She turned to find Lottie hurrying toward her.
“I thought that was you.”
“Hey, Lottie. I decided to take my bike for a spin and ended up here.” She nodded toward the fort. “I haven’t been inside in years and figured I could kill a couple of hours poking around.”
“I have some free time. Mind if I tag along?”
“Not at all.”
“I’m not sure if I told you, but the historical society made me an honorary member, which means I can get us in for free.”
“Because you’ve donated the buttons and other things you found? That’s cool.” Harlow gripped the handlebars, pushing the bike up the incline, even steeper than she remembered. “I bet you’ve dug up plenty of odds and ends. What do you do with them?”
“The historical items are donated. Most of the stuff gets tossed, although I have kept a few things. Wynn Harbor Inn has been a treasure trove.”
“Of items guests lost.”
“Rings, earrings, money,” Lottie said. “Your father refuses to take them. He claims its finders keepers.”
“We had a lost and found at the hotel.” Harlow told her most items were never claimed. “Once a year, Dad and Mom would donate the good stuff to a local charity.”
The women reached the entrance booth where the attendant greeted Lottie by name.
“Harlow has a hankering to look around.”
The woman, in her seventies if Harlow had to guess, leaned forward, staring at her through thick, wire-rimmed glasses. “Harlow Wynn.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I heard you were back living on the island. You look different than you do in the magazines and movies.”
“Different in a good way or a bad way?” Harlow joked.
“Mostly good.” The woman looked her up and down. “You’re even taller than I thought you would be and your hair is lighter. Heard your husband dumped you and is dating that nasty woman Cheyenne Clifton now.”
“Robert and I agreed to a mutual split. He is dating Cheyenne. I just spoke to him and he’ll be visiting again soon.”
The woman waved dismissively. “I doubt they’ll visit the fort. Cheyenne isn’t much of a history buff. She’s more of a phony baloney.”
Lottie choked back a laugh. “You have her number, Tessie.”
“Darn tootin.’ Never could figure out what handsome Caleb Jackson saw in her.” Tessie cast Harlow a sly side glance. “Rumor around town is that you two have been spending some time together.”
“Caleb and I are friends. He’s helping Dad and me figure out what caused the Wynn Harbor Inn fire that killed my mom.”
She tsk-tsked. “I heard about the fire. I’m sorry about your mother.”
“Thank you.”
Tessie handed them two tickets. “You can park your bike over there. I’ll make sure no one steals it.”
Harlow thanked her and parked it in the general vicinity of where Tessie had instructed.
Climbing the rest of the way to the top, she and Lottie handed their tickets to the attendant and stepped through the gate.
“It looks exactly like I remember.”
“And will probably stay the same for the next hundred years. Let’s start over here.”
