Page 3 of Harman

“You’d think that wouldn’t ya? Well, I’ve got something to say about that too. My sister ain’t dead. I’m not going to go into one of the hospital places to be wheeled around all the time. I ain’t wearing a diaper like some old folks. Nor am I going to wear a big bib and be told like I’m some kind of drunken Irish idiot because I made a shite in my drawers.” The man was either shocked to his core or trying hard not to laugh. She thought it was the latter. “Another thing I’m going to say then I won’t speak to either of you again, I want a bowl of—not those dainty kind they’ve been bringing me while here but a bowl of oats that have cooked on the stove like a good and proper oat should be. That’ll make them sit up and take some notice when I give them a nice fermenting shite after that. Don’t you think, young man?”

He cleared his throat twice before he nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I do think that’ll do it. Is there anything that I can get for you? I’m here until the day after tomorrow, and I can get you anything you wish. I’ve been waiting to get home, and I’m bored again. Not that I think that you’re boring or anything, but my mom, who was going to take care of me, was called away suddenly, and she’s the only one that—I’m babbling. I do that when I’m embarrassed or confused. I think right now, I’m both. First for—I’ll just be quiet now.” Grannie asked the young man if he was smooching up to her, and his face went pink again. “No, ma’am. I’m just trying to help you and your granddaughter out.”

“If you could see your way to get me some oats that don’t have instant on the box, I’d be grateful.” Grannie looked at her. “Why don’t you be dating this kind of man? I believe that he’d give you a good ride or two before you plum wear him out. I would like to have meself a great-great-granddaughter or two before I meet my maker with my hands as empty as they are now.”

“You have five, at last count, great-great-grandchildren. You could be snuggling up to them if ye’d not be so flipping aggravating all the time. Joesph is here with his kids come to see you.” Grannie told her that they were here for the supposed funeral. “Awe, there’s no talking at ya at times. Ya drive me batty.”

It was rude of her, but she left the man with her grannie. She was headed to the lifts when he caught up with her. They didn’t speak about anything until they were in the lift. She did ask him what floor he was going to and when he asked where the cafeteria was, she said she was headed there to see her cousin as well.

“Why is she having such a hard time believing that your aunt is gone? I’m assuming that she wasn’t able to go to the funeral.” Cassie told him that she’d been there but was having a bad day. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me to ask. I do hope she gets better.”

“She won’t. From here, it gets worse by the minute.” She asked him what his name was. “I’ve heard that name before…Canna remember right now, but I know it was something to do with the—” Cassie snapped her fingers. “You’re the nursery room man. The one that got them people to show their true colors a few weeks back. It was in the newspaper around here.”

“Yes, that’s me. And thank you for not saying that I got them fired. I didn’t. They did that all on their own.” Cassie remembered it now. How the man had been volunteering for the baby section when he’d been hit a few times. Then, a few days later, he’d been brought back into the hospital with an infection. “I should have been home by now, but my mom was called away to help with the death of one of her friend’s husband. She would have worried about me if she’d brought me to the house and then left. This is better, anyway. I’m not feeling rushed about getting better. My name is Harman Griffin, by the way. Your grannie is something else.”

“Aye, she is at that.” They were in the cafeteria when she saw her cousin sitting all alone at one of the tables closest to the windows. It was snowing again, too cold. She’d thought for anything to be out if she were to be asked, but Katie caught the attention of a bird hopping around in the food that had been left out for her. “Grannie is complaining again. I’ve had enough. It’s your turn to talk to her. This here is Harman Griffin. He calmed her down a bit with a promise of steel-cut oats. She’s talking up a storm to anyone that isn’t us. Have you heard from Joey?”

“She embarrassed me, is what she did.” When he did put out his hand to meet her cousin, Katie didn’t take it. In fact, she glared at Harman instead. “I see. I guess rudeness doesn’t just run in the elderly part of the family. At least she was good-humored about it.” He looked at her. “It was nice to meet you, Carrie. And enjoy the rest of your stay here.”

Carrie looked at the good-looking man and then at her cousin. It was true that they didn’t know one another all that well. They’d been together when they were both five, but she was carted off to Wales as soon as school started. The two of them talked on occasion, but it was the death of their great aunt that brought her back here with her brother and his family, Joey Donahue.

“You were rude to him.” Katie shrugged her shoulders and turned away. “This got something to do with that doctor? The one that made a pass at you?”

“He didn’t make a pass at me, and no, my mood lies squarely in Grannie’s lap. Why did she have them call us in if she’s no mind to listen to what we have to stay about things? I’ve got more important things to do rather than sitting around here on my ass all the time. Joey, with his four children, is having a better time than I am. And he’s stuck in the house with them. Oh lordy, I need a break.” When she turned and looked at her, Carrie would have slayed the world for her cousin. She’d helped her enough over the years. “My boss calls. Or my former boss, I guess. He said that I’ve missed too much work and that I’m not to come back there for any reason. They’ll mail my things to me.”

“Can they do that?” Katie just looked at her. “Aye, and I ain’t from around here now, am I? Just get your panties out of your twist and be nice to me. You know why Grannie refuses to believe why her sister isn’t dead?” Carrie sat down on the closest chair and asked her if that was true. “She really believes that her sister is the only one that cared for her. Where she’d get a notion like that, do ya know?”

