Page 130 of A Home for Harmony

“I don’t want to get into it.”

The last thing he wanted to do was admit to his daughter he might have lost the best thing that happened to him.

The word failure knocked some sense into him.

The one thing he didn’t want to do in another relationship. Or make someone else feel.

Yet he did without knowing.

“Did you lecture her and make her feel as if it was her fault?” His daughter’s hands were on her hips as she glared at him.

“It doesn’t concern you,” he said. “I’m going to change.”

“Dad! Talk to me. I’m not a child. I love Harmony, and if you made a mistake, then you should own it. That is what you always tell me. She’s fantastic at what she does. She’s not like other people online. Everything she does and says is positive. Even today, that was a horrible thing happening to her and though she wasn’t her normal peppy self, she’s always upbeat. She was composed enough that people listened. You should see the support and responses she’s getting.”

“I saw them,” he said.

“Make it right, Dad. Because I’m positive you messed up. That’s when you want to avoid talking about it.”

His daughter turned and stomped away from him.

Guess all the women in his life were putting him in his place.

39

TO HELP PEOPLE

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Harmony sat at her computer the next morning and opened her email. Last night she’d seen on her phone that her inbox was climbing. She didn’t want to look.

She wanted to have a pity party with her sister that the man she loved thought so little of her. His true opinion came out and she had to decide her next step.

After scanning all the names, she found the one she was looking for.

From Danielle.

It was sent at eleven last night. She knew she’d get an email from her within twenty-four hours and that was less than twelve.

She opened it, her eyes landing on the first words.I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to feel that way. It was me who sent the flowers and me that’s been sending all the messages. You’ve always been so kind to me and I’ve looked up to you, but I knew we’d never be friends like I’d hoped. I just thought if I sent you those comments anonymously, they’d get your attention more than putting my name on them. It would hurt too much if you were purposely ignoring me and that’s why Idid it. I was praising and complimenting the way you made me feel, but I went about it wrong.

She read the rest of the email. Her heart sank at the loneliness that Danielle exhibited. It didn’t excuse what had been done, but she was happy that Danielle had owned up to it.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Erica asked, moving forward and putting a cup of coffee on the desk.

Harmony picked it up and took a long, slow drink. “Better now that I got this. I didn’t sleep well last night. I couldn’t get Micah out of my mind. Was I so wrong about him?”

“I don’t think so,” Erica said. “Sometimes we are blind when we are in love. You know what Tucker did.”

Tucker had asked Erica to be his fake fiancée and then, when the reason for the ruse was no longer needed, he didn’t tell Erica and let her find out from someone else.

“I thought of that too. I thought of everything. He’s not one to lose his temper.”

“He did yesterday.”

“Scarlet texted me last night that she’s not talking to her father until he makes it right.”

“He told his daughter what happened?” Erica asked. “That’s personal.”