Page 70 of A Home for Harmony

The waterworks might come. He saw the shame in her face.

He wasn’t going to take the words back she needed to hear.

Tough love sucked, but he knew he had his daughter’s respect. She valued what he said.

It was a nice feeling knowing he was doing something right in his life.

“I’m sorry,” Scarlet said. “But she annoys me. She’s so mean and I don’t like how she is always saying things about you. Why can’t I stand up for you?”

“Hey,” he said, reaching his hand across the table and tapping it so she looked at him. “I don’t need you to fight my battles with your mother. We are all in a good place. If it makes her feel good to say things about me, then so be it. I know who I am. Do you know who I am?”

“Yes,” Scarlet said. “The best Dad ever.”

Micah snorted. “I’m not so sure about that. But I wasn’t the best husband.”

“Don’t do that,” Scarlet said. “She gets in your head too. Maybe it was simply not meant to be. I’ll even refrain from saying she’s bitchy to Randy too and he said it to her.”

“I guess you didn’t really refrain, did you?”

“Oops,” Scarlet said, grinning.

He would overlook it. “I only care about you and that you understand me.”

“I do,” Scarlet said. “Because you’re the best. I hope you find someone that understands you like I do. Or who can see that under your frown and narrow eyes, you’re a great guy.”

He wasn’t so sure of that.

He’d have to open up more for anything real to happen—but the fear of failing at another relationship might be stronger than the hope of getting it right.

22

MADE UP IN HER HEAD

“How are things with you and Micah?” Erica asked on Thursday. Harmony had just gotten off a video call and came down to make lunch. Since it was past one, she thought for sure she’d miss her sister.

“Good,” she said, opening the fridge and grabbing the last of the baked ziti from Sunday and sticking it into the microwave. Erica was eating the same thing. “Did you get held up? You always eat lunch at noon.”

Her sister smirked. “Not always, but I try to stick to a schedule.”

Erica suffered from migraines. Lifestyle changes played an important role in reducing them and Erica was OCD enough to stick to a routine.

“Just not today,” Harmony said, laughing.

“No,” Erica said. “You’re avoiding talking about Micah. Why?”

The microwave dinged. “I’m not avoiding it at all. Things are going well when we see each other. It’s not always easy. Scarlet is around, or when she’s not, she just pops in.”

“Have him come here like you did on Friday,” Erica said. “I’d like to meet him anyway and then I can go to Tucker’s.”

“I’ll think about it. It’s more about him wanting to do it. I think the only reason he came here last Friday was because he wasn’t sure when he was getting out of work and doesn’t like me driving at night.”

“The first time you met you were broken down on the side of the road,” Erica said.

She smirked. “I know. That wasn’t my fault, but I get it. I don’t want to worry about it happening again, but I can’t live my life in fear of leaving the house either. I drove to New York City last week and had no issues.”

Harmony hadn’t even been that nervous about driving in the traffic.

She and Erica had done it enough for years when they came here to visit.