My heart broke in two. “Thank you for allowing me this day.”
Smiling, she nodded as she laced her arm through mine. “Are we walking or driving in your fancy sports car, Mr. Ward?”
Letting out a chortle, I replied, “I think the fresh air will do your hangover wonders.”
Making a face, Harmony cursed under her breath. “Ugh. I’m never drinking like that again.”
Making our way down the stairs, I found myself actually looking forward to something for once in a very long time. I was excited and terrified to share my world with Harmony, but if it meant she got to spend a day laughing and having fun instead of sitting in an empty house alone, then so be it.
Now, if my brain could just tell my heart to pull back some, everything would be perfect.
Just friends, Ward. You’re just friends.
Chapter 9
Laughter Is Medicine for the Soul
Harmony
Preston and I walked along Comm Avenue, then turned and made our way down Dartmouth Street. The cool, crisp fall air actually felt amazing and seemed to ease my dull headache. Quickly checking my pocket, I rubbed my fingers against the charm Jake had given me. Preston had seen it in my hand and asked what it was. When I told him, he gave me the sweetest smile I’d ever seen.
Clearing my thoughts, I asked Preston, “So are you going to tell me where we are going?” His strong jawline was set as he stared straight ahead. Something was weighing on his mind and I wanted to ask what it was, but decided it best not to.
“Preston?”
Snapping his head over to me, he let out a chuckle. “Sorry, Harmony. I was lost in thought. What did you ask?”
Grinning, I asked again, “Are you going to tell me where we are going?”
Winking, he shook his head. “Nope.”
Throwing my head back, I laughed and gave him a push. It felt good to laugh. The guilt slowly crept in, but I quickly pushed it aside. I’d give myself one day. That’s all I needed.
Peeking over at Preston, I took his features in. He was tall, probably about six feet. He was for sure taller than Trey. Preston’s brown hair was messy, like he washed it and just ran his hands through it and let it dry that way. It was sexy as hell and worked very well for him. His eyes were a light green and they held so many emotions. I’d found myself lying in bed this morning thinking about those eyes.
Preston reached down and took my hand. A small part of me wanted to let the butterflies in my stomach take off in flight, but I pushed the feeling away. As we walked, Preston turned down Huntington Avenue and walked into the Westin Hotel.
Coming to a dead stop in the lobby, I dropped Preston’s hand. “What are we doing in a hotel, Preston?” My heart was beating at a crazy pace and I was shocked by the confusing emotions running through my head. For one brief moment, I was hoping Preston had brought me here to make love to me.
Where in the hell did that thought come from? Jesus, Harmony. Stow away the hormones.
Preston looked at me with his head slightly tilted. Taking a step closer, he leaned in close to me as my chest heaved up and down. “Why, Harmony, you don’t think I brought you to a hotel to have sex with you, do you?”
Letting out a nervous chuckle, I shook my head. “Of course not.” My betraying voice cracked.
Then it happened. Preston smiled the most gorgeous smile ever and I knew I was going to have to fight like hell to keep my betraying feelings down.
“ ’Cause if I wanted to make love to you, I sure as hell would give you more than a mid-morning roll in the sack at a local hotel.”
Swallowing hard, I gave him a smile and forced my eyes to roll, even though my mind was racing with what Preston would do if he wanted to make love to me.
“Okay, so what are we doing here?” I asked, trying to sound normal. Like the way he just spoke to me didn’t have my insides completely melting.
Reaching for my hand again, Preston led me to the elevator. “I want to show you something.” Hitting the button marked for meeting rooms, the elevator took us up the short distance.
When the door opened, I couldn’t help but notice Preston’s smile. He was giddy about something, and that made me smile. The feeling was foreign but nice. As we approached the America Ballroom, I saw the display sign but couldn’t read it. Preston walked too quickly and kept the sign blocked.
Walking through the door, I let out a gasp. The room was filled with paintings. Not just any paintings, but Geoffrey Chatten paintings. “Preston,” I whispered as I walked farther into the room. The first thing that popped into my head was that I was walking around an art exhibit dressed in New York Yankees stuff. Then I noticed we were the only people in the room.
Spinning around, I let out a giggle. “Chatten is one of my favorite painters.” Glancing over at Preston, my smile faded. “How did you know?”
His face beamed with pride as he looked around. “Jake mentioned it to me a while back. One of my best friends is a manager here and he happened to mention the art show and I called in a favor. Asked him if we could preview it before it opened to the public.”
I didn’t know what to say. No one had ever done anything like that for me before. My lower lip trembled and Preston’s smile faded. “Harmony? If you want to leave we can, I just thought—”
Lifting up my hand to stop him from talking, I shook my head. “No! This is just so…amazing. I didn’t even know that Jake knew Chatten was a favorite of mine.”
Smiling, Preston took my hand and I had to fight double time now to keep the feelings away. “Do you have any of his paintings?”
I whispered, “I have one. My mother brought it back from the UK on one of their trips abroad. I fell in love with his Impressionist painting right away.”
“Impressionist painting, what does that mean?” Preston asked.
“It’s a style where the artist captures the object like someone is catching a glimpse of it. They are usually landscapes and the artist will use bright, vibrant colors.”
