Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(9)

“You are insane. Hi, Barrett,” she said, as she held the door for them to come in.

“Hey, I was just protecting you.”

She shut the door behind her as they walked in.

“I do not need you to protect me. Not now, not when I was a teenager, not ever.”

Barrett followed the two of them past the living area and into her kitchen. He noticed she had paint supplies in her bathroom, and the white bathroom was now being painted a shade of green.

“Redecorating the bathroom, Harmony?” he asked.

“What? Oh, the paint. Yes. I’m changing the color.”

Drake’s lips lifted. “She paints or redecorates whenever she’s upset.”

“I do not. And don’t change the subject. What the hell were you thinking storming into Levon’s office like that?”

“I was thinking of punching him in his smug, * face. But I didn’t. I just told him to stay away from you.”

She let out a long sigh. “He has every intention of staying away from me, considering we just broke up, idiot. And you scared the shit out of him.”

“Did I? Good. Then he’ll leave you alone.”

“He threatened to call the police, Drake. I had to talk him out of that and I told him you would never come near him again.”

“He’s a *.”

She rolled her eyes. “You need to stay out of my life, out of my business, and most especially my love life. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that I’m an adult now and I can take care of myself. Can I make that any clearer to you?”

“Okay, fine. You know if Levon had any balls, he’d have told me to go f*ck myself and we’d have thrown a few punches and everything would have been okay.”

Barrett tried not to snort at Drake’s twisted sense of logic.

Harmony raised her hands in the air. “Really? Really, Drake? I don’t even know what to do with you. That’s the most uncivilized, barbaric, ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You have to stop interfering in my life.”

Harmony’s voice had gotten progressively louder.

“Okay, okay.” Drake went over and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

She stared at Drake. “I’d like to believe that, but I know it’s not true. Please call Levon and apologize.”

Drake laughed. “Not gonna happen. But I promise to not bother him again. Is that good enough?”

“I guess so.” She sighed. “I’ll call him again to reassure him. Which by the way, I do not want to do.”

Drake shrugged. “You don’t have to talk to him at all. I took care of it.”

“No, you made it worse.”

“I love you, baby sis.”

She shook her head. “I love you, too. But dammit, Drake, you make me crazy.”

Drake pulled her into a hug. “That’s why you love me.”

Siblings. Barrett shook his head.

Harmony stepped away from her brother and glared at Barrett. “And don’t you stand there and shake your head. You were there with him and you let this happen.”

“I take no responsibility for trying to control Drake.”

“Whatever. You two get out of my house. I have painting to do.”

Drake turned to leave and Barrett followed, then stopped to take a peek in the bathroom. “So you really redecorate whenever you’re upset?”

“Out, Barrett,” Harmony said.

He grinned, then followed Drake to his car.





Five





Harmony went over her schedule in her office. The space wasn’t much, since she’d only been in business for a year, but so far, things had really taken off. Her calendar was full, she’d hired an assistant, and word had gotten out to local contractors that she was damn good at what she did, which meant even more referrals were coming her way.

Just the way she’d envisioned when she’d gone into business for herself. She’d interned with some of the best designers she knew, and she’d learned a lot. But in the end, she’d wanted her own firm. A risky move, for sure, but if there was one thing Harmony had in droves, it was confidence.

Which could end in her downfall, but failure wasn’t a word she acknowledged.

“You’ve got a final walk-through with the Greens tomorrow afternoon.”

She nodded at Rosalie, her assistant. “I’ve got that on my calendar. Did they install the crown molding in the living room?”

“I was over there this morning. Molding is in place and the trim painters are there. Kitchen is finished, master bedroom and bath have been completed. Everything on the checklist has been checked off. Oh, and Jeff called and said he’d meet you there this afternoon at three for you to do a walk-through with him.”

“Perfect.” Jeff Golan was one of her favorite contractors. He was no-nonsense, like her, and he got things done on time, which was why he was one of her favorites.

She’d also gotten a text from Barrett, which had actually surprised her. They were meeting at his house tonight, since he had practice today.

She knew he was reluctant about it, but nothing put the fear in a man like her mother.

She smiled at that. Even her formidable brother could be brought to his knees by one death stare from Mama.