Searching for Harmony: A Boston Love Novel (6 page)

Opening up Harmony’s refrigerator, I attempted to find some sort of food to work with. I was met with pretty much an empty refrigerator. “Jesus, no wonder she looks like she’s lost weight.” Pushing a bag of lettuce out of the way, I saw some eggs. Reaching in, I pulled them out.

Smiling, I whispered, “Perfect.” Taking another look around, I saw a purple onion and a green pepper. The pepper felt a bit soft but I thought it was workable.

Setting the eggs down next to the onion and bell pepper, I searched for a bowl and a frying pan.

Once I got the eggs beaten and poured over the sautéed onion and peppers, I put a dash of salt on it and some black pepper. Taking a look around, I took in Harmony’s place. I wasn’t sure how I should be feeling. Harmony’s nightmare did a number on me when I heard her screaming out TJ’s name. I almost dropped to my knees on the stairs when I heard it.

Then the way she was looking at me like she wanted me had me even more confused. The look was gone as fast as it came. I was crazy for even thinking about having any sort of relationship with Harmony. She was a friend. That was it.

Bullshit, Ward. She is more than a friend.

Closing my eyes, I thought back to last night when I helped her get undressed. The moment she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor, I wanted to take her right then and there. Especially when she began flirting. Luckily, she passed out and I finished getting her dressed while I thought of every scary movie I could think of. And the puke in her hair. The puke in her hair gagged me every time I looked at it. Every time my dick started to come up, I’d look at the puke.

“Daydreaming?”

Jumping practically out of my own skin, I snapped my eyes open and saw Harmony standing in front of me. Her blond hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun that sat on top of her head. She had on a New York Yankees pinstriped baseball jersey and sweatpants that read
PINK
on the side of them.

Giving me a smile, she sat down on the barstool and looked around me to see what was cooking while I stood there, stunned.

Chuckling, she asked, “Did you find food?”

“What. In. The. Hell. Are. You. Wearing?” I asked slowly.

Looking down at her shirt, Harmony smiled an evil smile. “My favorite baseball team, the Yankees.”

Dropping my mouth open, I let the spatula fall from my hand as I took a few steps back while I covered my heart.

“That’s blasphemy. What…why…how?” I couldn’t even form a sentence.

Tilting her head, Harmony rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re one of
those
guys.”

Remembering the eggs, I picked up the spatula, turned and moved them around in the pan before they burned. “What exactly is one of
those
guys?” I asked as I looked over my shoulder.

Scrunching her nose in the most adorable way, she shrugged her shoulders. “You know. The gung-ho, crazy-for-the-Boston-Red-Sox, doesn’t-change-his-socks-for-fear-the-team-will-lose guy.” Shaking her head, she laughed. I didn’t dare tell her my lucky socks had not been washed or changed since the beginning of the season.

Letting out a nervous laugh, I rolled my eyes. “No. I’m not one of those guys.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Harmony said, “Good. ’Cause I can’t stand those guys. Especially the Irish ones. Oh. My. God. They are the worst. With the way they take their sports so seriously. Good Lord.”

I made a mental note to myself not to tell Harmony I was fifty percent Irish, even though my mother insisted it was more like sixty. I also made a note not to tell her that my dream was to own an Irish pub someday. Sherry hated it when I talked about owning a pub. She made sure to let me know it was beneath her to be married to someone who owned a bar.

“Preston? Are you okay? You’re lost in thought.”

Giving her a quick smile, I nodded. “Yep. Totally fine. Now, if you would please get out two plates and two glasses, I have our breakfast.”

Standing, Harmony laughed as she made her way over and took out two plates. “No way you found enough food to feed us both!”

Once she set the plates down, I halved the eggs onto her plate and mine. Setting the frying pan back on the stove, I grabbed two small boxes of orange juice and opened them up and poured them into the glasses. My heart stopped beating for a few seconds when Harmony looked at me. For the first time since I’d known her, I saw happiness there.

Sliding her plate in front of her, along with the orange juice, I smiled. “Looks like I won, Ms. Banks. I know exactly what we’ll do today. Dress casual, it will be a long day.”

Stopping her fork before it went into her mouth, Harmony frowned. “What?”

“Your bet. You said if I found food, you’d spend the entire day doing what I wanted to do.”

“Are you sure I said that?” Harmony said with a wink.

Taking a bite of my eggs, I chewed as I looked up and thought hard about what the bet was. “Yep. It was a challenge and I won.”

Smiling a smile that left me breathless, Harmony shook her head. “Is that so? And if I refuse?”

Taking another bite and swallowing it, I pouted. “Would you really refuse me after I helped you undress last night?”