Nodding, Preston walked up to a painting. “I like the seascape paintings.”
My stomach fluttered deeply in my belly. “Me too. They are my favorites. I think it’s because the ocean is my favorite place to be. Being near the sea allows me to think better. Clears my mind.” My voice drifted off as I gazed at one of the paintings.
Preston walked off and looked at the paintings. “I like this one, too. I love the color blue.”
Turning, I made my way over to the painting. Iris in Blue Vase was the title. The colors were amazing as I stood and looked at all the details. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
“Yeah, it really is,” Preston said as he stood next to me. Sneaking a look at him, I smiled when I saw how the painting had him captivated.
We spent the next hour walking from piece to piece, and then Preston’s friend came in to see how we were enjoying the artwork. While Preston chatted with his friend, I made arrangements to buy two paintings. They were expensive, but I could afford it. My mother and father’s way of reaching out to me after Trey and TJ died was to send me a large sum of money. Little did they know I knew it had come from my grandparents. Jake had inherited his when he turned twenty-one, and I was to inherit mine at twenty-one as well. Of course, my parents made it look like it was from them and they had made special arrangements for me to get it early.
Preston walked up to me and placed his hand on the small of my back as he spoke.
Ignore the pull in your stomach, Harmony. It means nothing. You’re just lonely.
“Ready for lunch?”
Right on cue, my stomach growled as Preston chuckled. “I will take that as a yes.”
I giggled. “At least my hangover is slowly fading.”
Preston kept his hand on my lower back and I wasn’t surprised by how much I enjoyed him leading me like he was. “Have you ever eaten at Temptations Café?”
Shaking my head, I said, “Nope. Is it casual?” Pointing to my clothing, I smiled.
Throwing his head back, Preston laughed. “Yes, ma’am, it is. Soups, sandwiches, wraps, and my favorite dessert ever.”
Pursing my lips together, I nodded. “Hmm, I’m intrigued now by this dessert.”
“It’s pretty awesome.”
Less than five minutes later we were walking into Temptations Café. “How did you find this place?” I asked.
Walking up to order, Preston turned to me. “It’s right down the road from my station.”
My interest was immediately piqued. “The fire station?”
Nodding, he looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. “Yeah.”
“Can we stop by?”
I wasn’t sure how to read him. His eyes turned from happiness to something else I wasn’t able to read.
Preston’s eyes searched my face. “You want to stop by the station? That won’t…be hard for you?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I made a face. “I don’t think so. I’m really curious to see where you work. See what you do.”
A slight smile moved across Preston’s face. “Really?”
Letting out a small laugh, I nodded. “Really. Really.”
The girl behind the counter called out, “Next,” and Preston stepped up.
The young girl looked to be about my age. “Hey, Preston. Are you off today?”
Giving her a polite smile, he took a quick look at me before turning back and talking. “Hey, Lori. Yeah, I have today off. I’ll have the usual, garden wrap with a bottled water.”
Glancing up at the menu, I read what Preston had ordered. “That sounds good, I’ll have the same,” I said as I smiled at the girl behind the counter. Her eyes snapped between Preston and me before she looked at me with a death stare.
Whoa. Someone had a crush on the handsome firefighter. Biting my lower lip, I attempted to hold back my chuckle.
“We’ll also take two Nutella and Bananas.” Preston snuck a peek at me and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. I couldn’t hold back my laughter this time.
“That’s your amazing dessert?” I asked as Preston handed Lori money.
He looked horrified. “Yes! Nutella and a banana on a brioche. It’s heaven, Harmony. Pure heaven.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked around the restaurant. The place was cute and everything smelled good. The baked items looked to die for and I was shocked Preston liked something so simple as Nutella and banana. I’ll admit, I’d never tasted Nutella, so for all I knew I was missing out on something good.
Preston pulled my chair out for me as we sat down. We talked the entire time we ate. He told me about growing up in Boston before his father retired to the country. He had two brothers and a sister. His favorite place to be was at his parents’ country house or on the ocean sailing.
I decided to keep the conversation on Preston and he didn’t seem to mind.
Lori walked over and placed the Nutella and Bananas down in front of us.
“Dig in,” Preston said with a smile.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I asked, “Um…is Nutella good?”
Preston’s mouth dropped open as he stared at me.
“You’ve never had Nutella? Like, ever?”
Pressing my lips together so I didn’t giggle, I shook my head.
Preston leaned back in his chair and put his hand over his heart. “I’ve so much to teach you. So much.”
Swallowing hard, I felt my face flush.
Oh, the things I wanted Preston to teach me.
Chapter 10
Nutella and Baseball
Preston
Sitting back in the chair, I stared at Harmony in disbelief. That is, until her eyes turned dark and she licked her lips. Leaning forward again, I cleared my throat. “I can’t believe you’ve never had the pleasure of eating Nutella. This is a landmark occasion. You’re gonna wanna put this down on your calendar as the day I changed your life.”
Harmony laughed and picked up the brioche and took a bite. Her eyes lit up before she closed them and she let out a moan that moved through my entire body.
Friends. Just friends.
