For a brief moment, as she crunched along the thin layer of ice on the sidewalk, she contemplated asking her parents for money to buy a train ticket, but her pride got in the way. They’d warned her not to marry Sam. Yes, they’d come to the destination wedding and been the perfect parents of the bride. But Mom had pulled her aside the night before and expressed her concerns over Sam’s “wandering eyes.” Harmony had brushed her off, saying that Sam may look, but he loved her with his whole heart and it didn’t bother her that he admired beautiful women. What man didn’t?
Good men didn’t. Men who were faithful to their wives and their wedding vows. That’s who.
Her steps slowed as the sidewalk grew more and more congested with afternoon traffic. She kept her eyes on the black boots in front of her as she waited for the light to change.
She was too raw right now, too broken to jump into a conversation about how right her mother was and how she should have listened. So asking her parents for money was not an option. Besides, she was embarrassed at how much Sam had taken from her.
“You there—in the purple coat!”
Harmony felt eyes on her and lifted her chin. The crowd waiting for the light to change all stared at her. The man in the black boots ducked his head and moved to the side, giving her a glimpse of his white hair under his black fedora.
“Yes, you. Hi!”
Her eyes found the source of the greeting, and her mind did a double take. A guy in a Santa hat and an ugly Christmas sweater waved. A quick assessment of the situation told her that no one was waiting for the light to change. She’d stumbled into a street show of some sort.
“Me?” She pointed to her chest.
His smile grew wider. “Yes, you. Come on over here and pick a card.” He fanned out a stack of white cards with a red-and-green decoration she couldn’t quite make out.
The man in the black boots nudged her forward. “Go on.”
A woman with two kids next to her nodded her head in encouragement.
What the heck? She stepped through the path the onlookers made and ended up in the inner circle next to a table covered with red velvet and lined with gold tinsel.
“Do I know you?” asked the performer.
She balked for a moment, wondering if he was going to use some pickup line on her right there in front of God, angels, and these strangers. Finally, her brain caught on that it was part of the act. “I’ve never seen you before.”
He frowned and placed a hand over his heart. “Ouch!”
“Sorry?”
“I guess that means you haven’t seen my channel, Christmas Magic?”
“Sorry,” she mumbled again. Here he was, working on his channel, and she’d bunked him down to unknown.
His hands paused in their shuffling and cutting and reshuffling. “It’s okay.” His voice was low, and it made her look up. In that second, she was captured by his gorgeous gray eyes. They were like marble with flecks of white and silver and rimmed in black. More than that, they held something real that warmed her from her head to her toes.
“Get on with it!” someone yelled from the crowd, breaking the feeling of intense connection they shared.
Breck laughed. The sound was all for show, like the hat or his sweater. It was wonderful and brought a smile to her lips, but it wasn’t the real him. She shook herself. How would she know that? She’d only met the guy thirty seconds ago.
“Okay, pretty lady, I have a present for you.” He pulled out a small, ring-sized box from his coat pocket. “You hold on to that, but don’t open it yet, okay?”
“Okay.” Her anticipation of what Breck was going to do next outpaced her former melancholy and any shyness that would have normally kept her from looking around. Her problems were all right there, but they’d taken a back seat to her curiosity for the moment. If she could bottle this guy up and take him home, she would.
She held the box in her left palm.
He grabbed the corner of the deck. “I’m going to fan through the deck. You tell me when to stop.”
She nodded, watching his every move. He began fanning, the cards clapping together as he went. When he was a little over halfway through, she said, “Stop!”
He lifted his top hand to show her and the crowd the card. “Do you like that card?”
She considered the king of hearts. Ironic that she’d end up with that one today. The picture wasn’t the normal king of the deck; instead, it was Santa holding a plate of cookies. “Sure.” Her voice was flat in her ears.
He took the card out, making a show of not looking at it himself while he folded it in half lengthwise and then the other direction. “Some kids ask how Santa gets down the chimney to deliver presents—especially when there’s a fire.” He took out a lighter and lit the card on fire. “Well, it’s simple, really. He’s magic. And he loaned me just a little bit of that magic today.”
Breck tapped the top of the present in her hand. “Open it.”
She bit her bottom lip and tugged at the ribbon and then tore through the wrapping paper. Inside the small box was a white card with red and green Christmas decorations. “No way,” she said.
Breck chuckled. The warm sound reverberated through her. That was the real him. She paused, locking eyes once more. His eyes danced like sugarplum fairies. Her smile widened.
She set the box on the table and pulled out the card, holding it up for the crowd to see. They all leaned in for a better look as she unfolded it once, then twice, to reveal … “It’s the king of hearts!”
The crowd clapped eagerly. Breck bowed. “Thank you all for stopping by. Don’t forget to check out my channel: Christmas Magic!”
They slowly dispersed, the children exclaiming over the last trick.
Harmony turned to Breck. “How’d you do that?”
He wagged his finger, his smile flirtatious. “I’ll never tell.”
She laughed. It was nice to know that a man found her attractive and interesting—even if it was just for a few minutes. “Because a good magician never reveals his secrets.”
