Chapter 7
B
rody, Aiden, and Bailey knocked on her door at four o'clock. Brody tried to corral the kids so that they didn't rush her, but with no luck. After hugs and rushed greetings, they settled in for the movieâAiden on his stomach on her bedâshe'd made it since Brody was comingâand Bailey on Brody's lap.
Harmony glanced at gauze wrapped and taped around Brody's thumb. “Cut yourself?”
Brody scowled. “Ian hired Luther for afternoon help. The kid's a fast learner, but his first swing with a hammer didn't hit its mark.”
Ouch! That had to hurt.
Bailey touched her finger to her lips and then touched Brody's wound. Harmony went gooey inside. What a sweet kid! Brody's expression melted. The man was Bailey's to do with as she pleased.
Aiden was in a hurry to start. Actually, he was in a hurry to finish. They had to watch the movie before Harmony could start reading the book to them. “You have the movie ready to go where we left off, right?”
Harmony gave Aiden a stern look. “If you talk through every scene, we won't get finished today.”
Eyes gleaming with mischief, he zipped his lips. Damn, he was a cool kid! Every once in a while, he'd get so excited about a scene, he'd turn to blurt something to her, but Harmony would pretend to zip her lips, and he'd grin and zip his, too. Near the end of the movie, when Harry and his friends made it past the three-headed dog, Brody's eyebrows shot up when Professor Quirrell removed his turban, and Voldemort's face was implanted on the back of his head. He turned to ask, “Snape's working with Voldemort, too, right?” But Aiden raised his finger to his lips and hissed, “Shhh!”
Brody scowled, but obeyed.
When the movie ended, Aiden jumped to his feet on the bed, shot his arm into the sky, and yelled, “Yes! Tomorrow we can start the book.”
“You don't stand on beds,” Brody growled.
Aiden immediately plopped onto his fanny.
“Tomorrow, yes.” Harmony pointed to the clock. “But for now, get moving. You're late again.”
Aiden groaned. “Mom can't get mad at us for ten minutes.”
“Don't push it. Get out of here,” Harmony told him.
Bailey grabbed Brody's hand and tugged on it. “Will you walk with us when we go downstairs?”
“Yeah, and tell Mom the movie just ended,” Aiden pleaded.
“Sure.” Brody did more than that. He lifted Bailey onto his shoulders, and the little girl giggled. He had to duck to clear the doorway, then turned his head to tell Harmony, “I'll start the SUV. We're cutting it close again.”
She rolled her eyes. At home, everything revolved around her writing. That's the way she liked it, but she hustled to get ready. She'd gotten five pages finished before the kids came up and was feeling pretty happy with herself.
They pulled into Tessa's driveway at six, sharp. Harmony was grateful they'd had such a short drive. There'd been a dusting of snow today, and the road was slick. When she got out of the car, the sidewalk was slippery, too. Brody came to put his arm under her elbow, and they'd made it up the walk to the first porch step, when he lost his balance. He didn't want them to fall on their backsides on the cement, so he wrenched Harmony sideways, and they both fell into a deep drift of snow.
She landed on top of him, her body stretched over his. Mmm, she kind of liked it here. She stared down at his handsome face, tempted to plaster her lips on his. What would he do? How would he respond?
Ian raced from the house to check on them. Standing on the porch, he called, “Are you all right?”
“Fine, just damned cold.” Brody's voice sounded husky. He rolled to his feet and reached to pull Harmony up. His feet slid again, and this time, he fell on top of her. Thankfully, he caught himself on his elbows before he squished her into a pancake.
His gaze locked with hers.
Go ahead. Kiss me
. Harmony studied his face, inches from hers. A strong jaw. She was growing fond of those smoky, gray eyes. Full lips. Mmm, the possibilities. But it
was
cold.
“Brody?” Ian waited.
“I'm
fine
!” His voice sounded like ground glass. He rolled to his feet again, and this time, he said, “You might be safer without my help.”
Did she want to be safe? Harmony stayed where she was. She flapped her arms up and down and slid her legs back and forth where she lay. “No worries. Just leave me here. I'm a snow angel.”
