Page 4 of Red Hot Harmony

I felt helpless against the force that Ally was and I knew that refusing her now would result in a fight and a sleepless night, and I needed to be sharp. Dream Bride had been slammed this month and I’d even worked from home when necessary.

“Bug, why don’t we talk about this in the morning? I promise I will hear your argument and we’ll discuss, okay?”

She stared at me for a long moment, then sighed loudly and dropped her arms to her sides. “Sure, Mom.”

We both went to sleep shortly after.

“This is very unfortunate.” Renn’s voice, followed by the snap of her heels, carried over from the back end of the boutique. “Have you heard about the new fire near Ojai?” She emerged on the main floor, dressed in all white, small mother of pearl earrings glinting in the bright afternoon light spilling through the glass front of the boutique.

Harper’s head turned, hands still clutching a bouquet of ribbon roses we’d received yesterday. He wasn’t generally happy with fake flowers, but these were nicely done, and we were debating whether putting them next to the mannequins in the display facing the street would be appropriate.

“Most brides prefer live roses, sweets,” Harper had been telling me when Renn showed up.

She scanned the boutique with a keen eye and headed over to the reception desk to check the appointment list. Her hair was fashioned into an elaborate bun, an updo fit for the heat that continued to reign throughout Southern California. Walking a short distance from a parking lot into a building without sweating rivers was impossible.

Amun carefully stepped aside, letting Renn do as the woman pleased. She was already quite intimidating, but on her bad days, she was a real menace.

“They said on the news that some kids did it. On purpose,” she muttered under her breath, then shifted her attention from the day’s itinerary to Harper and me. “Can you imagine? We barely had one fire put out. People lost their homes. And now this. The entire park is ashes now.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to force my mind into submission, but all my thoughts currently revolved around Dante.

Last night, he showed up at my house for a lesson with Ally as discussed. He texted me beforehand to check in, like he always does. We had each other's numbers, but we’d never used them for anything except arranging tutoring sessions for my kid. Up until this past Sunday, it had been a line neither of us had dared to cross.

But yesterday, shortly after he’d left, I found a text on my phone. From him.

Dante: I’ll pick you up on Friday at 7.

I’d stared at the screen for a full minute, confused. Then I’d realized it was him setting the day and the time for our date. He hadn’t asked if I’d be available. He’d just chosen an evening and if it had been some other man, I would have been livid. With Dream Bride being so busy, I couldn’t afford to send myself on vacation, however short.

But it was Dante and the thought of him being bossy stirred something in me. For once, I didn’t want to be the person making all the decisions. Surprisingly, giving up some of the control felt better than I’d expected.

“This is such a difficult job. I don’t know how those men and women do it,” Renn rambled on. She was talking about firefighters, of course. Her fascination with people in uniforms sometimes bordered on creepy.

“I wouldn’t mind dating a firefighter,” Harper said wistfully, looking up at the ceiling.

He seemed to be getting over Lucas finally. He even went out with some guy he’d met on a dating app last week. But he was still sore from the loss of Tallulah.

“Shall I open?” Amun asked tentatively.

I checked the round clock on the wall and nodded.

“So I’ve got a plan,” Harper said, whisking me away from the door into the space behind the racks with newly arrived dresses.

“What plan?” I asked, feeling a little nervous.

“How to steal my baby back.”

“Oh.” A loud sigh pushed past my lips. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“She’s mine and she misses me. I know. She’s just sitting there all alone in the window every time I come by.”

“Every time?” Horror twisted my gut. “Harper.” I reached for his shoulder, carefully curling my fingers around his upper arm. “Are you stalking that place?”

“Research, sweets.”

“What if they see you and call the police?”

“They won’t see me.” He smiled conspiratorially.

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