Page 50 of A Home for Harmony

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 getthere 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.”