“I do,” Harmony said softly, her eyes stinging with tears. “Thanks, Mac.”
He met her eyes, smiling gently as he lowered himself to the couch beside her. “Having trouble with all the changes, huh?” he asked.
“I am. I don’t know what to do with myself, Mac. When gymnastics fell apart, I didn’t have a back-up plan, and now I just – I don’t know what to do. I’m a little lost, I guess.”
“Just take some time to be in the now,” Mac advised. “You’ve got a family that loves you, a good job that pays for what you need and allows you to stay fit and keep training. You’ve got a new place of your own, and you have good friends who care about you. Just let that be all you need right now, and when it’s time, something will come to you.”
“You really think it can be that simple? I won’t just be sitting here twiddling my thumbs for the rest of my life? I mean, I feel like I just have no direction anymore,” Harmony confessed, running her fingers over the soft fabric of the blanket still in her lap. Tracing the pattern of the flowers, she said, “I feel like I’m going nowhere. And I know that I could get up and change my life, and I can direct myself to wherever I want to be ... but without gymnastics as an option, I’d never really thought about what I want. That was always just what I wanted.”
“And now you’re having to re-evaluate, hmm?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I think I was so set on making the Olympic team that gymnastics stopped being something I did, and it became who I was. Now I feel almost like I’m starting all over.”
Taking the blanket from her hands, Mac stood, folding it neatly and draping it over the back of the couch. Harmony followed him with her eyes, watching as he took her hand and tugged her from the couch. “Now listen to me,” he said, planting his hands firmly on her shoulders. “I’ve had my share of hurt, too, and you know that I have. But life goes on, Harmony, no matter how much you might not want it to, and no matter how bad you think you’re not ready. It just takes time for you to let your heart catch up. So you just do the best you can with where you are and what you have, and eventually it’ll all work out.”
“Well, I guess if anyone knows, you do,” Harmony muttered, lowering her face to hide the beginnings of a smile.
“Well, it’s like your sister always tells me: I should know, I’m the therapist,” he teased, tapping the end of her nose with a fingertip. Then, releasing her shoulders, he turned and went to the kitchen. “And now, on to something really important. What’s to drink in here?”
Laughing, Harmony lifted the now-empty box from the floor and stacked it with the others next to the door. “Soda, water, juice. Help yourself to anything in there,” she told him.
Chapter Five
“I don’t know, Cass, it’s just weird, you know? Alone in the quiet all the time.” Harmony spoke quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper as she walked along the aisles of the bookstore. “Weren’t you ever lonely? I mean, when you lived by yourself?”
“I don’t know that I’d call it lonely really. Sometimes I’d notice the quiet a little more than usual, and it would get to me then. But for the most part, I really didn’t mind being on my own. Then again, I was kind of used to it,” Cass’s voice came soft over the phone, a gentle scraping sound in the background, the rhythm of the noise telling Harmony that Cass was drinking her afternoon tea.
“I know I’ll get used to it, but still. It gets a little lonely sometimes though, and I guess I’m just not really used to feeling that. It’ll pass, right?”
“Sure it will,” Cass laughed.
In the background, the chiming sound of Cass’s spoon tapping the edge of her teacup sounded in Harmony’s ear as she turned a corner and moved down another aisle of the book store. “What kind of tea are you drinking today, Cass?” she asked, smiling as she lifted a book from a shelf, flipped through it, and put it back.
“Today it’s just plain chamomile,” Cass answered, a smile in her voice. “Are you really okay, Harmony?”
“I think I will be. It’s just rough, being on my own for the first time. It’s not like I’ve never spent a night by myself before, so I didn’t expect it to feel this different. But living by myself is definitely different.”
“I think the worst part is that once you get lonely, you start wondering how long it’ll last.”
“Exactly,” Harmony laughed. “And I’m not really a dater, so I don’t know how long that’ll be. Maybe I’ll meet someone, but when? And I’m not sure any of this is really helping me with trying to decide on a new career option.”
Cass sipped her tea, a faint slurping noise coming through the phone before she sighed. “I think that was the hardest thing for me when I was first on my own too. I’d just gotten my job at the call center, and I didn’t know if I wanted to keep it. I had no idea what I was doing, but I felt like I just had to figure it out. I’d been with the Keaton’s for years, and I didn’t want to keep living on their kindness.”
“I just feel like I’m wandering,” Harmony sighed, choosing another random book, flipping through it, and replacing it on the shelf. “Cameron’s been hinting that I might like to come work with her and Tabitha, but it’s just –“
“Not for you, I know,” Cass broke in.
“Exactly. I can think of a dozen things I don’t want to do, but I can’t think of anything that really stirs me the way gymnastics did.”
“Maybe you could just think about what you want it to be like, instead of trying to think of one specific career option,” Cass suggested. “That might give you some ideas to choose from.”
