Chapter 23 #2
Harmony glanced over her shoulder, then turned to fully face the wall just inside the front door.
A glass case protected loose shards of vinyl, the pieces of her shattered records.
Spelled out in the broken pieces was My Girl in the original typography used on the album.
A small picture of her parents on their wedding day was mounted next to the words. “How…?”
“I kept all the pieces of your records. Even though they couldn’t be played anymore, I knew they mattered to you.
I found an artist online who creates amazing things with vinyl.
Anything from bowls to artwork to memories.
I let her decide what to do with all of this, and this was what she proposed. ”
“It’s stunning.”
“I wanted you to always remember where you came from. Where you got your love of music from.”
Harmony stood there and stared at the gift he had made for her until it blurred. Her heart swelled with so much love for him, she couldn’t speak.
“Is it okay? I didn’t want to remind you about the pain of that day, but I thought—”
“It’s perfect. You are perfect. I love you so much. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but you… My dad would have loved you.”
Damien’s smile was a bit wobbly. He rolled his lips in, then stepped into her and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you. That means a lot. I love you. I wish I’d met him, but I will take care of you. I will do everything for you. You will never be alone again.”
“Thank you.”
Damien closed the laptop and asked the question he knew needed to be asked. “Are you sure we can finish this in time?”
Harmony’s face crumpled as soon as he asked the question. She shook her head. “It’s never going to happen. I hate it. I wanted to get it done, but it’s just not going to happen.”
Damien sighed and scooted over to pull her into his arms. He’d seen the truth coming, but he was not going to give up on her. They’d been at it every minute since she got out of the hospital two weeks earlier, but they had a lot left to do.
Harmony worked her ass off to get to where she was, but her recovery was harder on her than she expected it to be. She was frustrated, but she was working hard to get back to full strength. It just wasn’t going to happen before she had to finish her thesis.
“What do you say we get out of here? Take a break. Get something to eat.”
“I hate being stuck in this boot,” Harmony grumbled.
“I know. But we need some fresh air. I’ll help you get changed, and we can go out.”
Before Harmony could answer, there was a knock on the door. “Are you expecting someone?”
Damien shook his head and went to the door. “No.” He looked through the peephole and saw Walker on the other side. “It’s Walker.”
Harmony nodded, letting him know she was fine to let his teammate in.
Damien opened the door and saw not only Walker but Dawn Patterson on his porch. “Um, hi guys. We didn’t know you were coming over.” He stepped back to let them in. “Dawn, this is Harmony Gibbs. Harmony, this is Dawn Patterson.”
Dawn smiled kindly at Damien, then approached Harmony with her hand out. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Harmony shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable in her sweatshorts and loose tank. Damien helped her shower that morning, but they weren’t expecting anyone. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m sorry to barge in on you guys. I’m a friend of Evie’s. I know you met a while ago.”
Harmony nodded. “I keep meaning to call her, but things have been a little crazy.”
“Evie understands, trust me. We were talking about you a few days ago. I told her I was really interested in meeting you, and she suggested calling my friend, Walker.” Dawn smiled at the large man hanging by the door with Damien.
“When I saw the reports about your attack, I started doing some research into you.” Dawn took a seat next to Harmony on the couch. “I own Davis Developments.”
Harmony sat up straighter. “I applied for a job with you.”
“I am aware. Your resume was at the top of my list, and then I saw what happened to you. How are you?”
Harmony laughed without humor. “Withdrawing my application, unfortunately. There’s no way I’ll finish my thesis in time. My recovery is not quick.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you healing?”
“Slowly. The pain is pretty intense at times, and I need to take more breaks than I want to. Someone is forcing me to rest.” Harmony glared at Damien.
Damien shrugged, not feeling guilty at all for taking care of her. “You need to heal.”
“Are you planning to finish your Ph.D.?” Dawn asked.
“Yes, but it’ll take me another year. I have to have it turned in by Friday, and I’m only about ninety-percent done.”
“How long do you think it’ll take you to finish?”
Harmony shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t make the deadline for this year. I’ll have plenty of time before next year.”
“Well, there are extenuating circumstances, and I happen to know the committee doesn’t review all documents the day they come in. There is an order.”
“I already asked for an extension and was told I couldn’t have one.”
“Let me worry about that. How much time do you need?”
Harmony met Damien’s gaze. He saw the excitement in her eyes. He was worried about her, but he wanted her to succeed. After all she’d been through, she needed a victory.
“A week. Two would be better.”
“I’ll make it happen. And when you defend your thesis, I want you to come work for me.”
“What?”
“I’ve been bugging my buddy Walker to introduce us for a week. I finally showed up at the office today and refused to leave until he brought me over here.”
“Why?” Harmony asked.
Damien slid a look at Walker. Walker shrugged. “She’s relentless.”
“I have been in your shoes, Harmony. I know what it takes to do everything yourself. You have proven that you are reliable and dedicated to your work. You have also shown that you are a good person, and we need as many of those around as possible. If you are open to working with me, we have a tuition reimbursement program that would retroactively cover your education expenses for the last ten years, assuming they support the career we are hiring you for. We also have excellent medical coverage and a generous compensation structure.” Dawn delivered her news as if it wasn’t life-changing for Harmony.
Harmony sat on the couch with her mouth hanging open.
“Say yes, Harmony,” Damien stage-whispered.
“Yes. Holy crap. Yes. I am honored that you would offer all this.”
“You’ve more than earned it. You are an amazing person.
You’ve been through hell, and when it came down to it, you still chose to help others.
” Dawn’s eyes welled up. “The money you donated went to a cause very dear to me. At a time when you probably could have used it more than most, you still chose to give it to others.”
“I didn’t feel right keeping it. It was never really meant for me. It was intended to silence me, and I couldn’t use it. I… Shelter in the Storm is always helping people. I knew they would do something good with it.”
“Frannie will,” Dawn said. “It’s hard for her to get funding, and she doesn’t let me donate as much as I’d like to. It was a huge help for her.”
“You know her?”
Dawn smiled. “She’s a very good friend.”
“I’ve never met her, but Captain Patrick is very kind.”
“I think maybe we need to change that. Get everyone together. You would have made a good Curvy Vigilante.”
“A good what?” Harmony asked.
Dawn smiled and stood. “I’ll tell you next time. Rest up, Harmony. We’ll work out all the details soon. Listen to that man. He loves you, and he wants the best for you.”
Harmony met Damien’s gaze, and his heart stirred. He did love her.
“I will. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Patterson.”
Dawn chuckled. “Call me Dawn.”
Harmony nodded.
Damien let them out and waved as they headed back to Walker’s SUV.
“Did you know that was going to happen?” Harmony asked.
Damien shook his head. “I definitely did not, but I’m not surprised. You are pretty amazing. It was only a matter of time before other people figured it out, too.”
“I love you. All of this… I think my dad sent you to me. To get me out of my head and start living my life.”
“I’m happy he did. I just wish it came with a few less bullets.”
Harmony snorted. “I am pretty stubborn. Maybe it was the only way.”
“I’m glad it worked. I love you. And I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you. I love you. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
“Do you want to keep working?”
Harmony shook her head. “No. You heard Dawn. I’m supposed to listen to you. I think we need a break.”
Damien’s eyebrows went up. “Look at you figuring out how to balance it all.”
Harmony laughed. “Hardly, but I know with you by my side, I can do anything, even the impossible.”
“We’ll make it possible together.”
“First, I need a kiss.”
“Now that I can get behind.”
Thank you so much for reading Harmony and Damien’s story!