“Holy crap. This is amazing. It’s like…chocolate!”
Laughing, I picked up my brioche and gestured to her. “I told you, it’s the most amazing dessert ever.”
After finishing up our desserts, we headed over to the station. I wasn’t sure why Harmony wanted to see where I worked, but it warmed my heart. Sherry never once asked to see where I worked. She of course did see where I worked, but she couldn’t have cared less. She hated what I did, but I loved it. I was proud of my job. At least I used to be. Now all I had were mixed emotions and I felt like I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
Stopping in front of the station, I gave Harmony a weak smile. “This is it. Engine 37 and Ladder 26.” Smiling back at me, she asked the one question I was hoping she wouldn’t.
“Can we go inside?”
Tightening my hands into fists, I quickly loosened them. “Um, sure, if you want to.”
The bay doors were open so we walked in. Immediately in front of us was Sharp. Cursing under my breath, I slowly inhaled and let it back out.
Turning, Sharp gave me a smile from ear to ear. “Ward, you don’t know what it means to take a day off.”
Letting out a nervous laugh, I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. Stopping directly in front of Sharp and a few other guys, I said a silent prayer they wouldn’t put two and two together. Sharp walked away from the other guys, who were all playing a card game.
“Mitchel Sharp, this is Harmony Banks, a friend of mine. She wanted to see where I worked.”
Reaching his hand out for Harmony’s, Sharp gave her a polite smile. “Harmony, huh? That’s a beautiful name.”
Harmony blushed and changed her posture just a bit. “I can’t take the credit on that one. My mother came up with it.”
I watched as Sharp’s eyes moved across Harmony’s body. Glancing back at me, he said, “So you guys are just friends, huh?”
Before I even had a chance to respond, Harmony laughed. “Yes! Very much just friends. Preston is being a gentleman of a guy and spending the day with me to cure my hangover.”
I wasn’t sure why Harmony’s words hurt more than I thought they should. Sharp smiled bigger. “I see. So, Harmony, how about I show you around?”
Smiling, Harmony went to speak but looked at me. Her smile faded briefly before she turned and looked around. That’s when I noticed the pain in my jaw from clenching my teeth together.
“I’ve always wondered what a firehouse looked like on the inside. So this is it, huh?”
“This is it,” I said as I glared at Sharp. The way he was looking at Harmony turned my stomach.
Walking up to her, he placed his hand on her lower back and I looked away, unable to take the sight of it.
Fucking hell. What is the matter with me? I want to pound my best friend’s face in just for touching her.
“How about that tour now, darling?” Sharp said as he stood a little too close to Harmony.
As she cleared her throat, I forced myself to turn and look at them. “Um…actually…Mitchel, was it?”
“Mitchel, Mitch, I’ll answer to anything you call me.”
Rolling my eyes, I glanced over at the other guys as they attempted to hold their laughter back.
Harmony let out a small chuckle and said, “I was kind of wanting Preston to show me where he worked and give me the tour.”
I pressed my lips together to hide my smile as Sharp placed his hand over his chest and said, “Ouch. Shot down before I was even out of the gate.”
Walking over to me, Harmony reached for my hand, shocking me, and asked, “Shall we?”
Glancing back over at Sharp, I gave him a small grin. “Um…yeah, sure.”
After introducing Harmony to the rest of the guys, I showed her where we slept, ate, and hung out between calls. I attempted to avoid Captain Ryan’s office, but he had glanced up and saw me showing Harmony around. I knew it wouldn’t be long before
he came out. Sharp had told me that the captain had visited Harmony in the hospital. I was sure he would remember her.
“Wow, Preston. Your family must be pretty proud of you.”
Pulling my head back, I looked at her. “For what?”
Letting out a titter, she looked around as she pointed. “For this. Your job. I mean, you risk your life to save others. I can’t even begin to wonder how your poor mother did it with her husband and now you.”
“My brother Finn is a firefighter as well. So she not only has to worry about me, she has to worry about him as well.”
Harmony’s eyes widened in horror. “And your other brother? What does he do? Nothing dangerous, I hope, for your mother’s sake.”
Scrunching up my face, I said, “Wes is a banker in New York City. Dresses in suits every day, and expensive shoes. I’m positive one of his suits costs more than what I make in a year.”
Laughing, Harmony gave me a gentle push. “What about your sister? You mentioned she was younger. What does she do?”
“Angie’s a senior in high school.”
“Oh wow. Do you mind if I ask how old you are, Preston?” The way Harmony was chewing on her lower lip had my stomach going all kinds of crazy.
“He’s twenty-three. One of the best firefighters I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside. Well, since his daddy, that is.”
Closing my eyes, I held my breath and turned to see my captain standing in front of me. “Hey there, Cap. This is a friend of mine, Harmony Banks. She wanted to see where I worked.”
Reaching her hand out, Harmony spoke first. “Captain Ryan, it’s a pleasure seeing you again.”
My eyes snapped to Harmony and then to the floor. Harmony and the cap talked for a few minutes while I stood there and tried to calm my beating heart. The cap had warned me to stay away from Harmony and here I was not only with her, but showing her where I worked.