“I would imagine it has a little to do with her sister dying and her brother blaming it—why do they live to be so old, Carrie? Most of the family is still hanging on after hitting their nineties. You think that Grandda was right in saying that it had to do with the Donahue blood that run rich over the mountains? He’s full of malarkey if you were to ask me.”

“You have such a pretty way with your wording, cousin. I would have called him a bald-faced liar and been on with my business. You have to pretty it up with ’malarkey’ and the likes.” Carrie was glad to see the smile on her face. “You’re a beautiful woman, Katie, dear. Why are you wasting away over here when there are men around…well, like that Griffin person. He’s a sure lot of eye candy if you were to ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t.” Carrie noticed that her cousin did look in his direction but didn’t let her gaze linger very long. “Men like him would eat me alive.” Carrie told her that would be a nice way to go. “Oh, behave yourself, why don’t you. Everything isn’t about sex, you know.”

“Aye, I know that. I don’t believe you do, but therein lies the issues. You’re getting to be a dried-up old prune, and that’s bad for us Donahue women. You’re ruining our reputation by being a old spinster. How old do you be now? Fifty, sixty years old. That sweater that you have on and those ugly shoes tell me that you’re that old, at least. Or more. Where is the fancy clothing that all of you Americans wear? You’re making me look bad here.” Carrie watched her cousin, and when she stiffened, she stepped in front of her. “Aye, I’ll be helping you if you wish. We’re having a conversation.”

“I’m Katie’s boss. I want you to…why are you talking like that. You came from the south, didn’t you? Some hillbilly or something.” Carrie was still trying to figure out why the man thought she was from the south? South of what when he sat down across from her cousin. “I’ve decided to give you a second chance. You’ll come back to work today, and I’ll pretend that nothing happened. What do you say?”

Carrie looked at the man, but she was still concerned with her cousin. When Katie stood up and stretched, she thought for sure that she was going to go back to work for the man who had been harassing her for the last several days. She did wonder if this was the reason that Katie was forever in a vile mood.

“No.” When she moved away from the table and went to the line that served the people food here, she followed her. There was something going on here, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it before someone, him, she was thinking, got hurt. “What kind of pie did you have before, Carrie?”

Confused, she answered her. “Banana Cream, I think she called it. Best way to use up bananas I’ve ever heard of. The cherry pie is good, too. Not like Grannie’s, but good.” The man tried to stop Katie from putting a slice of both pieces of pie on her tray. “Excuse me. What are you talking about?”

“I said that I’m going to take you back despite having more than enough good reason for firing you. You’ll have to make up for it by working weekends and overtime. But you’ll work hard on things because I’m doing you a big favor right now.” Katie asked while not looking at him if he’d figured out her computer was blank. “Yes, and you’ll not do that again either. I want your passwords to everything that you do from now on. I’m your boss, and what I say goes, Katie. We’ll not be having secrets between us again. Or I will have to terminate you. See that I don’t.”

“The clients won’t work with you. Nor anyone on your staff. While I’ll have nothing to do with them leaving your firm, I know for a fact that your daddy will come down on your ass hard if the entire firm closes down because you can’t keep your hands and fists to yourself. What do you think he’d say if I brought in the police reports of me having to have you arrested to keep you from raping me? Or the huge hospital bills when you knock me around because I won’t have an affair with you.” She turned then and looked at the man. For the life of her she couldn’t remember his name. A tall shadow slid over her, and she turned to see that Griffin was standing there.

“The lady has given you an answer, and I believe she means it. Why don’t you move on to someone that is more your size? Beating on people not necessarily weaker than you but smaller is against the law.” Carrie watched as Harman straightened up and looked to be about a foot taller than the man. “Ms. Donahue, if you’d like to beat the crap out of Jimmy here, I’ll gladly stand back and make sure he plays fair when you do. He’s been a big bully since we were in high school together. Isn’t that right, Jimmy boy?”

Jimmy? She didn’t think that was right but watched closely as to what was going on. The man only glared at Harman but didn’t engage. She did notice that he was puffing out his chest like he was some damned bird or something stepping back when Katie did, she put her hands on her shoulders to let her know that she was there for her.

“What the hell? Are you letting him touch you now, Katie?” The slap startled both men and herself when Katie reddened the cheek of the other man. “What have I told you about hitting me, bitch?”

“Excuse me.” Before either of them, Katie or herself could figure out what was going on, Harman had Jimmy in a chokehold and down on the floor just as security came into the vast room. In as little as a few seconds, honestly, Jimmy was being carted off, and Katie and she were left standing there like nothing had happened. Looking around for Harman, he was sitting at his table, looking at the pie that he was forking into his mouth, and didn’t turn to look at them. Not even when she said his name. Christ, not only was he good-looking, but he was also a knight in shining armor when someone needed him.

Chapter 2

Sitting at his desk with all his notes in front of him, Harman tried to get his mind where it needed to be to work. He’d been home now for a week, and the only thing he’d gotten finished was his laundry. And he’d not even washed it but had put it away. Having live-in help, he was glad now that he’d hired someone to help, but he was getting no more done than he had before. Figures, he told himself. All this time, he couldn’t get his head turned in the right direction.

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