“That’s a really great idea, Cass. Thanks,” Harmony said, stepping into the aisle and catching the annoyed look another customer was sending her way. Cocking her head to the side, she rolled her eyes and said, “Look, I’m standing here in the bookstore, and apparently some people think this is a bigger silent zone than a library. I guess some people aren’t aware that cell phones are sort of meant to be used in public, hence the portability.” Watching the other customer’s look of shock, Harmony felt a twinge of guilt, but she stamped it down and turned down the next aisle of books. “I have to go. Talk to you soon?”
“Absolutely,” Cass answered. “Let me know how you’re doing okay?”
“Sure, I will. Bye, Cass.” With a sigh, Harmony slipped her phone into her pocket and turned back to the books in front of her. She’d been hunting for a book for Logan; she wanted to give him something little to thank him for helping with her move, and Cameron had said that the boy had recently fallen in love with the idea of learning to shoot. He’d decided he wanted to be a cop, like Drew.
“Uugh, even the kid knows what he wants before I do,” Harmony grumbled, lifting a youth book about the history of police and American military forces. Flipping through the book, she browsed a few pages and had just tucked it under her arm and turned to leave when the tiny weight of a giggling blonde child slammed against her legs.
“Harmony! Harmony I missed your class!” the blonde shouted happily, drawing the eyes of an elderly couple at the other end of the aisle. Squatting quickly, Harmony untangled the little girl from her legs, holding her slightly away and meeting her glowing bronze eyes with concern.
“Laney? Laney what are you doing here, hon? Who are you with?”
“She’s with me,” a low voice rumbled, from just behind Harmony. Turning, Harmony looked over her shoulder, her eyes moving over the thick and muscular body, climbing upward until she met the face of …
“Xander? Finally we meet. You’re her uncle, right?”
“I’d think you should know that for sure,” he spat. “Since the lousy gym you work for has allowed me repeatedly to take her from your class without asking for any identification or anything.”
“Lousy gym?” Harmony asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood. Xander nodded, leaning down to scoop his niece into his arms. She kissed his cheek, and Harmony smirked as he fought to cover a grin. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take
an I.D. to know that you are no stranger to that girl.”
“These days? That means nothing. Just because she knows me doesn’t mean I’m safe. And you shouldn’t be letting just anyone take her from your class. A class I’ve noticed you’ve been skipping out on. Do that often, do you?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, Mr. Big Shot, but I have taken some time off for personal reasons. I’ll be back to teaching my classes as scheduled tomorrow. And I’ll have you know,” she went on, lowering her arms and planting her hands firmly on her hips, Logan’s book held in one fist. “You have no right to attack me personally, nor do you have any right to speak on the professionalism of my workplace. For your information, I know exactly who you are and I don’t need your driver’s license to figure it out.”
Cocking an eyebrow, he stared down into her face, his blue eyes as cold as ice. “Is that so?”
“Yeah it is.”
“And how exactly is that?”
“Common sense? Laney goes running up to you, screaming your name and how excited she is to see you, so I look down at her pickup papers and I see your name on them. Obviously you aren’t some creep she doesn’t know, and if you’re on her paperwork, I can assume her mother has given permission for you to pick her up.”
“What’s a creep, Uncle Xander?” Laney asked, her brown eyes staring into his blue ones as her fingers played in the short hair at the back of his neck. Shaking his head with a reluctant grin, he placed the girl on her feet again and pointed toward a table in the children’s section of the bookstore.
“Why don’t you pick a book over there and sit down with it for me?” he suggested, bending his knees to bring his face level with Laney’s.
The girl shrugged quietly and then met his eyes again, a mischievous grin widening her lips. “If I like the book, can I take it home?” she asked.
“We’ll see,” he laughed, taking the girl’s face in his big hands and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, his thumbs sweeping her blonde hair away from her face. “Don’t go anywhere else, Laney, and remember the rule.”
“I know, I know,” the child replied, pursing her lips as if they’d had the same conversation countless times. “If I can’t see you, you probably can’t see me. And that means you get to put me in a sleeper hold.”
Xander laughed again, his shoulders shaking as he ruffled the girl’s hair. He sent her off and then stood again, drawing to his full height in front of Harmony, who refused to cower. Raising her eyebrows, she held Logan’s book under her arm with her purse, placing her empty hand on her hip. “And now,” Xander said softly, “We can discuss the chronic negligence in your workplace. Obviously, my niece likes you. Just as obviously, I don’t. And you should know that the only thing stopping me from placing a complaint is that my sister asked me not to.”
“Maybe that’s because she knows her brother is an arrogant jerk who’s angry over nothing,” Harmony hissed, looking around to make sure they were alone in the aisle. Meeting his icy gaze again, she said, “Maybe you’re just mad, Mr. Dragon, because I didn’t swoon the very second I laid eyes on you.”
