Finding Harmony Read Free Page A

Hettie was hard
to ignore. She wore a large straw hat only a woman born and raised in the South
would ever wear, her bangs a silvery fringe beneath. A flower-print smock,
denim overalls, and a pair of bright green Crocs completed her outfit. She was
outrageous and sweet, and Harmony found it harder and harder to maintain her
distance from this particular resident of Cypress Corners. She was in her
seventies but looked closer to fifty. She claimed this was due to healthy
living, big hats and the liberal application of sunscreen.
    Harmony slowed her scooter to a stop at the railing beside Hettie’s
table. “Hi, Hettie.”
    “Hello, Harmony. Join me?”
    Hettie waved to the chair opposite. It was piled with
gardening magazines and seed catalogs, as was much of the tabletop in front of
her.
    Harmony smiled. “Sorry, I’m on Institute business.”
    Hettie’s mouth turned down, then she waved a hand. “You’re
always on the go. I hope Doc Robbins knows the treasure he has in you.”
    Hettie referred to the Institute director, and Harmony hoped
to prove herself worthy of the faith he put in her from her very first day.
    “I love my job, Hettie.”
    Hettie’s blue eyes narrowed, and for a moment Harmony
feared she tried to read her aura or something. Goodness knows Harmony’s mom
was always doing that. To her relief, Hettie simply clicked her tongue.
    “Your job. Yes, you love your plants.” She held up the
magazine closest to her. “I share that passion. But what about the other kind?”
    She flushed, the hunky Chapman guy coming swiftly to mind. “I
don’t know what—”
    “Men,” Hettie crowed.
    Two young mothers at a nearby table turned at the word,
their brows arched. Harmony managed a smile at the women and faced Hettie. “I
don’t have time for men.”
    Hettie let loose with a laugh. “Girl, you have to make time.
Why, when Mr. Fairfax was alive… ”  Her eyes sparkled. “Mmm, he was fine, Mr.
Fairfax was.” She winked at Harmony. “He knew how to get me to focus on something
other than plants.”
    Harmony chuckled. “Hettie.”
    Hettie nodded. “Go on. Get to your precious Institute. All
of us here in Cypress know how important that work is.”
    Harmony started her scooter. “See you, Hettie.”
    Hettie saluted her with her glass and took a long sip as
Harmony continued on to the Institute. Hettie wasn’t too far off with her last
comment. The Institute was responsible for the Village Center, its agreement
with the Cypress developers making sure the area didn’t put nature last. Plenty
of native trees shaded the area and mounds of Florida wildflowers and plants
lent color. She recognized most of them as she passed, bluestem and cupseed and
cat briar. They were pretty despite their unusual names.
    She parked her scooter outside the Institute and removed
her helmet. She took her bag out of the trunk, walked up to the wide glass
doors and stepped into the air-conditioned lobby.
    “Hello, Miss Brooks,” the receptionist said.
    She smiled at the red-haired girl behind the desk. “Hi,
Becky. Is the director in?”
    Becky nodded. “Yes. I’ll buzz him.”
    Harmony looked around the lobby as the girl spoke softly
into the intercom. The sunlit space reflected the Institute’s worthy agenda. Decorated
in the colors of true Florida—rich greens, soft tans, and clear blues—it was
filled with handmade rattan furniture and breathtaking photos of native flora
and fauna hung on the textured walls. If she had to be inside, this was one
place she could tolerate.
    “Dr. Robbins said to go right in,” Becky said.
    Harmony nodded. “Thank you.”
    She passed the desk and turned down the hall toward the
director’s office. The door was ajar, not unusual for her boss and mentor. He
sat hunched over his desk, poring over papers scattered on his desk. His
glasses sat on his balding head as he nodded agreement at something he read. She
rapped softly on the smooth maple door and his head shot