Home for Christmas Series Box Set Duet

by Di Jones

  She’d just joined their conversation, and as her father spoke she turned to Emery with a flirtatious look on her face. “Yes. We most certainly are.” The way she raised her eyebrows and winked made his insides melt.

  “It’s my pleasure,” he said, sure from her blush that Harmony knew exactly what he meant.

  “Okay, Dad. I have to get back to it.” She kissed Arnold on the cheek and left the two men talking, although Emery could hardly concentrate on what Arnold was saying. After a few minutes he left, slapping Emery on the back before he did.

  The day went by quickly, with everything running smoothly. Everyone had prepared thoroughly for the rehearsals, and the only act that needed some work from him was Eliza-May Smith and Tommy Butler, both of whom needed some stage direction.

  “Eliza-May, you’ve got to focus on what Emery tells you,” the little girl’s mother chided her.

  Eliza-May nodded, her blonde ringlets flying around her face. “Yes, Mommy, I can listen to Memory.” Emery remembered her lisp from the first day he’d met her, when Harmony and the kids had sheltered him in the janitor’s closet.

  A moment later Tommy’s mother joined them up on the stage. “Would Tommy be better singing by himself?” The set of her shoulders showed her competitiveness and Emery sighed before answering her.

  “No. What makes this act so cute is them singing together.”

  “It would be cuter without Tommy.” Eliza-May’s mother glared at Tommy’s mom.

  “Tommy has a much better voice.”

  “He doesn’t.” Eliza-May’s mother was right, but Emery knew better than to agree with her.

  “He does.”

  The mothers were getting heated and to Emery’s relief Harmony strode over. “Okay, we chose both, and I think the kids are getting along just fine. Why don’t you both sit back down?” She carefully shepherded the mothers off the stage leaving him to work with the children.

  By the end of the rehearsal Emery was more exhausted than if he’d been practicing with his band all day. He walked over to Harmony. “Do you want me to walk you home?” he asked her.

  “No, that’s okay. Anita and I are walking home together.” She pulled on her coat. “The rehearsals went well, didn’t they?”

  “Apart from the warring mothers who are just like Hollywood moms.”

  “Yeah, it gets like that every time there’s a production on. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Why don’t we go for breakfast?” She didn’t answer so he clarified, “We can make it a working date if that would make you happier.”

  “Okay, that would be nice. We’ve had such a busy day and it would be good to discuss everything that’s happened and see what else we need to do.” She blushed and gave him a coy look. “And it would be great for you and I to catch up a little bit outside of the show too.” As Anita walked over to join them Harmony raised herself on her toes and gave him a quick kiss, leaving him wishing that it was already tomorrow.

  The next morning Harmony was waiting in the open doorway when he pulled up outside her house at eight sharp. Before he could even get out and open the car door for her, she got to it herself.

  She settled in, and he touched the accelerator lightly before pulling out onto the street. He drove slowly, only picking up speed once he’d driven through Lewiston, down the lakeshore past his house, and into the countryside.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I thought it would be nice to get away from Lewiston for an hour or two. Even though everyone’s agreed not to post on social media about my presence in town, word’s getting out and I’d like us to be able to have breakfast without the paparazzi showing up.”

  “I’ve never had an aspiration to be gossip magazine fodder.”

  “Exactly, which is why I’ve got my disguise with me.”

  A peal of laughter rang through the car. “I can’t wait to see it.” Emery glanced over and smiled. Spending time with her sure was good for his soul.

  Twenty minutes later he pulled up at a small café in the middle of nowhere which he’d passed on the way from the airport the day he’d first come back to Lewiston.

  “Your disguise?” Harmony reminded him.

  “Got it right here.” He opened the glove compartment and pulled out a baseball cap, which he shoved on his head backwards before donning a pair of wraparound sunglasses.

  “That’s it?” Harmony turned sideways in the seat, regarding him skeptically. “You just look like a famous person trying to be incognito.”

  “I don’t want to be too obvious, do I? I did think about a fake mustache, but I thought that might attract more attention than this. Anyway, hopefully no one here will pay us any attention.”

  They got out of the car and walked into the diner, which was quiet except for two old men sitting at the counter drinking coffee. Neither of them looked over as Emery and Harmony entered and even the waitress paid them little attention as she seated them at the back and passed them their menus.

  “Coffee?” she asked and a moment later came back with two steaming mugs, ready to take their breakfast orders.

  “What are you grinning about?” Emery asked Harmony after the waitress had left again.

  “She looks so bored. I was just imagining how much brighter her day would be if she knew who she was serving.”

  “But she doesn’t…see my disguise is working. She definitely would have paid more attention to me if I’d had a fake mustache on." He took a sip of his coffee. "How do you think things are going with the show?”

  “I’m happy. We might need a few more rehearsals, but I think it’s going to be a huge success.”

  They talked at length about the show and performers, and moved on to speaking about their own lives.

  “Are you happy living in Lewiston?” Emery asked her.

  Her eyes changed, became guarded. “I don’t have a comparison, do I?”

