Page 19 of One Summer to Forever

Chapter 9

Harlow

Moonflower Cove, Maine, was as lovely as Riley had rambled on about most of the plane ride. Harlow felt as if she knew everybody and every place in the small coastal town. Riley had hyped up several restaurants in town, and Harlow looked forward to visiting them. But she was most excited about the fact they’d just parked in front of a local bar and grille. Their Uber had quickly got them to the Cove, and they’d headed straight for dinner. Her stomach had been growling for hours, and Riley had talked about the burgers at Straight to Ale so much that Harlow just had to have one.

“Do you want to sit inside or on the patio?”

“Patio,” Harlow answered as she followed Riley inside the bar. She excitedly greeted a host before pulling out her phone and showing him pictures, presumably from the tour.

Riley’s distraction gave Harlow a chance to take in the bar’s ambiance. It was a funky little place. Pictures of various shapes and sizes hung on all the walls and bright neon signs blinked near the bar. There was a stage in one section of the room while a pool table and dart board were set up on the other. Most of the restaurant was packed, which surprised Harlow for four in the afternoon on a Monday.

“Come on.” Nodding her head, Riley took two menus from the host and led Harlow out onto the patio as if she worked there. She chose a table that overlooked the street and past that was the ocean. The air smelled delightfully salty as Harlow sat in the metal chair. “This is my favorite place to eat. Well, besides my grandma’s cafe.”

“Carlson’s Cafe, right?”

“Yeah,” Riley smiled, seemingly happy Harlow had remembered the detail. “We’ll go there tomorrow for breakfast for sure.”

“And we’re going over to your parents’ house later tonight, right?”

“If you’re still okay with that.”

“I am.”

“Good. I think you’ll like my parents. They’re a little quirky, but they’re super sweet.” Riley lowered her eyes to the menu. “You’ve never told me about your parents.”

Harlow picked up the menu in front of her and began to scan it. “There’s not much to say. My dad died a couple of years ago and my mom’s spent the last few years higher than a kite. She only calls when she needs money for more drugs. We’re no contact otherwise.”

“Oh, my god, Harlow,” Riley gasped as she reached out and took hold of her hand. It was the first time they’d ever held hands and Harlow was too distracted by the sensation to pay attention to whatever question Riley was asking. “You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out there. What were you saying?”

“I was asking if your siblings were not in contact with her as well.”

“No,” she stated flatly. She sat down the menu, and suddenly remembered she was still holding hands with Riley. Instead of pulling away, Harlow held onto it for comfort. “They still keep up with her and pay for her to go to rehab all the time only for her to immediately get out and relapse. My sister blames me because I keep giving her money, but she’s still my mom. I know she spends most of it—if not all—on drugs, but I know she also gets food with that money. It’s a Catch-22.”

“That must be so hard, Harlow. I’m so sorry.”

Harlow shrugged. “I want to say it’s no big deal, but it is. Which I guess is why I don’t like talking about it.”

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry for bringing it up. I didn’t think that…”

“My mom was a drug addict?” Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Harlow laughed sadly. “It’s fine; there was no way you could have known.”

“Well, I won’t bring it up anymore, but please know I’m here if you need to talk.”

“I do. Thank you, Riley.”

Harlow rubbed her thumb over the back of Riley’s hand. It was the most intimate touch she’d had with anyone in years and despite its simplicity, it meant a lot to Harlow. As much as she’d been trying to deny it, she was interested in Riley. There might even be some attraction mixed in, which confused Harlow as much as it excites her.

“Riley, hey!” A woman about Harlow’s age hugged Riley as she finally let go of Harlow’s hand. She missed the warmth as she moved her hand to her lap and smiled at the other woman. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“We have a week off so we came here to crash.” Riley turned her attention to Harlow. “Emily, this is Harlow Hawkins. She’s the tour manager. Harlow, this is Emily Crawford. She’s the best bartender in town.”

Emily reached her hand out to Harlow and shook it. “Hey, it’s great to meet you.”

“You too.”

“I’ve seen you in some of the pictures of Riley’s blog.” Emily tucked her hair behind her ear and winked at Riley, who turned a deep shade of red. “So, what can I get you two to eat and drink? We have a new IPA, if that’s your thing, or I can make any cocktail you’d like.”

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