Harmony’s back stiffened and she crossed her arms in a defiant pose. “I’m not taking Romeo back to that horrible place.”
Yep. Harmony was loyal, to a fault. What if that was the condition? It wasn’t. But what if it was? Was she really willing to go to jail over a dog that wasn’t even hers? I knew the answer to that question before I was even able to finish my thought. Not that it made a lick of sense. If she ended up behind bars, Romeo would end up right where she’d refused to take him in the first place.
Normally, ridiculous logic like that would bug the shit out of me, but somehow when it was coming from Harmony, I found it cute as hell. Endearing. Fucking adorable.
“That’s not the condition,” I corrected the conclusion that she’d jumped to.
I should’ve made her sweat a little, especially considering the hoops I’d had to jump through to clean up the mess she’d made. I’d had to spend more than three hours speaking to Blanche, diverting her advances and trying to get her to agree not to push the issue legally. And that fun interaction had taken place after I’d gotten off a sixteen-hour shift. I hadn’t slept in almost thirty-six hours and I needed to put as much distance as possible between me and that low-cut baby blue shirt Harmony was wearing. It didn’t just complement her cleavage, it advertised it like a billboard in Times Square.
“Fine.” She sighed. “What? Do I have to apologize?”
I was surprised that she hadn’t choked on her own disdain as she said the word.
“No,” I said flatly. “You don’t have to act like a mature adult and apologize; I did that for you. In fact, you’re not permitted to go within one hundred yards of the shelter and are to have no contact with Blanche.”
“Did Cruella De Vil get a restraining order?” Harmony reeled back slightly.
“No.” She’d wanted to. Insisted on it, in fact. Thankfully, I’d been able to negotiate other terms for Harmony’s pardon. “Those conditions are part of the agreement.”
“The agreement?” All three girls spoke in unison.
They did that a lot.
“In addition to not being able to go within a hundred yards of the shelter and having a no contact with Blanche, you will need to complete two hundred hours of community service.”
“Two hundred hours?!” The trio of girls shrieked in horror.
“Or she will press charges, and you can roll the dice. Hopefully you won’t get Judge Patterson,” I countered.
The three girls exchanged alarmed looks. Judge Patterson had a reputation for being by the book. No gray area with him. Harmony had broken the law. She not only admitted it freely, there was also video evidence. She might not end up in jail since it was her first offense, but no way would she be getting off with less than community service.
“Fine.” Harmony sighed, not showing even an ounce of appreciation for the hoops I’d had to jump through. “I’ll do the community service.”
I handed her a card from my pocket. “Be here tomorrow morning. Eight a.m. sharp. Dress for manual labor.”
“Manual labor?” Her face scrunched as she read the address on the card. “Where is this?”
“It’s up at Emerald Cove, by the lake.” I answered as I turned and began walking away from the girl who was more dangerous to me than any criminal ever could be.
“Emerald Cove? What am I going to be doing there?” she called out after me.
“Manual labor,” I repeated loudly without turning around. “Eight sharp.”
As I made my way through the crowd, I did some mental math. I had ten hours to become totally immune to Harmony Briggs. How the hell I was going to do it, I had no idea. But what I did know was that it was my only shot at surviving the next few weeks with even a shred of sanity.
Just as I made it to the entrance of the bar, I felt slender fingers wrap around my wrist, and my body immediately recognized the owner. Warmth spread through me like I’d just taken a shot of whiskey. Glancing over my shoulder I saw Harmony standing behind me with a stunning, breath-stealing smile on her face that could start a war or just as easily bring peace to the world.
She tugged on my arm and I turned to face her fully. Even from the totally innocent touch my heart pounded so hard I was sure she could feel my pulse racing beneath her fingers.
“Thanks, Hud,” she said simply, sincerity shining in her crystal green eyes. “I owe you.”