Harmony’s mouth dropped open and a beautiful shade of red swept across her cheeks. “How embarrassing.”

“Then it’s a date.”

Narrowing her left eye at me, she shook her head. “Not a date. Two friends just hanging out.”

Lifting my hands up in surrender, I said, “That’s what I said. Two friends. Hanging out.”

She was chewing on her lower lip, and I saw the mask coming back up. “Harmony, please. Just spend the day with me. I can’t bear the idea of going back to my place and seeing Sherry packing up.”

“Sherry broke up with you?”

Shit. That piece of information I didn’t want to talk about just yet. “Well…um…I kind of…I kind of broke up with Sherry. Last night. After you puked.”

Slapping her hands over her mouth, Harmony’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t even thinking of Sherry last night when I asked you to stay. Oh, Preston, if I somehow—”

Holding up my hands to get her to stop, I said, “Harmony, stop. Please let me talk.”

Closing her mouth abruptly, she nodded and remained quiet.

“Sherry and I have been over for months now. I was just too stupid…or stubborn…to see it. It was a long time coming and had nothing to do with you.”

Harmony’s face looked horrified. “Do you promise, Preston? And please don’t lie to me…I don’t think I could take it if you lied to me.”

My heart dropped to the floor and my stomach instantly formed into a knot.
What in the hell is this girl doing to me?

Setting down my fork, I walked over to Harmony and picked up her hand. Lacing my pinky around her pinky, I whispered, “I pinky swear to you, Sherry and I were not meant to be and you didn’t have anything to do with me breaking up with her. I just finally saw the light.”

Glancing down at our pinkies, Harmony’s eyes filled with tears. Pulling her emotions back in and burying them like she always did, she managed to smile. It didn’t touch her eyes though. My goal was to see a smile on Harmony’s face that touched her eyes. I’d do whatever it took to make it happen.

Dropping her hand down from mine, she slowly stood. “Do you mind if I take a nap? I don’t want to be tired when you show me the town today.”

Throwing my head back, I let out a laugh. “I think I’ll crash for a bit longer, too, on your couch, if you don’t mind.”

Giving me a wink, Harmony stood and walked her plate over to the sink and downed the last of her OJ. “The sofa is all yours, Mr. Ward. Leave the dishes. They can wait until later.”

Standing, I walked over and placed my dish in the sink but waited for Harmony to walk out of the kitchen. Leaning against the sink, I attempted to calm down my beating heart.

Just friends. We’re just friends
.

Walking back in from the balcony, I stopped dead in my tracks. Harmony was standing in front of me with a huge smile on her face. Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “You have to change, Harmony.”

“Nope. This is my most favorite sweatshirt. Plus, it keeps me warm and makes me feel better since I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.”

My mouth dropped open. “You don’t play fair.”

Giving me a crooked grin, she slowly walked up to me and placed her hand on my chest. I was praying like hell she didn’t feel my heart pounding. “If you can tell me that you are not wearing any article of clothing that you’ve had on since the Sox started their season, I’ll go change.”

Harmony’s eyes danced with excitement, and for one brief moment I considered what an asshole her husband must have been to cheat on her.

Raising her eyebrows, she purred, “I’m waiting.”

Ah, shit. She sure as hell doesn’t play fair.

Shrugging my shoulders, I let out a gruff laugh. “It doesn’t bother me that you’re wearing a Yankees sweatshirt. I’m not the one who will be getting all the dirty looks.”

“So you don’t mind if I wear it?”

Swallowing hard, I shook my head. “Nope.”

Smiling even bigger, she pulled out a Yankees baseball cap and placed it on her head. My mouth dropped open and my knees went weak. She looked adorable in it. Damn it all to hell. She looked fucking adorable in the damn Yankees cap.

Taking in a deep breath and slowly blowing it out, I prayed like hell Harmony made it through this day with all the Yankees garbage on. And I made a bet with myself I would be able to get her to take it all off by lunch.

“Are you ready for our day, Harmony?” I asked as I put my arm out for her.

Biting gently on her lower lip, Harmony looked everywhere but at me as she spoke. “Preston, I just wanted you to know that…well…” Landing her eyes on my face, she slowly gazed into my eyes. “I want you to know how much I appreciate this. It’s nice to spend some time where my thoughts aren’t flooded by memories or nightmares.”

My heart broke in two. “Thank you for allowing me this day.”

Smiling, she nodded as she laced her arm through mine. “Are we walking or driving in your fancy sports car, Mr. Ward?”

Letting out a chortle, I replied, “I think the fresh air will do your hangover wonders.”

Making a face, Harmony cursed under her breath. “Ugh. I’m never drinking like that again.”

