Page 34 of A Home for Harmony (Blossoms #16)

MADE THE ROUNDS

“ H appy Birthday,” Erica said to her on Wednesday.

“Thank you.” There was a muffin on the counter with a candle in it. What a sweet way to wake up.

Harmony would’ve liked to have woken up with Micah this morning, but he had Scarlet last night at his house and she understood he wasn’t at the point where he wanted to ask his daughter not to come for a night.

Erica lit the candle. “Make a wish.”

“I think my wishes are coming true,” she said, smiling and then did a tap dance in place. But she did make a wish about her relationship with Micah, even though it was everything she’d always wanted.

“You’re so sweet,” Erica said. “The two of you together were great. Mom didn’t know how to react.”

Harmony laughed and took the wrapper off the muffin. “I’m still surprised by it. Do you really believe she’s going to change?”

“I think so,” Erica said. “Or maybe I hope so.”

“It was nice of you to say you’d talk to her this week about the wedding plans. Are you going to or did you say that to save me?”

“I’m going to try it. We have it narrowed down to places and dates. You know that.”

“I do,” she said. “I can’t wait and it’s going to be nice to get away in the fall. What do you think Mom is going to say?”

“She seemed excited about going away. I thought maybe the three of us could go dress shopping. That’s going to be the start of it.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” she said. “A new beginning. She’s going to be opinionated, but maybe she can be nice about it.”

“We’ll see,” Erica said. “What are your plans today?”

“I’m having lunch with Micah. Which we don’t do often. Scarlet is at his house tonight, but she wants to cook dinner for me. Isn’t that nice?”

“Very nice,” Erica said. “You seem to blend into his family well.”

“I guess so,” she said. “As well as we can. Scarlet is a good kid, but I don’t want her to resent me.

” She took a big bite of her muffin while Erica walked over to make her a coffee.

After she finished chewing, she said, “She’s following me closely on social media.

I told you about the day I made the cookies. ”

“You did. Does it make you think twice about what you’re posting now?” Erica asked.

“Yes and no. It shouldn’t. I’ve always had the mentality that I didn’t want to post anything to hurt someone else or have people come after me or try to cancel me. That stuff happens so often. I think I’ve always been considerate about how someone might think.”

And now she had that worry that her boyfriend, who hadn’t been too keen on her career, might not approve of something if it affected his daughter.

It was a heavy burden to carry that she hadn’t thought of prior.

“You don’t want Micah mad at you either if Scarlet does something or acts a certain way based on a post you did. Or if people connect the two of you?”

“I don’t want to have my relationship be a secret forever. I’m not posting anything about them right now and she isn’t telling too many people either. But why can’t I let people know I’m in love without saying with who?”

“It can’t stay a secret forever,” Erica said. “And you’re right. It might be hurtful if he wants it that way.”

Her head went back and forth. “I understand he puts Scarlet first. It’s not like I want all that much of my personal life out there.”

“I noticed you’re not posting as much,” Erica said.

“I’m not,” she said, sighing. “I’m doing my videos like I do a few times a week. Words of wisdom or funny clips that make me laugh. Even my other posts are just that and not so much about my life. I’m not counting anything for my sponsors.”

People had been wondering what was going on or where she was. She already checked her phone today and it was blowing up with birthday wishes.

It only took one person to remember or know and post it and it was everywhere.

“You said you were going to cut back and only do things for your sponsors. But you know that if you don’t continue to engage with your followers, you might lose your sponsorship money too.”

“You’re raining on my birthday sprinkles,” she said, laughing. All things she’d thought of too. “I know those things. But my instructional videos are doing so well. I want to continue to expand on them.”

“I think you should,” Erica said. Her sister looked at her watch. “I’ve got to run. I’ll be back later and most likely before you.”

She hugged her sister and thanked her again for the birthday muffin and then went about her day.

She spent over an hour going through messages and emails. She posted the picture she’d taken of the muffin her sister had given her with the candle in but didn’t say who prepared it for her.

Might as well embrace it and let people know she was still around.

When the doorbell went off at eleven, she jumped to see who it was and the Blossoms delivery van was in the driveway.

“Yay me,” she said, opening the door. “I love flowers.”

“Happy Birthday,” Chris said. She’d met the part-time delivery driver a few times.

“Thank you. These are beautiful.”

“There are more.”

“More?” she asked. “That vase is huge.”

“You’re a popular girl,” Chris said, handing over the vase. It was the biggest, brightest bouquet she’d ever gotten.

She pulled the card out and saw it was from Poppy, Lily, and Rose. How sweet and she was positive they knew because of Daisy.

Two more vases came out. A smaller version of the one from the Bloom sisters and then a vase of pink roses. Those were from her father. She knew that. He always sent them.

“Thank you so much,” she said and shut the door.