Brody stared at her like she was nuts, then shook his head and started laughing. “Come on, angel, before you become an ice sculpture.” He stomped his feet deep into the snow for better footing and carefully pulled her to him. Her body was shaking, and he pushed her slightly away to ask, “Did I hurt you?”
The giggles overwhelmed her. “Only my dignity.”
“Very funny.” He flicked her nose. “Come on. I'm freezing.”
When they reached Ian, he gave them a strange look.
“What?” Brody sounded out of patience.
Ian shrugged. “You can't sue me because you're clumsy.”
“I'm not clumsy. I didn't clean the mud off my boots from when I rescued your damned duck, and these boots don't have any treads on the bottom. They're smooth.”
“Stick to that story.” Ian led them inside the house. “What I saw was a bull in a china shop.”
“A bull?” They were bickering when they joined Tessa in the kitchen.
She smiled at all of them and came to hug Brody and Harmony. “Ian told me you were worried about me. You two are so sweet.”
Harmony studied her friend. “You still look tired.”
“I shouldn't. I took a nap this afternoon. I don't know what happened. I was sitting on the couch, working on my laptop, and the next thing I knew, I woke up two hours later.”
“We can order pizza, you know. That's my usual staple.” Harmony ignored Brody's grimace.
“Don't be silly. I'm keeping everything low key. I think it's just the weather. I always get tired at the first cold snap. My body has to adjust.”
Ian threw an arm around Tessa's shoulders. “Okay, woman, let's eat. Everything's ready.”
They marched to the table and took their places. The ribs were delicious. The baked potatoes were on the firm side, but no one said a word. Ian had heated up not one, but two cans of green beans. Perfect.
Ian tried to keep the conversation light. “Brody, you mentioned that Bridget phoned last night, but then Paula called us to lunch, and I forgot to ask you about it. What's up?”
Again, Harmony noticed Brody wince before he said, “Mason wants a puppy, and they're all arguing about it. Her husband's waffling, and that pisses Bridget off. She wanted a firm no from him, so that she doesn't have to be the bad guy.”
Ian frowned. “But that's why she loves Dave, because he's so easygoing. He lets her make all the decisions.”
Brody's lip curled up on one side. “But she only likes it when it benefits her.”
Ian laughed.
Harmony watched Brody. Something was bothering him, she was sure. He was omitting something, but it was not her concern. If he didn't want to share it, there must be a reason.
When the men cleared the table, Ian spread his hands. “I forgot to hoof it to the bakery and thaw something for dessert. Sorry.”
“I've had plenty to eat,” Harmony said. “I'm going to have to hit the gym and start a diet when I get home.”
Brody absently shook his head. “You have a great figure. No worries there.”
She could feel the blush creep to her cheeks. Two compliments from Mr. Broody Brody. She wouldn't know what to do with herself. “Thanks, but that's because I'm usually too lazy to fix myself much to eat. I'm constantly getting fed here.”
Brody rested a hand on his stomach. “How do you keep the weight off, Ian?”
Ian looked at his wife with a wicked twinkle in his eyes. “I chase Tessa around the house, naked.”
Tessa's jaw dropped. A blush crept all the way up to her copper hairline, and she smacked his arm.
Ian laughed at her. “You girls take off. Brody and I will clean up.”
Tessa had to push herself out of her chair. Harmony fought to not put a hand under her elbow to help her into the living room.
“You're still dead,” Harmony said. “When the guys are done in the kitchen, Brody and I will head back.”
“No, we haven't even talked writing!” Tessa pursed her lips in a pout. “Are you getting enough pages done? Will you make your deadline?”
“I'm doing rewrites as I go, and I finished ten new pages today. When I get back, I'll try to squeeze in five more.”
“Brody said you're being awfully nice to the kids.”
Harmony shrugged. “You've seen me when I get too driven. I use up my brain. It goes dry. The kids give me a nice break. I need it.”
Tessa smirked. “You like reading to them.”