Stepping back, Xander flattened a hand over his chest, pretending to be shocked. “Swoon? First of all, Shortie, I don’t expect anyone to swoon over me. And second, you can’t even be bothered to say hello when a stranger is walking off with one of your students, so I could hardly expect – “
“You are infuriating,” Harmony broke in, poking him in the chest with the tip of one finger. “I’d have come over to introduce myself to you, but apparently big men with giant egos don’t exactly stand around chatting with the little people. ‘Shortie?’ Please. I knew Laney was safe with you, Xander; I already told you that I knew who you were from her papers and her reaction to you. Not to mention, I didn’t think anyone would want me to freak out and chase you down like some kind of kidnapper.” Arching an eyebrow, she tapped her chin thoughtfully and said, “The idea has merit though. If you’d like me to, I’d be happy to take that route the next time I see you outside my class.”
He smiled, surprising her with the effect of his gentler expression. Taking her by the shoulders, he steered her closer to the case of books beside them, allowing a couple of young boys to scoot past them. “Look, obviously I don’t want that, and neither do you. Besides, it’s really too late now. You know me, so you can’t shout ‘stranger danger’ anymore.” Grinning triumphantly, he looked down into her eyes and waited for her response.
“No, actually, I don’t know you,” Harmony answered, tucking Logan’s book more tightly under her arm while digging in her purse for her credit card. She couldn’t deny his charm, but she couldn’t stand the idea that he found her neglectful, either. He could smile all day long, but he was a long way from winning her over. “After the way you just came up and attacked me without knowing the whole story, let me tell you what I do know. I know what you do, I know what they call you, and I know your name. I know that your sister is a sweetheart, and I know that I’m in love with that kid over there,” Harmony retorted, jerking her head toward the children’s table, where Laney had quietly settled in with a stack of books.
“All that, huh?” Xander asked, tilting his head slightly as he lifted his eyebrows, his short blonde hair golden in the light of the bookstore.
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure none of that has anything to you with who you are as a person,” Harmony finished, ignoring the sudden heat between them as he nodded quietly, his mouth tightening slightly. Turning to leave, Harmony fired one last sentiment over her shoulder and stalked toward the register. “And I am also pretty sure that your name is all I will ever want to know about you, Xander Harrison.”
Chapter Six
Grumbling to herself, Harmony opened the door to the shining yellow Xterra that she had won in a gymnastics competition several years earlier. Her cell phone sang from her pocket as she tossed her purse and Logan’s new book into the passenger seat, and she grumbled again, settling in and pulling the door closed. Digging her phone out of her pocket, she swiped her fingertip angrily over the screen to answer the call.
“Hello?” she asked, struggling to contain her frustration.
‘Woah, chick, what’s the deal?” Whitney asked back, concern leaking through her tone.
“Stupid Xander! He just totally went off on me in the bookstore, accusing me of not paying attention to my class kids because I let him take Laney that day when he first came.” Starting the car, Harmony searched for the charger cord for her phone, plugging it in and holding the phone to her ear. “Hang on a sec, let me plug this stupid phone into the stereo.”
“Okay, okay …” Whitney laughed. When her voice was live on the car stereo, she laughed again and said, “So I guess you and Xander are feeling some real fireworks, huh?”
Flicking her finger against the turn signal, Harmony slipped into traffic in front of the bookstore. “Uh, no,” she said dryly. “No fireworks. None.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Harm. You sound pretty fired up to me.” Whitney laughed again, the musical sound of her amusement forcing Harmony to smile to herself.
“Yeah, if ‘fired up’ means that I’d like to stuff a sparkler up his nose,” Harmony protested, rolling her eyes as she pulled to a stop at a red light.
“Whatever,” Whitney teased, laughing. “I can hear it, and I bet when you get home, I’ll see it, too. I know you said five, but I was in the area, so I came early. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No,” Harmony laughed. “I know you’ve been dying to see my place, and I’m actually on the way there right now, so early is good. I already ordered pizza for us, too, but I just wanted to pick up something for Cameron’s little boy –“
“The one she adopted?” Whitney interrupted.
“Yep, that’s the one. Logan, remember? You saw him at Cameron’s wedding a couple of weeks ago?” Flicking her turn signal again, Harmony turned onto her street, her smile widening as the sight of her apartment building lifted her mood.
&nbs
p; “Right, the little boy with the eyes, I remember now,” Whitney said.
“Uh, Whit, all the boys at the wedding had eyes.”
Whitney laughed. “You nerd, you know what I mean. Those eyes, he has those huge brown eyes. I swear he is the cutest kid ever. You know Cameron and Mac are going to have serious problems when he starts collecting girlfriends, don’t you?”
“I know, right? That’s what I told Cameron too, but she says he’s really not into girls that much yet. He’s closing in on the teen years, though, so I can’t imagine it’ll be much longer. Anyway, he came with Mac to help me move in, so I wanted to pick up something for him as thanks.” Slipping her car into a parking space, she unplugged her phone, gathered her purse, and tucked Logan’s book under her arm, shoving her keys into her pocket as she opened the car door.
“That’s sweet, I bet he’ll like that. Oh wait, I just saw you pull up. Want me to come back down and walk with you?” Whitney asked.
Wrestling Harmony (The Kingsley Series) Page 4