Page 17 of A Home for Harmony (Blossoms #16)

NEED TO COMMUNICATE

“ I ’m running to Blossoms right now,” Harmony said, popping her head into Erica’s office. She didn’t always tell her sister her plans. “I’m going to pick up lunch on the way home if you want anything.”

“What are you buying?” Erica asked.

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll figure it out unless you come up with something.”

“I’ll let you know,” Erica said. “When are you leaving for New York City, before I forget?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” she said. “I wanted to go on New Year’s Eve, that morning, but the sponsor called and asked that I be there before I would have arrived that day. They want me and two others that I know to meet.”

“To do what?” Erica asked. “If you know them.”

“I know them from online,” she said. “All three of us promote their products. They want us to shoot a campaign together and for each of us to post it. We are the only three that will go there this time of year.”

Watching the ball drop hadn’t been at the top of her list of things to do since she’d done it before.

Sure, the atmosphere was electric, but it was also chaotic.

She was trying to cut out as much chaos from her life as she could.

Especially since, like an idiot this morning, she accepted a gift card from Skyler that he’d sent her on Christmas day.

It was common for people to send her gift cards. Clients and others on social media that she had a connection with. She sent them to people too.

She sent gifts if she knew addresses, but no one knew hers, and that meant gift cards if she received anything.

She’d been in a rush to go through them and saw the one for Godiva and was all giddy. When she saw it was a guy she’d chatted with online for about a year and then went on a date with, she wished she hadn’t accepted it.

Their one date wasn’t horrible. Just not enough to have a second.

He was using her for exposure, and she hated that more than anything.

Maybe she did that without thinking because her mind was just on other things.

Like thoughts of Micah and wondering when she’d see him again.

Not this week.

She’d be leaving town tomorrow and wouldn’t be back until late Thursday afternoon.

For all she knew, he was working, or if he wasn’t, he would have his daughter at his house with him.

But she wouldn’t be clingy like she’d told him.

“You’re not staying with them, are you?” Erica asked.

“Don’t be a mother to me,” she said. “I’m staying with Lizzie and that is who I’m going out with on New Year’s Eve. But I’ve got work to do first.”

Lizzie had mentioned a few others from their old job at Media Creator who might want to join them, but she was hoping it didn’t turn out that way.

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t with a bunch of strangers,” Erica said. “That isn’t being a mother.”

“Well,” she said, giggling. “Newsflash. I’ll be surrounded by strangers on Broadway.”

“Don’t remind me,” Erica said. “But I know you like those things.”

“Not as much anymore.”

“What does Micah think of it?” Erica asked.

“I haven’t told him,” she said. “We haven’t talked much. He was working yesterday and today so the most we’ve done are a few texts. I think his daughter is staying with him, so that makes it harder.”

Erica nodded her head. “You’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you for saying that,” she said. “I don’t need someone else getting on my case about something in my life.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Erica said, smiling. “I know you’re happy with him so far.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning.

“Wow,” Erica said. “Now who is Oscar the Grouch? I only meant so far, as it hasn’t been that long. Nothing more.”

Her shoulders that had tensed, just relaxed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right. I think I’m preparing myself to get defensive and I have no idea why.”

“Don’t get worked up,” Erica said. “You’re the one who takes everything day by day. Do that now. Or do you want something more than what you’re getting?”

She walked in and sat in front of her sister’s desk. “I don’t know what I want.”

Erica pursed her lips. “Say the first thing you want that comes off the top of your head.”

“I want to talk to him now,” she said, laughing. “I don’t know. I think what I mean is that I want to know I’ve got access to him even if it’s not all the time.”

“Then you need to communicate that to him,” Erica said. “Or it will not go very far.”

“I know,” she said. “I’ll deal with it when I return. And I need to run. Text me what you want for lunch if you decide.”

She left after that and drove to the Blossoms store, parked in the back and walked around the front.

The wind was blowing and there were snowflakes in the air, but nothing sticking to the ground.

“Harmony,” Daisy said. “Come on over.”

Her sister-in-law was behind the jewelry counter waiting on a customer.

“Do what you need to,” she said. “I’m going to check out a few things over here.”

“Poppy is in her office if you want to go back,” Daisy said. “She’s expecting you.”

“I’ll do that now,” she said. Poppy was one of the owners she was scheduled to see today anyway.

There was a new product they wanted her to try out and what better place than in New York City where it’d be cold and this would be perfect.

She moved past the counter and into the back, then turned and saw Poppy’s door open and knocked on the frame.

“Harmony,” Poppy said, getting up. “How have you been? Come in. I’m so excited for you to try these out. They’ve been slow sellers.”

She moved in and saw a pile of accessories on a table.

“We’ll see what we can do about it,” she said.

“The cold weather is going to work in my favor. I’m going to have it on for New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

I’ll be posting pictures, so what I’ll do before I get there is shoot a little video and get it posted so everyone can see what I’m wearing and know where to get it. ”

“Oh wow,” Poppy said, doing a little dance. “That’s a bonus. I had no idea you were going there for New Year’s Eve. My days of late night events are long gone.”

