a girlfriend.”
“I think you mentioned it before. Who is she?”
“Morgan’s best friend, Quinn.”
“That’s cool.” Harlow peeled the banana and took a bite. “Why is it a shame?”
“Because he would be a good match for you.”
“I’m not looking for a man.”
David pretended not to hear. “Caleb is right up there with Brett. Now that Robert has hooked up with Cheyenne, I’m sure he’s a free agent again.”
Ring. Ring.
Harlow, thankful for the interruption and not wanting to discuss her love life, promptly answered the call from Island Bike shop where she’d purchased both of her pedal bikes. “Hello?”
“H-hey, Harlow. It’s Arlen over at the bike shop.”
“Hi Arlen.”
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Are you still having trouble with your bike tire losing air?”
Harlow had purchased an everyday around-the-island-bike as well as a winter riding bike with fat tires. Having recently swapped out her winter bike for her main bike, she discovered the tire was losing air and had some sort of slow leak, which was a major bummer considering she’d only used it a few times. “Yes. It’s a slow leak but I’m having trouble keeping air in it even though I’ve been using my air pump to pump it up.”
“When you get a chance, stop by. I have a fix for it.”
“I’m heading into town a little later. Are you working?”
“I’ll be here all day.” Harlow thanked him, promising to swing by before ending the call. She polished off the banana and tossed the peel in the trash. “Arlen has offered to fix my bike tire so I’m going to stop by the bike shop.”
David trailed behind her, following her out of the kitchen. “Lottie will be working on the gardens this week, sprucing them up and getting ready for our spring plantings.”
“I have some free time. I’ll ask her if she needs help.”
“It’s getting harder for her to be on her knees for long periods of time,” he said.
“Then I’ll do the down and dirty digging.” Harlow told him she would offer her assistance as soon as she finished working.
The morning hours passed by in the blink of an eye. Near noon, she called it quits and grabbed a quick bite to eat.
Harlow logged onto her laptop, munching on a bun-free veggie burger and a cup of cottage cheese. She skimmed through her messages and answered a few, including one from Robert. He made no mention of her confrontation with Cheyenne.