He laughed too. “Can I get your name and number?”
Her happy, airy feelings came to a screeching halt. Flirting on the street was one thing; getting involved was a whole other level that she wasn’t ready for—might never be ready for. “Uh, I don’t think—I mean, you’re cute and all, but—”
He cocked his head. “You think I’m cute?”
Did she? That had sort of slipped out. She looked him over. The hat covered his hair, so she had no idea what was under there. His eyebrows were dark, expressive as they moved constantly during his show and even now as they talked. His nose was straight and just the right size for his face. His lips were nice, the bottom one just a bit plumper than the top one, and his jaw was covered in three-day stubble that was super sexy.
“Like you don’t know you’re cute.” She took a step back to create some space between them. Part of her wanted to run away from Breck’s easygoing posture and confidence. He was everything she didn’t feel at the moment.
“Well, my mom used to tell me that I was adorable, but don’t all mothers say that?”
If he was affected by the space she’d put between them, he didn’t show it. She released the breath that had tightened her chest. Holding a conversation with a man was a baby step on her long road to healing her heart. Breck was friendly and an entertainer. That was all he was doing—providing her with a much-needed distraction from her very bad, no-good day. “It’s part of the job description,” she teased back.
He nodded while reaching under the tabletop and coming up with a piece of paper. “You’re probably right. And I’d believed her all these years …”
His mock sorrow tugged at her silly side. “Maybe you should get a second opinion.”
He brightened like a kid who’d asked for a friend and found one on the playground. “I thought I just did.” He winked and waved the paper. “I need your name and number for the release form. I’d like to use this segment on my channel.
”
Despite the cold nipping at her nose, her cheeks grew warm. “Of course. Sure.” She took the proffered pen and filled out the appropriate lines. “When will this post? My family will get a kick out of it.”
“In a couple days. I’ll need time to edit.” He whisked away the form and folded it in four.
Careful, her heart whispered. Sam was razzle-dazzle in the beginning too.
The magic show, the connection she’d felt with Breck in those few seconds, couldn’t be real … He could be a scam artist, and she’d just handed over her personal information. Not that she had anything worth taking. Still, she had her identity. Panic coursed through her blood. She’d trusted her husband and been sideswiped; what was to prevent a stranger from doing the same? “Wait! I should have read that.”
With a flourish of his hands, the paper disappeared. “Too late—you just promised me your firstborn son.”
Her hands began to shake. “If that’s the case, then you’ll need to spin straw into gold, Rumpelstiltskin.” She practically spat the words out, angry that she played his game.
“Drat!” He snapped his fingers and the paper appeared again. “That’s one magic trick I haven’t figured out yet.” He handed her the sheet with a smile. “Take your time. I’m going to get my cameras before they disappear and I can’t bring them back.”
Her eyes followed him as he went to the street sign where a small camera was zip-tied to the metal. She hadn’t seen it there.
Breck was full of surprises. For one, she hadn’t expected him to give her the release form back. If hadn’t, she would have called the police and hoped he didn’t make a run for it.
For two, he didn’t get defensive at her tone. Sam always said she’d been mean to him, claiming she’d spoken harshly from day one. She didn’t realize she sounded caustic, but she’d heard it when she’d spoken just now. Maybe Sam was right. Or maybe she was stressed out and unsure of herself. Ugh! She hated that feeling. Of all the things Sam had taken from her, her confidence was the one she missed most.
Harmony glanced over the document, finding it … typical … and rather basic as far as release forms went. If Breck was out to steal her identity, he wasn’t very good at it. What he had stolen for the last fifteen minutes was her attention. If Breck was a good guy, then he was even more dangerous, because her heart yearned for a good man.
At that very moment, her heart thudded with warning beats. She set the paper down and backed up a couple steps. When he finished with the camera and saw the sheet, she darted before she could get trapped in his warm gray eyes again.
A block away, she slowed down. Her heart kept right on racing, though, and it continued to do so every time she thought of Breck’s warm chuckle.
“I’ll never see him again,” she mumbled in an effort to comfort herself.
Another block and she stood up straighter. She’d survived an interaction with an attractive single man who’d flirted and teased with her. A smile crept across her face. Baby steps were still steps forward, and she was on her way to recapturing the parts of herself that had been lost.
“Jingle Bells” spilled out of the toy store as she passed. Christmas was a time of healing—a time to find joy. Maybe she could find hope too—hope that her heart, which yearned to love and be loved, would one day find a home.
“Thanks, Breck,” she whispered into the wind. He didn’t know it, but he’d given her a small gift today. It wasn’t a trick and didn’t have a fancy bow, but it did warm her soul. “Merry Christmas,” she added while blowing a kiss behind her. The street magician had brought magic back into her Christmas season with the snap of his fingers and a sexy smile.
