Finding Harmony (18 page)
Rick stepped out onto the porch and breathed in. It was
October, but true autumn was months away. It was still warm, but in his cotton
shirt and khaki shorts he was comfortable. He settled on the swing suspended
from the porch ceiling and looked out over the park toward the lake, letting
the breeze cool him as he sipped his coffee. He had about an hour before he had
to show up at the Welcome Center. He was in charge of the Sales Office, and
loved showing prospective residents and investors the benefits of living in a
place like this.
Four years had passed since he first came to Cypress
Corners, and the development still puzzled him. Pristine natural beauty and all
the modern comforts blended together into a perfect place to make his life. His
real life, not the one he’d left behind in Boston.
“Good morning!”
He turned to find Harmony walking up the sidewalk toward
him. Wearing shorts and a tank top, her hair in a fat curly ponytail, she still
made his mouth go dry. Talk about pristine natural beauty. Damn.
“Morning,” he said. He put the coffee cup down on a side
table and held out his arms. She came willingly, her and the little guy
bounding along beside her. Their three-year-old son Nick.
Harmony sat beside him and held Nick on her lap. The boy
was a looker, with black curls and hazel eyes. More than that, the kid knew
Rick loved him.
“Daddy!”
Rick shifted and held his son close. He kissed the top of
his head, feeling his soft curls with his cheek. “Hey, big guy. You and Mommy
have a nice walk?”
Nick nodded. “We saw a lizard and Mommy said it was
supposed to be eating that bug, so we didn’t touch it. Over in the park there
were three cranes as big as me!”
“Really? Cool.”
“Miss Hettie gave me a seed pod.” He held his hand out to
show a slightly-crushed husk. “Mommy says we’ll plant the seeds up near the
café.”
Harmony smiled. “Grandpa Max will enjoy those beans next
summer.”
Nick nodded and gave Harmony the seed husk. “I’m gonna play
with my trucks.”
And just like that he switched from nature boy to
rough-and-ready little man as he hopped down. He hurried over to one corner of
the wraparound porch and started to play with the oversized toy trucks and
SUV’s parked there. Rick watched him for a minute, shaking his head. Expensive
gifts from Bill. The man would never learn.
He put his arm over Harmony’s shoulders and they leaned
back together on the swing. “I heard from Jake.”
Harmony clicked her tongue. “I don’t know why he’s still at
Chapman.”
He shrugged. “He’s still in grad school, too. Maybe he just
can’t figure out what he wants.”
“It’s a shame what your father did to all of you.”
He just waved a hand. He wouldn’t waste any time talking
about Bill. His father was firmly in his past until he could come to terms with
Rick’s choices. With Rick’s life.
“Jake’s coming down next week,” he went on. “Something
about an extreme training camp.”
She nodded. “I heard something about that at the Welcome Center. He’s going to plan the project. Maybe that will give him some focus.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Maybe he’ll finally find what I
have.”
She turned and smiled up at him. “And what’s that, Rick
Chapman?”
He grinned. “You know damn well, Harmony. I found you.”
They shared a sweet kiss and she settled against his side
once more. He thought about what he’d really found at Cypress Corners. Yes,
he’d found the love of his life. The mother of his son. But he’d found an
understanding, too. Life was full of contradictions, of choices. You had to
know what was important and what wasn’t. His life was like that. It was a life
that needed balance.
He’d found his with Harmony.
JoMarie DeGioia has been making up stories for as long as
she can remember, and has spent years giving voice to the characters in her
head. She’s known Mickey Mouse from the “inside,” has been a copyeditor for her
town’s newspaper, and a bookseller. She writes Historical and Contemporary
Romances, along with Young and New Adult Fantasy stories. She divides her time
between Central Florida and New England.
The Dashing Nobles series, including
More Than Passion
Pride and Fire
Just Perfect
More Than Charming