Harmony pulled the card off the roses and read her father’s message. She squeezed her shoulders together and wiggled them some over how predictable he was.

The last one, she pulled the card off to see who they were from.

Happy flowers for the happiness you’ve brought to my life. Happy Birthday.

Hmmm, no name.

But it sounded a lot like what Micah said to her on Sunday, so she imagined they were from him.

Or she hoped they were.

Surprisingly, she hadn’t gotten another creepy email or message since Valentine’s Day. Over a month ago and she really hoped today didn’t break that.

What a horrible thought.

She finished a few things for work, then changed and went to meet Micah for lunch. She was going to his office again and hadn’t been there since the one time.

Now people knew he had a girlfriend, so she wondered how this would work out.

He told her to come here, so he must not care.

She parked and got out, then went to the front desk.

“Hi, I’m here for Micah.”

“Can I get your name?”

“Harmony James. He’s expecting me.”

“Yes, he said you were coming. Let me get you a visitor pass to put on and just sign here.”

She hadn’t done that last time she was here and wondered why. Maybe because Micah came out to get her himself.

Harmony signed her name and put the badge on and then the woman came around and opened the door.

She followed along without saying a word. There were some heads turning and she wondered if they knew she was coming. Brooks saw her and lifted his hand for a wave.

When she got to Micah’s office, he was sitting down working on his computer.

“Hey,” he said. “Come in. Thanks, Candy.”

“I didn’t know I was getting a personal escort,” Harmony said, laughing.

“I just got off a call. I thought I’d still be on it and told her a few minutes ago to bring you back.”

“A lot of people were watching me walk in. Was I imagining that?”

“No,” he said. “When I went to tell Candy, I said you were my girlfriend. I’m sure it made the rounds.”

“That might be the best gift ever,” she said, moving over to give him a hug. “Do I get a birthday kiss?”

“You do,” he said, smiling.

She found it sweet that he’d had no problem stating she was his girlfriend at work.

“It’s been a great day so far. Erica gave me a birthday muffin and made my coffee. I got a bunch of flowers. From the Bloom sisters, my father, and then I think from you, but they forgot your name on the card.”

He frowned. “I didn’t send you flowers.”

Her smile dropped. “You didn’t?”

“No,” he said. “There was no name on it?”

“It said happy flowers for the happiness you brought to my life . I thought it was you.”

He was shaking his head. “Nope. I’m not a flower person. Did you check with any of your friends?”

“No,” she said. “I don’t have that many. Not like you think. And very few know my address.”

“Why did you just pale, Harmony? What happened?”

“Nothing,” she said.

He closed his door. “Something is going on. I want to know what it is. I’m not an idiot. Maybe you wanting to learn to fire a gun triggered it, but my mind has been racing.”

She was hoping he wouldn’t have caught onto anything there but should have known better.

“I don’t like getting things from people I don’t know,” she said.

“Call Blossoms and find out,” he said. “Should be simple enough.”

She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of that herself.

Pulling her cell phone out, she made the call. “Hi, Violet, it’s Harmony.”

“Happy birthday, lady. Did you like your arrangements?”

“They were beautiful. Did you put them together?”

“Lily did the big one from her and her sisters. She likes to come down and play.”

“Even sweeter. I know this is horrible, but I don’t know who sent the smaller one. It had no name on it.”

“I thought that was odd too,” Violet said. “But I figured you’d know who it was.”

“I don’t know. Can you look at the receipt?”

“Sure can,” Violet said. “It was an online order.”

She waited while Violet was typing into the computer.

“She’s looking,” she whispered to Micah.

Maybe it was nothing more than someone knew she got a lot of stuff from Blossoms and bought them and asked them to be shipped without the address given.

Blossoms would know her address since she worked with them and had been in the place before. She’d even posted herself there a few times when she lived in New York.

“Sorry,” Violet said. “It was with a prepaid credit card.”

She had her phone out so that Micah could hear it, he mouthed, “Email address.”

“Is there an email address attached to it?” she asked. Again, nothing she’d think of. “And did they give my actual address or ask if you knew it?”

“The order included the address,” Violet said. “I don’t think anyone will care if I give you the email address it came from.” Harmony wrote down the address and thanked Violet.

“Do you know who that is?” Micah asked.

“Not off the top of my head. I’m going to search my contacts now.”

She pulled her phone out and came up with nothing. She even searched some of her followers for anyone that might have a handle even close to it.

Nothing again.

She slumped in his chair and took a few deep breaths.

She could be overreacting.

There was no reason for her to get concerned.

Yet her gut was telling her what she didn’t want to acknowledge.

“You’re white as a ghost, Harmony. What the hell is going on?”

“Don’t be mad.” She winced. “I think someone might be cyber-stalking me and now they know where I live.”