Chapter 3
December 3
Breck
“Hey,” Breck said by way of answering the phone. His lifelong best friend, Jeb, must have just seen the Harmony video—as he called the video in his head. Officially, he’d posted the name A Magical Christmas Surprise. Keywords were important in titles, and he was throwing everything he had into this channel. His first MyHeartChannel attempt had flopped big time. It was Jeb, the marketing genius, who’d patiently explained that doing card tricks on camera wasn’t interesting. That was when Breck had come up with the idea of performing for a live audience and recording their reactions.
“Hey yourself. Have you checked your numbers today?”
Breck grinned. “About every twenty minutes.”
“Congratulations on getting the commercial.”
A commercial meant a video earned real sponsorship money and he’d have a deposit at the end of the month. MyHeartChannel’s algorithm figured out what commercial to show viewers—he had no control over that. The ad that popped up on his viewing had been for men’s body spray. “Thanks. I’ve got another street show planned for tomorrow.” Satisfaction fit like warm winter socks.
There was a heavy pause. The longer it lasted, the faster the socks unraveled.
“Okay, what?”
“I’m reading comments.”
Breck turned in his seat to belly up to the keyboard and started scrolling.
What a great assistant!
Can’t wait to see the two of you perform your next trick.
Great chemistry!
“They’re all about Harmony.”
There were others, some asking him to reveal how he did the trick, others commenting on the fun holiday touches. Some were nasty, but there would always be trolls. The majority commented on Harmony and the way her face lit up with wonder.
She couldn’t fake that—he’d delighted her. The thought made his stomach do a somersault. He’d picked her out of the crowd because, of all the people milling about, she was the one who’d seemed to need a smile the most. The closer she’d gotten to the table, the faster his heart had beaten. He’d never been good with beautiful women, and she was one of the most stunning women he’d ever seen.
“I hate to tell you this, bro, but you need her back on your channel.”
The stomach somersault stopped. “That’s a no-go. She was freaked out that I even asked for her number for the release form. I think she’d set up a restraining order if I actually called her.”
“She’s crazy, huh?”
It was Breck’s turn to pause, thinking back to the dejected look on her face as she’d studied the concrete. “It was more like she’s wounded.” Harmony’s round blue eyes appeared in his mind: wide, untrusting, and unsure. They vanished as the image of her running down the block came forward. “I totally scared her off.”
“Dude, chicks don’t dig magic the way you think they do.”
He laughed. “I figured that out in middle school.”
“Oh my gosh, Sarah Bently.” Jeb laughed.
“I’m glad my humiliation is still hilarious,” he said with a hearty dose of sarcasm. “Sarah had no idea what she was missing out on.”
“Uh, I’m pretty sure she had visions of your mother’s basement, a top hat, and Saturday nights watching you fumble through card tricks. I heard she married some guy who’s a rock star at Apple. What I wouldn’t give to be a rock star at Apple.”
“Your day will come,” Breck assured his friend.
“Yours will come sooner if you get that girl back. What was her name?”
“Harmony.” Saying her name out loud sent a thrill up Breck’s spine. He hadn’t actually said it to her when they were talking, because he’d not asked for it before doing the trick. He should have, and he was still kicking himself for losing his head over a pretty face. When he’d seen her standing in the back of the crowd with her head down, he’d had no idea how stunning she was with her pearly skin tinged pink by the cold. His first thought when she’d looked up had been queen. And not the queen of hearts, but a true queen, lost and out of place in this world of chaos and harshness.
“Call her. See if she’ll be your assistant. The card tricks were great, but you need to up your game.”
“Up my game?” The thought was as tantalizing as it was scary, secon
d only to the idea of calling Harmony. “True stage magic includes an assistant, props, smoke and mirrors. How am I going to get all that on a street corner?”
“Move to the park.”
Move to the park … Now there was a thought. A big thought. Only the most talented and beloved performers made it at the park. There was a guy who played the sax; he’d been there for thirty years, and people loved him. He’d take requests, play love songs for couples walking by, and had even been involved in several proposals. The park was big time. “Easy for you to say!”
“I’d help you if I was there.”
“Location is my second biggest problem. Bro, Harmony is Sarah Bently all over again. She’s so far out of my league.”
“Pay her.”
“With what?”
“Figure it out. But you’re not going anywhere without this woman.”
Breck sighed. “I’ll try,” he managed weakly.
“That’s giving it the ol’ college try.”
“I’m hanging up.”
“Get the girl,” Jeb insisted.
“Bye.”
Breck ran his hand down his face, then leaned down to pull the form out of his backpack sitting by his feet. He’d carried the paper around with him, not even sure why. He’d even pulled it out to look at her signature. She had big, loopy handwriting with a fat Y-tail. For a short time, he’d studied handwriting. It came in handy—pun intended—when he did a stint as a gypsy during a carnival to earn some extra cash one summer. Her large Y-tail meant that she needed a friend.
He tapped his fingers on his knees like a nervous drummer boy before finally dialing the number. She picked up on the second ring, and he stammered through the hello. “I’m the owner of the Christmas Magic channel. We met the other day.”
“Of course.” Her tone was reserved. “Is there a problem with the video or something?”
'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set Page 62