Harmony couldn't slide a half-truth past Tessa. They'd known each other too long. “Yup, I'm busted. Who knew kids could be so much fun?”
Tessa studied her under lowered lashes. “How do you and Brody get along?”
“Uh-uh, don't go there.” Harmony waggled a finger at her friend. “We do okay, but we don't have much in common. We make great houseguests, though.”
Tessa smiled and leaned her head back against the high spindles of the rocking chair. Her eyes closed for a second, and she jerked forward, fighting to stay awake.
“Maybe you're catching something.” Wasn't it flu season in the Midwest? At home, Harmony usually tried to avoid germy people. For Tessa, she'd brave them to bring her Jell-O and 7-Up. She'd even hold a bucket for her when she puked.
“No fever, no cough, I'm just tired.”
“Then take it easy for a while. Hang in there, friend.” When Brody came to check on her, Harmony motioned that it was time to leave. He gave a quick nod and said his goodbyes to Ian.
Ian gave them a container of Ice Melt to sprinkle on the cement in front of them as they walked to the SUV. “Try not to kill Harmony on the way to your car. Just leave the container by the driveway. I'll get it in the morning.”
On the short trip back to the lodge, Brody concentrated on the road. His car had four-wheel drive, but it was still tense going. He pulled so close to the front door, she only had a few steps before she was in the foyer. Then he parked the SUV and slid across the pavement to join her. Maybe they should keep Ice Melt near his parking place.
When he went to hang his coat on one of the hooks, he fidgeted with it, and then he fidgeted with his boots when he took them off.
She finally asked, “What's the deal? Are you worried about Tessa, too?”
“It's too soon to worry about her,” he said. “She might have overdone it before we got here and wiped herself out. She might be catching something. We'll know soon.”
“Then what's wrong?” He'd been tense all night.
“I want to ask you something, but I feel stupid.”
She waved that away. “Stupid has always appealed to me. Go for it.”
He hurried his words. “I don't suppose you'd like to watch the next Harry Potter movie with me? I bought it.”
She stared. “Wouldn't that be like cheating? We'd know what happens in the story before I read it to the kids.”
“If you think about it, it might help you read better, with more expression. You'll know what to emphasize and what not to.”
She couldn't believe it. “That's some of the best rationalization I've heard in a long time. I thought you always did the right thing.”
“Most of the time, I try.”
“Most of the time?”
He shook his head. “No one's perfect. But I make really good popcorn, and I bought a really nice bottle of wine. Do you like Riesling? I noticed you drink white with Tessa. She thought it might be your favorite.”
She kicked off her boots and pushed them close to the wall, under her coat. “You didn't have to try so hard. The popcorn would have done it.”
“I could have saved myself fifteen bucks? I'll remember that next time.”
“Next time?” She bit her bottom lip to keep from smirking. “You bought all of the movies, didn't you, the whole set?”
“Who else am I going to watch them with? If anybody on my construction crew sees them at my place, I'll never hear the end of it. I'll leave them for the kids when I go home.”
She shouldn't. She should write. But it was still early. They hadn't stayed at Ian and Tessa's that long. “I'm game. I like being spoiled. I'll expect wine next time, too.”
His eyes glittered, and he looked downright naughty. “That's why I bought a whole case of it.”
She slapped her thigh and laughed. “You and I could be great friends!”
He sobered so fast, it surprised her. He blinked and sounded surprised himself. “I would have never guessedâa woman friend who's not a sister.” He looked dumb-founded.
She snorted. An unladylike habit. Okay,
another
unladylike habit. “You're thinking too much. I'll help you with the popcorn.”
With all their snacks ready, they sat, side by side, on the couch, watching the movie. When the enormous snake in the Chamber of Secrets attacked Harry, Brody's eyes went wide. At the end of the movie, he said, “Isn't that a little scary for kids?”
Harmony fought back a yawn. “What kid doesn't like to be scared?”
He studied her. “You're probably right. It's only when you become an adult that you try to play everything safe. No surprise bumps. Lots of security. Maybe sometimes, we play things too safe.”