Page 42 of Hold My Heart

“You’re going to spiral down into a depression and lose it all. Is that what you want?”

Cheeks red with temper, she marched toward the hallway. Stopped halfway. Turned to him. “No, of course not. I’m not depressed.”

“It’s not too late to make things right,” he continued.

“What if it is?” she countered. “What if it is too late? With you. With Renee. With everything.” She bit her lip, head dipping down to hide her face. “It’s too late.”

“Not if you let me help you. Take my hand, Olympia. Take it.” He held it out for her, fingers trembling.

She bit the inside of her lip and he saw the tears at the corners of her eyes. The room around them stood still as he waited for her to decide. Seconds later, she slapped her hand against his. “Let’s go get our baby, Harlan.”

His face split open. “We’ll fix it together. I promise.”

She lifted the corner of her dress and they ran toward the exit, through the crowd, pushing past a red-faced Ashleigh and a confused Carl. “Where are we going?” she had to know.

“Back to your lawyer’s office.”

She sent him a horrified look. “What do you expect to get done that I haven’t tried already? They couldn’t tell me where he was, and no one else in the office was authorized to retrieve his paperwork.”

“Yeah, well, I have a feeling that this time they’ll tell us exactly where he went.”

“How can you be so sure?” She stepped back and let him help her into his car.

“Trust me. I’m going to make a few phone calls.”

They drove to the lawyer’s office in terse silence, her hand still clutching his. It was a start, he knew, and more of a sign than she would ever admit. It was vulnerability. It was need.

His father was waiting for them when they pulled in the parking lot.

“Wait a minute. Reggie is a lawyer? The same Reggie who once beat up a funnel cake vendor?”

“He has hidden depths,” Harlan answered. He strode out of the car and into the waiting embrace of his father. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Dad.”

“It’s no big deal. I’m retired. What else am I doing? Olympia, it’s lovely to see you again. You’re looking splendid as usual.”

“Thank you. Does he know the situation?”

“I might have filled him in last night. He’s ready to kick a little ass. Let’s get our little girl out of that CPS facility. Okay?”

“I have a few friends I can call in the local justice system. People I’ve worked with before,” Reggie told Olympia as they walked inside. “Don’t worry about a thing. This is going to be resolved quickly.”

Olympia tightened her grip on Harlan’s hand and he felt her pulse racing. His own matched.

“I don’t know who else to talk to,” she admitted. “I’ve already spoken to everyone in the office. As far as they know, Marvin Bower is MIA. So why did I even have to send in my signature if they won’t process it without him?”

“It’s a stall tactic,” Reggie told her. “That’s why you need me.”

He’d gotten dressed up, changing out of his habitual baggy t-shirt and comfy pants for an old business suit long ago relegated to the back of the closet. The buttons of the jacket were under enormous pressure from his father’s expanding belly, but Harlan wasn’t going to say anything. He was grateful for the help.

“Let me do the talking,” Reggie continued. He strode forward, hair wild, and approached the secretary at the front desk with a wide grin.

“Is this going to work?” Olympia whispered. She tugged her hand out of his to rub at her eyes. “I’ve been going out of my mind.”

“Clearly. You left your big fundraiser.”

Her sidelong glance told him everything. “Let’s be honest. They didn’t need me there.”

“Oh, I think they needed you.” Harlan kept his voice low. “Youdidn’t needthem. Your priorities have shifted.”

---