  “I guess what I’m really asking is if you’d consider leaving.”

  “To go where?”

  “Anywhere. Or is this the place you know you’re going to spend the rest of your life?’

  “Nothing’s set in stone in life. But yes, I’d live somewhere else. I feel sort of ready for an adventure. You’ve adjusted well. Do you ever miss Lewiston?”

  “The town a little. The people, a lot more.”

  He was about to tell her again how much he’d missed her when the waitress arrived back with bacon and eggs for him, and Harmony’s favorite, pancakes. She poured a generous dollop of maple syrup on them, and once they’d both eaten their first mouthfuls, he was ready to resume their conversation.

  As they talked, getting to know each other’s day-to-day lives, one thing was clear to him. His feelings for Harmony were growing stronger, and it was all he could do not to lean over the table and kiss her. Instead though, he touched her hand often as they talked, and not once did she pull away. This wasn’t the setting for anything more intimate than that, and happy with her response, he knew not to press things. Yes, he was determined to find out how she felt about him but he knew he’d have to take things slowly, as there was every chance she’d put barricades up if he rushed her.

  An hour and a half later, reluctantly, he brought the ‘date’ to a close. “We’d better get back. People will be wondering if we’ve run off.”

  “Chance would be a fine thing.” She looked up at him from under her eyelashes, and for the first time, Emery wondered if he’d started to win over the girl he still loved.

  Nine

  Harmony

  Harmony and Emery spent more time together over the next two weeks, and as well as the concert, there were other things for them to enjoy. To her delight, Emery instigated more outings, shoring up her confidence and belief that he enjoyed her company and cared for her.

  They breakfasted again out of town, this time at a more romantic upmarket café. On this occasion Emery ditched his disguise, but fortunately no one bothered them. Then a few nights later they had dinner at The
Butcher Block, a small, unpretentious restaurant on Lewiston town square. It was a big step for both of them, because they acknowledged it might attract a lot of unwanted attention. True to their words the local townsfolk respected their need for privacy and not a sentence of their evening was printed in the local newspaper or leaked onto social media. Harmony was relieved, needing to get to know and trust Emery again without the added burden his celebrity would entail.

  One night after rehearsals, they drove to the nearest city, to see the premiere of a new romantic comedy starring one of Harmony’s favorite actors. It was during the movie that Emery casually slung his arm across her shoulder, and she relaxed against him, aware of his warmth and vitality. When he turned to kiss her during a tender moment in the film, she was ready and kissed him back, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers. After the film they held hands as they walked back to his car, and when he stopped and cupped his hand under her chin, her lips came up to meet his.

  “You taste so good, Harmony,” he whispered when the kiss ended. “I’d forgotten just how sweet you are.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, waiting for him to kiss her again and when he did it was as if her body had awakened to a state it hadn’t been in for years. She was falling in love again, and the heat in her body told her how much more she wanted from him.

  Back at her place, he turned off the car engine, and her heart beat heavy with anticipation. Will I invite him inside? And if I do, where will it end? Do I want it to end? Or am I ready to let go and trust him again? Despite the way I’m feeling, making love with Emery would make me more vulnerable than I could possibly handle.

  His hand stole up to her neck, stroking it tenderly and before she could decide what to do, he cleared his throat. “I’m going to go now, Harmony, because if I don’t, I’m going to beg you to let me stay.”

  She turned to him, saw the lust in his eyes, and more than anything else, she wanted to ask him to stay. She tried to say the words, but before she could, his mouth sealed on hers. His tongue met hers tentatively then when she responded, he groaned and deepened the kiss, leaving her spinning with dizziness and desire. He broke the kiss for an instant, gasping, “Do you have any idea how much I want you,” then his mouth assaulted hers again.

  Finally he pulled away. “You let me know when you’re ready. I want you but I’m not going to push you. His mouth found hers again, this time in a lighter kiss, telling her he was being sincere.

  She broke the kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered. She got out of the car, and once inside her front door, she leaned against it, wondering if she should have invited him to stay. It would only be a matter of time before they spent the night together.

  As they spent more time together, Harmony felt herself falling for him again, and despite what had happened the last time, she didn’t feel inclined to pull herself back from the brink. He was all she thought of, through the day when they worked together at rehearsals, and through the night when she imagined he was in bed beside her, holding her, kissing her, and making love to her. Emery was all she wanted, and although she knew she could enjoy him for a time, she also believed it would only be temporary. Or would it? He’d bought a home here, so was there a chance he’d move back? Was she kidding herself even entertaining this as a daydream? That didn’t matter because it was the only way she could let herself go and enjoy being with him. She couldn’t stop now, not when she was ready to take things to the next level.

  “Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner tomorrow night?” she asked him after rehearsals a few days later.

  “Just you and me…that sounds good,” he said, his tone raspy with pleasure.