Making our way down the stairs, I found myself actually looking forward to something for once in a very long time. I was excited and terrified to share my world with Harmony, but if it meant she got to spend a day laughing and having fun instead of sitting in an empty house alone, then so be it.

Now, if my brain could just tell my heart to pull back some, everything would be perfect.

Just friends, Ward. You’re just friends.

Preston and I walked along Comm Avenue, then turned and made our way down Dartmouth Street. The cool, crisp fall air actually felt amazing and seemed to ease my dull headache. Quickly checking my pocket, I rubbed my fingers against the charm Jake had given me. Preston had seen it in my hand and asked what it was. When I told him, he gave me the sweetest smile I’d ever seen.

Clearing my thoughts, I asked Preston, “So are you going to tell me where we are going?” His strong jawline was set as he stared straight ahead. Something was weighing on his mind and I wanted to ask what it was, but decided it best not to.

“Preston?”

Snapping his head over to me, he let out a chuckle. “Sorry, Harmony. I was lost in thought. What did you ask?”

Grinning, I asked again, “Are you going to tell me where we are going?”

Winking, he shook his head. “Nope.”

Throwing my head back, I laughed and gave him a push. It felt good to laugh. The guilt slowly crept in, but I quickly pushed it aside. I’d give myself one day. That’s all I needed.

Peeking over at Preston, I took his features in. He was tall, probably about six feet. He was for sure taller than Trey. Preston’s brown hair was messy, like he washed it and just ran his hands through it and let it dry that way. It was sexy as hell and worked very well for him. His eyes were a light green and they held so many emotions. I’d found myself lying in bed this morning thinking about those eyes.

Preston reached down and took my hand. A small part of me wanted to let the butterflies in my stomach take off in flight, but I pushed the feeling away. As we walked, Preston turned down Huntington Avenue and walked into the Westin Hotel.

Coming to a dead stop in the lobby, I dropped Preston’s hand. “What are we doing in a hotel, Preston?” My heart was beating at a crazy pace and I was shocked by the confusing emotions running through my head. For one brief moment, I was hoping Preston had brought me here to make love to me.

Where in the hell did that thought come from?
Jesus, Harmony. Stow away the hormones.

Preston looked at me with his head slightly tilted. Taking a step closer, he leaned in close to me as my chest heaved up and down. “Why, Harmony, you don’t think I brought you to a hotel to have sex with you, do you?”

Letting out a nervous chuckle, I shook my head. “Of course not.” My betraying voice cracked.

Then it happened. Preston smiled the most gorgeous smile ever and I knew I was going to have to fight like hell to keep my betraying feelings down.

“ ’Cause if I wanted to make love to you, I sure as hell would give you more than a mid-morning roll in the sack at a local hotel.”

Swallowing hard, I gave him a smile and forced my eyes to roll, even though my mind was racing with what Preston would do if he wanted to make love to me.

“Okay, so what are we doing here?” I asked, trying to sound normal. Like the way he just spoke to me didn’t have my insides completely melting.

Reaching for my hand again, Preston led me to the elevator. “I want to show you something.” Hitting the button marked for meeting rooms, the elevator took us up the short distance.

When the door opened, I couldn’t help but notice Preston’s smile. He was giddy about something, and that made me smile. The feeling was foreign but nice. As we approached the America Ballroom, I saw the display sign but couldn’t read it. Preston walked too quickly and kept the sign blocked.

Walking through the door, I let out a gasp. The room was filled with paintings. Not just any paintings, but Geoffrey Chatten paintings. “Preston,” I whispered as I walked farther into the room. The first thing that popped into my head was that I was walking around an art exhibit dressed in New York Yankees stuff. Then I noticed we were the only people in the room.

Spinning around, I let out a giggle. “Chatten is one of my favorite painters.” Glancing over at Preston, my smile faded. “How did you know?”

His face beamed with pride as he looked around. “Jake mentioned it to me a while back. One of my best friends is a manager here and he happened to mention the art show and I called in a favor. Asked him if we could preview it before it opened to the public.”

I didn’t know what to say. No one had ever done anything like that for me before. My lower lip trembled and Preston’s smile faded. “Harmony? If you want to leave we can, I just thought—”

Lifting up my hand to stop him from talking, I shook my head. “No! This is just so…amazing. I didn’t even know that Jake knew Chatten was a favorite of mine.”

Smiling, Preston took my hand and I had to fight double time now to keep the feelings away. “Do you have any of his paintings?”

I whispered, “I have one. My mother brought it back from the UK on one of their trips abroad. I fell in love with his Impressionist painting right away.”

“Impressionist painting, what does that mean?” Preston asked.

