Page 15 of A Home for Harmony

She needed to stop letting it get to her. When you put yourself out there, comments came with the territory. Even the ones that made your skin crawl a little.

She had boundaries with those friends online and most understood it.

Even Skyler stopped asking her to go on another date with him.

He’d let up on his communication with her too and she was cool with that.

Their one date in October was nice, but it wasn’t much more than that and she knew darn well he was using her to get followers and exposure.

He could do his own work and not ride on her back. She wasn’t strong enough to carry people like that and didn’t want to.

Why couldn’t someone just want to go on a date with her and not always associate her with her social media following?

When Harmony got to town, she breathed a sigh of relief that she made it and her car was running like normal.

She opened the door to the scent of all the spices she’d come to love for the sodium carb overload she was going to stuff her face with.

When her eyes landed on a familiar face in the crowd, she smiled and locked her gaze on him, waiting. Sure enough, it took about two seconds before the aged bacon turned and met her eyes.

Just like she knew he would.

5

TRUSTWORTHY

Micah hated the feeling of being watched.

Rather than whip his head around looking for danger in a stupid situation like getting Chinese takeout for his dinner, he casually turned his head to scan the room.

There she was. The woman he’d spentwaytoo much time looking up online.

Not that he’d ever admit it to anyone, but something about her just sat in his brain and no amount of shoving her out was happening.

“Hi,” she said, lifting her hand and sending him a little wave.

He’d been told dinner would be twenty minutes, which was twenty-five ago and there were still a few people ahead of him so he moved away from where he was standing by the wall and got closer to the door where Harmony walked in.

“Did you break down and walk in to wait here for a ride?” he asked.

Her eyes sparkled some. When the hell had he ever noticed that about a person before?

He hadn’t, but he did now.

The bright blue of them was lit up with the big smile she was sending his way.

“I didn’t,” she said. “But if I had, I was prepared this time.”

He looked at the navy jacket she was wearing with her jeans and the same boots that his daughter had.

“You are. Did you get your car fixed?”

“Yes,” she said. “They said it was some weird electrical issue and should be fine now.” She leaned in closer to him, and the scent of whatever was on her body was floating up in a cloud around his head. Floral and citrus and made him want to inhale deeply. He didn’t. “I was nervous driving here. I hate to think I’ve got PTSD, but it’s dark out and the last thing I need to do is break down again.”

“You can’t let it take over your life. As you said, a freak thing. And you are prepared.”

“I learned my lesson,” she said, nodding. “My sister, Erica, lectured me as hard as I think you wanted to do.”

He snorted. Guess she saw right through him. “I’ve got restraint.”