Page 23 of Redeeming Harmony

“Let me guess… Emma Richardson?” Lucas said.

“Bingo. She doesn’t seem to care for you much,” Nathan said. “Which is surprising because in the few short weeks I’ve known you, the lovely Georgia over there seems to be the only woman who can resist your charm.”

“I’ll win Georgia over eventually,” Lucas said.

“So, what did you say to Emma to piss her off?” Nathan asked.

“Nothing. I’ve only met her once at her yarn shop,” Lucas said.

“And?”

“And what?”

“What did you say to her?” Nathan said.

“She might have been wearing a shirt with a graphic of yarn balls that said I like big balls, and I might have said something about having a couple of really big balls myself.”

“That’s a terrible pick-up line,” Nathan said.

“Okay, but I was holding two big balls of yarn at the time. If you’d been there, you would have thought it was hilarious,” Lucas said.

“Would I have, though?” Nathan said.

“No,” Lucas said sadly.

Nathan laughed. “Well, regardless of how much she dislikes you, she’s willing to give you a chance in our gaming group, probably because you work for Stark Entertainment and you literally game for a living. But you’re on probation.”

“I’ll be on my best behaviour.” Lucas glanced at his watch. “Speaking of gaming, I gotta go. I have a meeting with my team in half an hour.”

He finished the last of his coffee and reached for his wallet.

“It’s my turn to pay,” Nathan said.

“Nah,” Lucas said. “It’s a big day for you. By tonight, you’ll be the brand new owner of Brandt Veterinary Clinic, and one should always get a free breakfast on such a momentous occasion.”

Nathan laughed. “Thanks, man.”

“You’re welcome. We still doing drinks tonight to celebrate?”

Nathan nodded, ignoring the doubt gnawing at his insides. Warren would still go ahead with the sale of the clinic. Nathan couldn’t lose his dream, not when he was this close.

Chapter 7

You can do this, Harper. Go in there, apologize for being a total bitch, and then leave. Easy. Nothing to it. It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last time, you have to eat crow.

Lord, wasn’t that the truth. She had a terrible habit of blurting out whatever she was thinking, and it had gotten her into trouble more than once.

She pushed past the swinging door and waved at Hal and Allie, who were trimming a very enthusiastic Burmese Mountain dog’s nails. Somewhere from the dog kennel, a dog whined, a low and continuous murmur of sound that was more boredom than fear.

A girl with green hair and a pierced lip came out of the cat room, holding a gray tabby. She stared at Harper. “Can I help you?”

“She’s Warren’s daughter,” Hal called. The Burmese Mountain dog licked Hal from the bottom of his beard to his temple, leaving a shiny spit trail across Hal’s face.

“Oh, hey, right. Nice to meetcha’,” the girl said. “I’m Jade.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Harper said. “Do you know if Dr. Henshaw is with a client right now?”

“He’s in his office.” Jade carried the tabby past Hal and Allie before setting him on the x-ray table. “Do you have time to help me do the x-ray, Hal?”

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