Searching for Harmony (Boston Love 1)

“Ms. Banks?”

Shaking my head to clear away the memory, I let out a small chuckle. “Sorry, daydreaming. Um, no, I’ve never stayed here before. I’ve never been to Nantucket.”

Giving me a polite smile, she looked back down at the screen. “Oh, I see you’ll be staying in our Point Suite room. And it looks like you’re here for at least a month.”

Glancing up at me, she waited for my response. “Yes. Until I can figure out some things, I’ll be here for a bit.”

“Well, Christmas on Nantucket is beautiful.”

My heart broke at the thought of not spending Christmas with Preston. “I’m looking forward to it.”

After collecting a bit more information, the front desk clerk handed back my license and credit card. Handing me the key card to my room, she gave me some additional instructions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Glancing around the hotel lobby, I smiled at all the Christmas decorations. My heart instantly hurt when I thought of Christmas without TJ.

Following the bellhop to the elevator, I forced myself to breathe in and out. Once I was in my room, I tipped him and shut the door. Walking into the room, I took a look around. The room was large, with a small kitchen to my right and a king-sized bed to my left. In front of me was a small sitting and dining area. Beyond that were French doors that led to a balcony.

I opened the curtains to reveal a gorgeous view of the ocean. It didn’t take long for my legs to give out and for me to fall to the floor in a jumbled, crying mess. Lying there, I buried my face in my hands and whispered his name, over and over.

“Preston.”

—

Rolling over, my eyes adjusted to the small amount of light coming through the crack in the curtains. I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed and stretched. I had pretty much stayed in my room for the last two days, and I hadn’t stepped outside once. Today was my first Christmas alone.

No watching TJ rip open his presents, or Jake trying to guess what I got him. I closed my eyes and wondered if Preston had found the wrapped gifts in the hall closet.

Glancing down at my phone, I picked it up as I got up and headed for the kitchen. Grabbing the jar of Nutella and a spoon, I dragged in a deep breath as I looked down at my phone. I had turned it off the morning I left Boston. Chewing on my lower lip, I debated if I should turn it on. Letting out a sigh, I turned it on and watched as it booted up.

Sucking in a deep breath, I saw I had over a hundred text messages. As I opened them up, tears formed in my eyes when I saw seventy-three of them were from Preston. Twenty were from my brother and six were from Anne.

Closing out my messages, I opened my voicemail. Call after call was from Preston. I didn’t dare listen to them. I opened my messages again and hit Jake’s name.

&nb

sp; Me: I’m okay. I need some time alone to figure things out.

It wasn’t even thirty seconds later and Jake was texting me back.

Big Brother: Harmony! Thank God. Please call Preston! He is freaking out.

Me: Please tell him I love him. I can’t talk to him right now.

Big Brother: Sis, I’m begging you to call him. He’s a mess. He has been going to the pub every night after driving around Boston looking for you. Harmony, you are destroying him by not calling.

Closing my eyes, Preston’s words from the first time we made love flooded my mind. Harmony, you destroyed me,.

Closing my eyes, I fought to hold back my sobs.

Me: Jake, please. I need some time to think.

Big Brother: About what? If you would just give him a chance. Harmony, I know how much you love him. Don’t walk away from this.

Me: I’ve got to go. I love you, Jake. Merry Christmas. Kiss Sandy.

After hitting SEND, I quickly turned my phone back off. Setting it on the table, I decided to go exploring. Almost everything would be closed today, but that was okay. I needed to walk and clear my mind.

Jumping into the shower, I quickly washed my hair and soaped up. My mind drifted to Preston making love to me in the shower. Pushing those thoughts away, I turned off the shower, dried off, and got dressed. Pulling my wet hair up, I put on my New York Yankees baseball cap.

Taking another look around the room, I grabbed my phone and shoved it into my purse. As I walked toward the elevator, I watched as a little boy ran up and quickly pushed the button for down. His mother and father were right behind him.