Page 54 of A Home for Harmony

“Ooohhh,” she said as if it just hit her what he was alluding to. “You cracked a joke. I wasn’t sure you had that ability.”

“I’ve been known to do it a time or two,” he said drily.

“I really am sorry for stopping by like this unannounced. I told Erica earlier that I just wanted to talk to you. I know it sounds silly. That was before all this happened. I wanted to hear your voice, but knew you were working. I’m going out of town tomorrow.”

“You are?” he asked. Why hadn’t he known that?

Because they hadn’t done much more than have a few texts since their night together days ago.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ve got to go to New York City tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got a job there with a few other people and then I’m staying the night with an old friend and we are going to Times Square to watch the ball drop. I planned this trip a few months ago.

He wanted to tell her not to go and all the things that could go wrong on a night like that.

But he wouldn’t.

He’d come off as old and parenting to her.

She wasn’t his child.

He wasn’t even sure if he could call her his girlfriend but knew he wanted to think she was.

“Oh,” he said. “I’ve got to work New Year’s Eve. I’m covering for the other captain who had plans.”

“We hadn’t talked about it. I know Scarlet has been around too and you probably don’t want to talk on the phone at night if she’s there.”

He’d been thinking about it. He could do it in his room with the TV on. Scarlet had a TV in her room also, but half the time she had a headset on listening to music or whatever else she watched on her computer.

“We can try,” he said. “She is normally busy or doing her own thing. She’s in her room by nine with the door shut.”

“How about you?” she asked. “When do you go to bed?”

“Is this where you tell me I’m old?” he asked, narrowing one eye at her.

“Nope. I try to get to bed around ten most nights, if not earlier, and watch TV in bed or do a few things on my computer in bed. I’m not much of a night owl and will be lucky to stay awake on New Year’s Eve. I’ll want to leave as soon as the ball is down, but I know it will take us time to get back to Lizzie’s place.”

“Lizzie?” he asked. Sounded like a woman to him so not an old male friend.

“I worked with Lizzie at my last job. We got along well and hung out too. I was in Manhattan not that long ago with Erica for work and Lizzie and I had lunch. She knew I was going there for work and she asked me to stay with her that night. I was only going to do what I had to and leave but took advantage of it.”

“And things change,” he said. “I know. As I said, I’m working anyway.”

She looked uncomfortable standing there now. Like it all hit her where she was.

“I shouldn’t have come,” she said. “Someone might ask what this was about and then what are you going to say?”

“No one is going to ask me,” he said.

Luke was off, Brooks not in the office. They were the only two who knew Harmony. If they saw her, he’d have to say what was going on, but he’d like to put that off for now.

“Because you’re the boss,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I enjoy being the boss.”

“It has its perks,” he said.

“It does. Is it bad of me to want to know if I can have a kiss before I leave?”

“No,” he said. He moved closer and gave her a light peck on the lips.

“Thank you,” she said. She sniffed him and he rolled his eyes. “You smell good. I feel so much better. I had to film the products I got from Blossoms and did it after lunch hoping to be distracted while I waited for your call. Then I said screw it and drove here like an idiot.”