“It’s a style where the artist captures the object like someone is catching a glimpse of it. They are usually landscapes and the artist will use bright, vibrant colors.”

Nodding, Preston walked up to a painting. “I like the seascape paintings.”

My stomach fluttered deeply in my belly. “Me too. They are my favorites. I think it’s because the ocean is my favorite place to be. Being near the sea allows me to think better. Clears my mind.” My voice drifted off as I gazed at one of the paintings.

Preston walked off and looked at the paintings. “I like this one, too. I love the color blue.”

Turning, I made my way over to the painting.
Iris in Blue Vase
was the title. The colors were amazing as I stood and looked at all the details. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

“Yeah, it really is,” Preston said as he stood next to me. Sneaking a look at him, I smiled when I saw how the painting had him captivated.

We spent the next hour walking from piece to piece, and then Preston’s friend came in to see how we were enjoying the artwork. While Preston chatted with his friend, I made arrangements to buy two paintings. They were expensive, but I could afford it. My mother and father’s way of reaching out to me after Trey and TJ died was to send me a large sum of money. Little did they know I knew it had come from my grandparents. Jake had inherited his when he turned twenty-one, and I was to inherit mine at twenty-one as well. Of course, my parents made it look like it was from them and they had made special arrangements for me to get it early.

Preston walked up to me and placed his hand on the small of my back as he spoke.

Ignore the pull in your stomach, Harmony. It means nothing. You’re just lonely.

“Ready for lunch?”

Right on cue, my stomach growled as Preston chuckled. “I will take that as a yes.”

I giggled. “At least my hangover is slowly fading.”

Preston kept his hand on my lower back and I wasn’t surprised by how much I enjoyed him leading me like he was. “Have you ever eaten at Temptations Café?”

Shaking my head, I said, “Nope. Is it casual?” Pointing to my clothing, I smiled.

Throwing his head back, Preston laughed. “Yes, ma’am, it is. Soups, sandwiches, wraps, and my favorite dessert ever.”

Pursing my lips together, I nodded. “Hmm, I’m intrigued now by this dessert.”

“It’s pretty awesome.”

Less than five minutes later we were walking into Temptations Café. “How did you find this place?” I asked.

Walking up to order, Preston turned to me. “It’s right down the road from my station.”

My interest was immediately piqued. “The fire station?”

Nodding, he looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. “Yeah.”

“Can we stop by?”

I wasn’t sure how to read him. His eyes turned from happiness to something else I wasn’t able to read.

Preston’s eyes searched my face. “You want to stop by the station? That won’t…be hard for you?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I made a face. “I don’t think so. I’m really curious to see where you work. See what you do.”

A slight smile moved across Preston’s face. “Really?”

Letting out a small laugh, I nodded. “Really. Really.”

The girl behind the counter called out, “Next,” and Preston stepped up.

The young girl looked to be about my age. “Hey, Preston. Are you off today?”

Giving her a polite smile, he took a quick look at me before turning back and talking. “Hey, Lori. Yeah, I have today off. I’ll have the usual, garden wrap with a bottled water.”

Glancing up at the menu, I read what Preston had ordered. “That sounds good, I’ll have the same,” I said as I smiled at the girl behind the counter. Her eyes snapped between Preston and me before she looked at me with a death stare.

Whoa. Someone had a crush on the handsome firefighter. Biting my lower lip, I attempted to hold back my chuckle.

“We’ll also take two Nutella and Bananas.” Preston snuck a peek at me and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. I couldn’t hold back my laughter this time.

“That’s your amazing dessert?” I asked as Preston handed Lori money.

He looked horrified. “Yes! Nutella and a banana on a brioche. It’s heaven, Harmony. Pure heaven.”

Rolling my eyes, I looked around the restaurant. The place was cute and everything smelled good. The baked items looked to die for and I was shocked Preston liked something so simple as Nutella and banana. I’ll admit, I’d never tasted Nutella, so for all I knew I was missing out on something good.

Preston pulled my chair out for me as we sat down. We talked the entire time we ate. He told me about growing up in Boston before his father retired to the country. He had two brothers and a sister. His favorite place to be was at his parents’ country house or on the ocean sailing.

I decided to keep the conversation on Preston and he didn’t seem to mind.

Lori walked over and placed the Nutella and Bananas down in front of us.

“Dig in,” Preston said with a smile.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I asked, “Um…is Nutella good?”

Preston’s mouth dropped open as he stared at me.

“You’ve never had Nutella? Like, ever?”

Pressing my lips together so I didn’t giggle, I shook my head.

Preston leaned back in his chair and put his hand over his heart. “I’ve so much to teach you. So much.”

Swallowing hard, I felt my face flush.

Oh, the things I wanted Preston to teach me.