Page 28 of Beautiful Harmony

Lucas roared laughter. “How was I supposed to know it was only sold in Europe?”

“It’s called Google, Lucas.”

“Hey, you have to admit, you had a good time that day. I played you all of my favourite songs in the car.”

“And sang along to them, loudly and off key,” she said.

“I can’t help it if I’m a sexy singer, Emma,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at your place in about twenty minutes.”

“Fine,” she said, “but the first strip mall you take me to, I’m abandoning you immediately.”

He laughed. “There will be zero strip malls. I promise.”

* * *

“Seriously, Lucas?”

He grinned at Emma. “What? It’s not a strip mall.”

“It’s worse. It’s Willington.”

He pretended to pull the knife from his chest and hand it to her.

She studied the neighbourhood, sipping at her bottle of lemonade as he turned left. “This is actually a pretty nice area.”

“Willington is awesome. Superior to Harmony Falls in every way,” he said.

“Say that again, and I’ll never let you beat me at Shadow Dragons again,” she said.

“Let me? Hey, I won that last game fair and square,” he said.

“Sure, you did, honey,” she said in a sweet, condescending tone that made him laugh.

“Fine, you can kick my ass at Shadow Dragons even though I developed the damn game, and I will carry that shame to my grave. But you’re about to be so freaking amazed by me that you’ll forget all about your Shadow Dragon glory.”

“Is that right,” she said as he pulled into a driveway and shut off the car.

“I can’t wait to see the look on your face,” he said. “Come on.”

She followed him up the porch steps, watching him try the door handle. “So, we’re breaking and entering? Is that what we’re doing? Because I definitely have a look on my face if that’s what we’re doing.”

“It’s my parents’ house, you dork,” he said, taking out his keys and thumbing through them. He used his key to open the door. “Mom? Dad? You back yet?”

Emma followed him into the silent house. “Why are we at your parents’ house when they’re not here?”

“They’re at the farmers market,” he said. “They go every Sunday afternoon.”

“Willington has a farmers market? Now that would have been fun,” she said. “Why are we not there?”

“Because I have something to show you,” he said.

“I have no interest in seeing your childhood bedroom with your baseball trophies and your posters of your teenage celebrity crushes,” she said.

“Bullshit,” he said cheerfully. “You’re dying to see my childhood bedroom. But that’s not why we’re here. What I want to show you is in the basement.”

“Perfect. I’m about to be an episode of Dateline.”

He laughed hard. “Oh my God, just come with me.”

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