  He arrived at her place right on time, at seven that evening. She’d spent two hours before preparing for the evening by putting on a beef and mushroom casserole, made with half a bottle of red wine. She cleaned the house from top to bottom and lit a welcoming fire. Then she showered and changed into fresh clothes: a dress, feminine and flirty but also warm and practical given it was mid-winter.

  “Something in here smells good,” he said as she opened the door to him. He leaned over, smelled her neck then gave her a light kiss on the lips. “These are for you, by the way.” He handed her a bunch of pink and white chrysanthemums and a bottle of red wine.

  She took them from him, touched by his thoughtfulness. He was making her feel special, the same way he used to. To show him her appreciation, she gave him a firm but fast kiss on the lips. “Come on in. It’s cold out here.” She led him into her tiny living room, which opened out to the well-equipped kitchen. She put the flowers in the vase then uncorked the bottle of wine and poured a glass for each of them.

  “Something smells fantastic,” he told her, going over to see what was on the stovetop. “You always were a fantastic cook, just like your mom.”

  “Dinner won’t be long. Come and have a seat.” She led him back to the living room and they sat on the couch, their legs touching, while they discussed the concert.

  “I think I need to work a bit more with Tommy,” Emery said. “He keeps trying to upstage Eliza-May.”

  “His mother probably told him to.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll coach him and hopefully we can improve his performance.”

  “I’m going to check on dinner,” Harmony told him and a few minutes later she served the meal at the old oak dining table her parents had given her when she bought her house a few years back.

  “This is the table your parents had when we were together. I remember lots of happy times sitting in your dining room having home-cooked meals.” He took a mouthful of the casserole and chewed appreciatively. “Delicious meals like this one.” He cleared his throat, took a sip of the wine then asked, “Have you been in any relationships since we broke up?”

  She was happy he’d asked, because she wanted to talk about personal things. “What about you?” She’d be happier if he told her about his own relationships.

  “Yeah, I’ve dated but nothing too serious. I was with a girl named Carmen for a short time. We had fun while it lasted which wasn’t long. What about you?”

  He’d shared first, so she was more prepared to open up to him. “Yes. I was dating someone for quite a while. We were engaged for a brief period.”

  His face conveyed his shock. “I didn’t know that.”

  She put her knife and fork down. “Why would you? You didn’t keep in touch with anyone here when you moved to LA, did you?”

  “Ouch. I deserved that. No, I didn’t keep in touch with anyone.”

  “I could have been married, and you wouldn’t have known.”

  Emery put his cutlery down and took her hand in his. “I’m glad you didn’t get married. Look, I know it’s none of my business, but what happened with that relationship? Why didn’t you marry him?”

  Harmony wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about that but had a sense it was better to be up front about everything. She swirled her wine in her glass. “I was very fond of him, but he wasn’t you.” She looked up from under her lashes to gauge his reaction.

  He didn’t respond but his eye contact was unwavering, as if he was trying to assess the truthfulness of her words. She held his gaze, didn’t flinch or look away in embarrassment, and then as if he could sense her honesty and was happy with what she’d told him, he leaned across the table and kissed her on the lips, softly and tenderly. “Do you know how I feel about you, Harmony?”

  She shook her head and looked back down at the table, trying hard not to succumb to the depth of emotion inside her. The feelings were flooding her, threatening to make her walls of composure crumble. She bit her lip, determined to remain in control, because she knew if the tears came, they might never stop.

  “I love you…that’s never changed really.” Harmony could tell from his earnest expression that he too was telling the truth, and her heart sang with happiness. “I just buried it. I know it was selfish, but I was driven. I couldn’t afford to let my feeli
ngs for you distract me from what I needed to do.”

  She wanted to tell him he could have taken her with him, but she sensed that would have broken the moment. And what she most wanted was to win his love again. So instead she murmured sympathetically but said nothing.

  By the end of the week Harmony and Emery were spending every day together at rehearsals, and every evening together at either her house or his. As they renewed their closeness, Harmony’s trust in Emery began to grow. And as it grew her feelings became stronger, and she craved his touches of affection. She yearned for his kisses, which were frequent, felt alive when his arms were around her, and like in the old days, they finished off each others’ sentences. Harmony had a sense that they were becoming a couple again, and it seemed that the residents of Lewiston could see that too. It was time, she knew, to take their relationship to the next level, but wasn’t sure how it would happen.

  It must have been on Emery’s mind too, because on Thursday evening after the rehearsal finished, he turned to her with a serious expression on his face. “Come and spend the weekend with me, Harmony.”

  “I’d love to. Where do you want to go?”

  “Nowhere. We always dreamed of being in that big house together…now we can be.”

  The next evening after rehearsal they left the Town Hall together hand in hand. Harmony was proud to be with him, not because he was a celebrity, but because he was the boy she’d given her heart to years before, and who’d loved her so much he’d finally come back for her.

  In the car they discussed how they’d spend the weekend and being in agreement they stopped at the supermarket for provisions. Neither wanted to do anything except stay close to home, and they bought enough food to last the weekend. Then once back at his house, Emery cleared his throat. “About the sleeping arrangements…there are a few rooms here, so you can—”