“Who needs activities like that when you’ve got Reese and the kids at home?” she asked.

“That’s my life now,” Poppy said. “And I’m loving every bit of it.

Here are the headbands. As you can see, there are several colors or designs to choose from.

They are no-slip and thin, but they keep you warm.

The bamboo fabric is more expensive, but if taken care of will last for a long time. It’s breathable too.”

Harmony picked up a light blue one with swirls of white and baby’s breath flowers almost floating in the wind. It kind of reminded her of herself going where the wind blows.

“It’s silky feeling.”

“It is,” Poppy said. “But it will stay in place and won’t make you sweat. I think the biggest problem is getting people to see this without having a commercial explaining it.”

She giggled. “Which is where I come in,” she said. “I’m ultimately giving you a mini one. So this is perfect timing. They can see it and I’ll tag it and reference it back when they see me wearing it in the cold.”

“We appreciate this,” Poppy said. “Lily has the contracts up in her office. I think Rose has a few things for you too.”

“I love getting things,” she said, doing a little shoulder wiggle.

Harmony was only getting paid a sponsorship fee on the headbands because she was putting more time into it than just a free item that she’d comment on wearing.

She’d done it for years for Blossoms as a favor for Daisy, but in the past year, they paid her for more specific items.

“Why don’t you take all of these,” Poppy said. “If you’re anything like me, you might not know what you’re going to wear that night.”

“I don’t know yet,” she said. “But I’ll make sure all these designs get in the video.” There were six of them on the table, all bright but not tacky designs with some amount of flowers in them.

She was still holding the blue one and was positive she’d be wearing that in Times Square, but there was a bright orange and red poppy one calling her name too.

“Wait until you see the earrings we’ve got,” Daisy said, leaning into Poppy’s office.

“I can’t wait,” she said.

“Bring them in here,” Poppy said. “That way she can see them with the headbands.”

Poppy was grinning so she knew they might go together. Not that she’d guarantee she’d wear them together that night, but she’d slip them on for the video, most likely as a bonus.

She loved their products.

“Here you go,” Daisy said, moving in with Rose. “First, which of the thick headbands are calling to you?” Soft material that was extra wide to cover almost half her head along with her ears to keep her warm.

“These two,” she said, holding the blue with the baby’s breath and the one with poppies.

“You called it,” Rose said.

“I know you so well,” Daisy said. “They are all great, but the blue is going to look fabulous on you and you tend to wear that royal blue peacoat when you’re dressing up more.”

“I did plan on wearing that,” she said. With fitted jeans and UGGs. That was the best way to stay warm. Plus she could wear a small crossbody purse under her jacket and not worry about someone trying to steal it off of her.

Maybe she still worried about those things in a crowd too.

“Check these out,” Daisy said. “One for each of those scarves if you choose it that way.”

Harmony reached for the earrings in Rose’s hands. They were silver dangle earrings and pressed glass. One pair had poppies in it, the other, baby’s breath.

They’d hang down enough to be seen outside the headbands, but were not so big that they’d be in the way.

“These are both great,” she said. “I’ll definitely be wearing one of these sets. I think the poppy one is just going to stand out so much more than the blue, even though the blue matches. The poppy contrasts. Oh, I’m so excited, I can’t wait.”

She hugged everyone in the room.

“We are thrilled too,” Poppy said.

She left Poppy’s office after that, then went to Lily’s to sign her contract. Though this type of business income didn’t always motivate her, she wouldn’t refuse it for products and brands she loved.

“Harmony,” Lily said. “Come in and we’ll get this out of the way.”

She set her bag of products down on the table where Lily had walked over.

“I love the headbands. I hope I can give them a bit more traction.” She told Lily what she’d said to Poppy earlier and her plans for it.

“That’s wonderful,” Lily said. “It feels like you’ll be doing more than we are paying you for. We were just looking for the video.”

“I know,” she said. “But I love them and I needed something to wear on my head anyway that night. It’s working out wonderfully, as if the stars are aligning. I’ve always felt in life that happens.”

“I think you’re right,” Lily said. “At least I believe that now, but man, did it take a lot of hard work to get here.”

“And still does,” she said, nodding. “I know.”

Though enough people didn’t think what she did was work.

Just because it was fun didn’t mean it took little effort on her part.

“Lily,” Ivy said, running into the room. “Oops, sorry. I’ll come back.”

“It’s fine,” Harmony said. “I need to sign these papers. Go ahead.”

She sat down to read through it quickly while Ivy was talking to Lily.

“Brooks just texted me. There was a standoff with hostages that finally ended. He was there with the state police. Can I run out quickly and go see him?”

“Of course,” Lily said. “I know it’s hard when you hear these things.”

Harmony lifted her head. “Did he say how it ended?”

“Yeah, I guess the guy shot two people before he ran into some house and took hostages, but Brooks’s captain talked him out and they arrested him.”

She was pretty sure her face just paled because she knew damn well who that person was and was on the scene when she thought he sat at a desk all the time now.

Why the hell didn’t she think of these things before?!