Searching for Harmony: A Boston Love Novel by Kelly Elliott Page B

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.
    “Harmony, do you mind if I speak with Ward—I mean Preston—for a minute?”
    My mouth went dry and I had an overwhelming urge to flee.
    “No, not at all. Should I just wait here?”
    “Yes!” I said, almost in a panic. If she stayed there, I could keep my eye on her and would know if Sharp tried to talk to her. “Um, just have a seat and I’ll be right back.”
    Reaching for the cap’s hand again, Harmony shook it and said, “It was nice seeing you again.”
    “It was my pleasure, Harmony.” Cap turned and walked toward his office as I followed. Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled when I saw Harmony watching us walk away.
    “Shut the door, Ward, and have a seat.”
    Fuck.
    Doing as he asked, I sat down and held my breath,