Chapter 18
Eighteen
Harmony looked across the lab at Damien. He was head down, sorting through a shipment of lab equipment, clearly not in his element but helping anyway.
When Doctor Griffiths sent a blast to the entire department that new equipment was set to arrive Tuesday morning, Harmony and many others said they would be there to get everything put away and to continue inventory of what was still needed.
The lab had been cleaned up, and the ruined research was identified, but there was still a lot to do.
Damien volunteered to help.
Harmony wasn’t surprised he volunteered, but she was still touched.
He could have said he was watching the area, or passed her protection off to another coworker, something others had offered.
She heard him on the phone that morning, talking to Jude, and assuring him that he did not want someone else to take over.
The laughter that came through the phone made Harmony smile.
The look of possession in Damien’s eyes made her hot.
Harmony’s cheeks heated at the memory of their shower before they left that morning. The man was creative, with his mouth and his hands. She couldn’t get enough of him.
He looked up at her and winked. A smile lifted his lips, then he focused on his task once more, leaving her overheated and wishing they were back at his place instead of surrounded by her coworkers.
Harmony drew a breath and ducked her head, determined to finish stocking the lab and get out of there.
It was a feeling she’d never had before she met Damien.
Work was her life for the longest time. She loved it.
She told herself she loved it. The reality was she had nothing else.
She lost herself in work to hide the fact that she didn’t have friends or family or any interests outside her work.
She often wondered how her life would have been different if her father hadn’t died when he did. He would have made sure she stayed in college, and she would have graduated on time. But what else?
It had been a while since Harmony gave herself permission to imagine what her life would have been like with her father around, but with Damien across the lab, she couldn’t help but wonder what her father would have thought of the dominant protector who claimed Harmony’s heart in just a few short weeks.
She remembered the first boy she liked. She told her dad about him, gushing about him being cute and popular. It was the first time her father was disappointed in her, and the last.
“What does being popular have to do with him?” her dad asked.
“What do you mean? He’s popular. Everyone likes him.”
“And you’re okay with being someone who follows the crowd, Harmony? That’s the best you can do for yourself?”
“What do you mean?” She assumed he was out of touch. Parents didn’t understand what it was like to be a teenager. To have a crush on a boy that everyone else liked. If he looked at her, if he sat with her at lunch, she would be seen as popular, too. What more could a girl want?
“What’s his name?”
“Johnny.”
“Johnny. What is he like?”
Harmony shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s popular.”
“And cute. I heard. That doesn’t answer the question. Is he kind? Does he help others? Does he work hard? Is he respectful of your teachers?”
“I don’t know.” Harmony’s face heated under her father’s scrutiny.
“What is it you like about him?”
She kicked her foot, staring at the floor. “Everyone likes him.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s how it goes, Dad. He’s popular. Everyone wants to be his friend. Everyone wants him to notice them.”
“I know you think I don’t understand what things are like.
And to a point, I don’t. I will never know what it’s like to be a teenage girl.
It’s times like this I really wish your mom was here.
But she wouldn’t understand what you’re going through either.
She’d know better than me, but things are different now. But I still remember the popular kids.”
Harmony resisted an eye roll.
“Who is your best friend?”
“Maggie.”
“And what would you think if Maggie all of a sudden became popular?”
Harmony clenched her hands tight, rolling her lips in.
“It looks like you’re angry. Would you be mad?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why would you be mad?”
“Because I want to be popular.”
“Would Maggie still be friends with you if she became popular?”
Harmony drew a breath, her head tilting to the side. “Well, yeah. I guess.”
“So why would you be mad?”
Harmony shook her head. “I guess I wouldn’t.”
“I know you, kid. That was your first thought. Why?”
“Because that’s how it works! I was friends with Leah, then she got popular, and we haven’t talked since.”
“Was Leah as good of a friend as Maggie? Because I don’t remember Leah being here anywhere near as much as Maggie. I don’t remember the two of you talking the way you do with Maggie. There are a lot of differences. Don’t you think?”
Harmony kicked the floor again. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Why do you want to be popular?”
“Because everything is easier for the popular kids.”
