Page 11 of A Home for Harmony (Blossoms #16)
JUST BEING ME
“ A re you sure you’re fine with having dinner tonight?” Harmony asked the next day. “You had to work today.”
She’d caved and sent Micah a text last night to say she hoped he had a nice holiday. She didn’t even know if he was going to be alone or not.
And didn’t her video say to reach out to someone and it might make their day? All she was doing was following her own advice.
At least that was what she’d told herself when she finally sent the text at seven after her family left along with Tucker and his family.
It was only Harmony and Erica in the house, and the minute her sister put her clothes away, she reached out to some sizzling pork.
When he didn’t reply by nine, she wished she would have shut the stove off and let it sit rather than cooking up more intrigue.
“I had to work last night too,” he said.
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t know you worked nights.”
Maybe that was why she didn’t get a text until after ten last night. Her phone was on silent and she never heard it go off as she’d been sleeping soundly after an eventful day.
He shrugged. “We always work things out. I’ve had people come in earlier for me so I could get home before Scarlet woke up or vice versa. It’s not always possible, but we try.”
He opened the door to the restaurant they were going to. They’d met here and she was fine with that.
“It’s still nice to do it,” she said. “How was your holiday? Or what you had of it before you worked.”
He laughed. “A funny thing about that.”
“Oh, you’re laughing. It has to be good.”
It was only the second time he’d done that in front of her.
“Just two?” the hostess asked.
“Yes,” he said.
Once they were seated, she asked, “Are you going to share what was funny so I can make a note to get you to smile or grin again?”
He closed one eye at her. “Scarlet texted me at nine on Christmas Eve and asked if she could come spend the night.”
“Oh,” she said, dragging the sound out. “Guess it was a good thing I left before that.”
She’d gotten home a little before eight and it’d been hard for her to drag her feet out of his house.
Not that she’d admit that to him.
“I thought of that too,” he said. “She knows at night she has to text and just not show up. I don’t want to worry it’s someone trying to break in.”
She cringed. Those thoughts never used to cross her mind.
Now she was jumpier at all noises.
She’d bet if he heard a noise, he’d have his gun out or be ready to fight.
She’d never been with a guy that she ever worried about those things and wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
Guess it took a special person to be with a significant other in a job like that.
She wanted to be that special person and was going to work through it.
“Didn’t she go to her grandparents with her mother?” she asked.
They placed their drink and food orders quickly when the server came back over.
“She did, but she and her mother are having issues, it seems.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Nothing major,” he said, shrugging. “I think typical teenage girl things. Scarlet takes her time getting ready and runs late, and it’s an annoying habit. She knows not to do it, but she was yesterday so I think Trinda gave her a hard time about it.”
She frowned. “And she held a grudge over that?”
“I thought the same thing,” he said. “But then she admitted she enjoyed being with me on Christmas morning. That her mother gives her gift cards and doesn’t put a tremendous effort into buying gifts to put by the tree.
I buy and wrap gifts. She tells me what she wants and sends me the links so I can’t get it wrong. ”
“That’s so sweet,” Harmony said.
“You’re making me feel less than a man right now with the look in your eyes.”
She leaned in with a big cheesy grin. “You should feel more like one. The easy way is gift cards. Most men do that. You took the time to give your daughter what she wanted and she is telling you she appreciates it by wanting to be with you and share in that time.”
His face flushed adorably.
Harmony wasn’t sure she would have been able to picture him as blushing.
“I felt that way,” he said. “That I must be doing something right.”
“I think you do a lot more right than you want to give yourself credit for,” she said.
“Could be,” he said. “I’m just being me.”
“I put a video out yesterday with that message. That being yourself is the best gift you could give to someone and yourself.”
“You posted a video on Christmas morning?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“I can see that look on your face. It’s something that I do to prove that life isn’t about putting on a show and looking your best. I shot it before I got out of bed in the morning. The only thing I did was wipe the eye booger away.”
He snorted. “I might have to join that site to see what you’re wearing. Though I’m not sure I like that hundreds of thousands of other people got to see you in your sleepwear.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out. “Here you go. Nothing to see. I’m not stupid and never do anything that I think would appear sexually appealing. I’m never careless about those things.”
“I’ve insulted you,” he said.
“No,” she said. “You’ve been very clear about your feelings regarding my career, or parts of it. I understand it with your job and what you’ve seen and how teens are nowadays. I’m trying to be the opposite, but that doesn’t mean my message is always received properly.”
He watched her video and handed it back after sighing.
“All I see is a gray T-shirt and your shoulders and arms.”
“That’s right. The blanket is covering the rest of me and I make sure nothing in my videos or pictures is visible for people to figure out where I’m located.”
He paused and processed that. “Is there a reason for that other than being cautious?”
“I like having some of my life secret,” she said.
“I went on a date a few months ago with someone that lives in New Haven. He came here and we met at the casino. He was posting all sorts of pictures of us there and it was frustrating for me. I never told him where I lived, but said that I had business in the area and picked the casino.”
“Smart,” he said.
“Again, I’m not stupid. I had a feeling he was going to post a lot of things. We met online and I knew he was trying to gain followers using me, but I was hopeful I might be wrong. I don’t like to be used for anything. And it’s part of the reason I like to keep things private. Even a simple date.”
It scared her when Skyler had done that, that someone who she didn’t want to know where she was could find out.
But she’d covered her butt and posted pictures after visiting the day before to make it look like she was working. Then she did the same the next day after going back again.
Anyone else would just assume it was work related and it was close enough to New York City where they knew she’d worked previously.
“So you’re not posting anything about us or me?” he asked.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “My personal life when it comes to that is off limits. I’ve always been that way and made it clear when people ask me. The fact Skyler did that only annoyed me.”
“That’s good to know,” he said. “I don’t think I want to show up in any of your videos or pictures.”
“I’d never do that without someone’s consent and I’m not asking.
I post nothing about any of my family members.
Not even their names. When I was younger, I had things posted about Theo and Erica, not a lot, but enough and I deleted it all.
Do I know someone could recover it? Sure, I do, but it wasn’t anything horrible either.
I set up all new accounts when I started working years ago anyway.
I’d like to think there was nothing outrageous about my life that someone would snoop so far back into my childhood to find out my family members. ”
“You’re a lot more serious about this than people give you credit for.”
“Thank you,” she said, nodding. “I don’t really care all that much about people in general. Which is horrible for me to say in my line of work. But the truth is, those playing a part in my life in person are those I put the most trust in and focus on.”
“Do I fall into that category?” he asked.
“You do,” she said, putting her chin in her hand. “What do you really think of my job and career? Be honest.”