Searching for Harmony: A Boston Love Novel by Kelly Elliott

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