Dad shrugged. “I don’t agree. I think everything is easier for the smart kids. Being popular is temporary. What happens when you leave high school? What happens when you leave college? Get a new job? Things change constantly in life.”
“There are popular people everywhere, and when you’re popular, that never changes.”
He laughed. Not in mockery, but full of humor.
Harmony couldn’t imagine what he found so funny.
“Sweetheart, everything changes. All the time. And that’s a great thing. But don’t chase invisible metrics. Don’t chase after things that are temporary.”
“But it’s not.”
“Yes, it is!”
Harmony jumped. Her father never raised his voice. He never got angry. He was the most even-tempered person she’d ever met.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have yelled.
But you need to understand things. You’re old enough to know that high school is not going to last forever.
The people who are popular right now aren’t going to matter in ten years.
You need to focus on things that aren’t dependent on other people.
Things no one can take away from you. Why would you choose to go for things that someone else can take from you? ”
“What do you mean?”
“When you’re an adult, what do you think will matter more: being popular or having a degree?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
Harmony groaned. “Fine.”
“What about being popular or being kind to others?”
Again, Harmony groaned.
“I want more for you. Maybe you’ll date this Johnny. Or maybe Maggie will. Or maybe neither of you will. But if you can’t tell me one thing about this boy, I can’t begin to understand why you would want to date him.”
Harmony sat back, the conversation hitting her square in the chest.
“You should want to date someone who makes you smile when they walk in the room. Someone you miss when they walk out of the room. Someone who inspires you and motivates you and captivates you.”
“What if he does?”
“Does he?”
Harmony was quiet.
“The person who is meant for you is going to be someone you can’t imagine your life without. Someone who is kind and thoughtful. Who not only makes you feel like the most important person in the world, but someone who is the most important person in your world.”
“Is that how you and Mom were?”
He looked up at her, his eyes watery. “From the first moment I saw her.”
“How will I know when I meet him?”
He chuckled. “You’ll know, sweetheart. And when you do, bring him home so I can meet him.”
Harmony nodded. “Okay.”
“You doing okay?” Damien asked, drawing Harmony out of her memory.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling at the man she wished she could have introduced to her father. “I was just thinking about my dad.”
“Was he a scientist?”
Harmony chuckled. “Ah, no. He never went to college. It was part of why he was so adamant that I go.”
“What would he have thought about all of this?”
“He would have been so proud.”
Damien’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “I bet he would have been.”
“He would have really liked you, too.”
“Yeah?”
Harmony nodded. “Without a doubt.”
“I would have liked him, too.”
She laughed. “I bet you would have. He worked too many hours and always protected me.”
“That’s my job now.” Damien squeezed her hand, mindful of her coworkers and the other students.
“Hopefully not forever.”
“Definitely not. But for now. Let me know when you’re ready to grab lunch. It seems like we’re almost done.”
“Yeah, I am. I think we can head out.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Harmony’s stomach rumbled. “Let’s go.”
Damien nodded, reaching for her hand and leading her out the door. As soon as they were in the hallway, he pressed her against the wall and kissed her hard.
Harmony threw her hands around his neck and welcomed him into her embrace. She kissed him back as if she’d been starved for him.
“Sorry,” he whispered against her lips. “It has been too long since I had my lips on yours.”
“Did you hear me complaining?”
He laughed and kissed her again, quickly, just enough to make her wish they were anywhere else.
Her stomach growled loudly, making him laugh.
“Let’s get something to eat, then we will pick that back up.”
“I like the way you think.”
“And I love you.”
Harmony grinned. “I love you.”
Grant Pickens sat across from his brother with the buyer to his right. He was not happy about being summoned to a meeting, but if he wanted to move the diamonds, he had to agree to the fucking meeting.
“What news do you have for me?” the buyer asked.
“Everything is handled,” Grant said.
“What exactly does that mean?”
“It means everything is fine.”
“The problem has been taken care of?”
Grant glared at the man. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, or to eliminate threats, but when it wasn’t necessary, he didn’t like the exposure.
“She doesn’t know anything,” Kiernan said.
The buyer glared at Kiernan. “So she hasn’t been taken care of.”
“There’s no reason to… If she knew anything, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking.”