Page 32 of A Home for Harmony

Scarlet laughed. “I’ll text Mom now. Can we have pancakes and bacon? I saw bacon in there.”

“That was the plan,” he said. “I’ll make eggs too.”

“Why is your face red?” Scarlet asked.

“What?”

“Your face is red. Why?”

“I didn’t know it was,” he lied.

There was no way he’d admit that when he picked up the package of bacon, all his thoughts went to the woman in his arms last night.

He wondered if it’d look desperate if he texted her today.

10

JUST BEING ME

“Are 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.”