“Good luck,” Harlow said. “If anyone can help launch her career, it will be you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was. You’re one of the best in the biz,” she quipped.
“Good enough to continue representing you?”
“No.”
“You aren’t going to give me a chance to make my pitch? Steel City Wishes is a sweet gig. I worked hard to get you the deal.”
“It is, and I appreciate all your efforts. I’m thrilled with every aspect of it except one. My co-star, Flynn.”
“There’s no perfect team. Never has been. Never will be. Go with the flow and it will be over before you know it,” he said. “I hope you reconsider my offer to manage your career. We work well together.”
“We do, or at least we did,” Harlow conceded. “Having said that, I think it’s in our mutual best interest to part ways.”
Robert muttered something unintelligible under his breath and quickly ended the call before Harlow had a chance to ask him exactly when he planned to arrive.
She noticed her fingers were white from gripping the phone so tightly. Curious to find out more about Abuttrezil, she Googled the product and company, clicking on a YouTube link to check out previous ads.
Nondescript, unmemorable, and yawn-worthy summarized them. If nothing else, Cheyenne’s acting debut would liven things up—or bomb big time. Based on Robert’s plans to fly to Michigan to offer his moral support, she suspected it might be the latter.
Harlow sent a quick text to Janice, updating her on the commercial and letting her know Robert had told her it was a “go,” which meant it gave her the green light to show it to her friends.
She sensed someone behind her and turned to find her father standing in the doorway. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, Harlow. How did your breakfast date with Arlen go?”
“Great.” She gave him a thumbs up. “The kid is on cloud nine.”
“I bet. I heard from your aunt again.”
“How’s her compassion mission going?”
“A little rough. Electricity is hit or miss. Birdie said a lot of the store shelves are bare.”
“Pretty much what she expected she would find. At least she’s checking in and we know she’s safe.” Harlow told her father about her conversation with Robert. “He must’ve pulled a few strings to get that gem pushed through.”
“Or paid someone off,” he joked.
“It’s a thought and not out of the realm of possibility.”
“I put some cameras up at your new place. You got a minute? I’ll load the app on your phone.”
“Sure.” Harlow handed it to him, quietly watching him install the app. He tapped the screen and handed it back. “Done.”
“You’re fast.”
“I’ve installed a few around here.” David showed her how to use it. Sure enough the front, back and sides of her soon-to-be home popped up in four squares, filling the small screen. “If those pesky press people are hanging around, you’ll be able to catch them, no problem.”
“Unless they’re hiding in my bushes. I love all the landscape but it does give persistent paparazzi lots of places to hide.”
“Definitely.” David left, claiming he had a project to finish in the garage, leaving Harlow feeling restless.
Thinking some fresh air would do her good, she took her bike into town, riding up and down the side streets with no clear destination in mind. Passing by Fort Mackinac, she noticed people trekking up the steep incline, making their way to the ticket booth.
Harlow pulled over to the side and dug through her wallet to see if she had any cash or a credit card. After confirming she had both, she started walking her bike when she heard someone call her name.
