CH 48
Harmony
She sat with Deidre who was discussing dresses for her to wear, for New Year’s Eve. Harmony actually had a dress for it, though she’d not packed it. It still hung in the wardrobe back inside
her apartment in the city, in its dress bag. It was what she was supposed to wear to the
Blackwell’s Gala Event.
Though she would never wear it now, she would likely just hand it in to a second–hand store
for some other girl to buy and wear. It was unused, and still had the tag on it.
It was a black strapless mermaid style dress with crystal embellishments across her bust, as
per Damien’s request. So, it would be tightly fitted to her body and show off her figure, like all
the dresses he’d ever wanted her to wear.
She now realised that, that man had tailored her wardrobe to himself, for when they were out
in public, always showing off her body to everyone. She didn’t really like the dress, but at the
time she’d known he would like it. She had wanted to make him happy and so had bought
something she knew he would like to see her in.
Though it was a pretty dress, it was just too well–fitted for her liking, just like that white bodycon dress he’d bought her.
Harmony did not bring up that dress in conversation, as Deidre sat with her and went through a bunch of dresses from a local designer here inside this gated community. Then had told her
they could go down and look at the dresses tomorrow when the store was open once more.
That they could reserve them so they’d not be sold to anyone else before Harmony got to try
them on.
She’d started all of this with a simple question of ‘What type of dress do you like to wear?‘ and
on that website for the store was a list of dress styles, and she’d looked at them all and touched the A–line style. She liked the simpleness of it, most had a nicely fitted bodice, but it wasn’t skin tight. It allowed for room to breathe. And the skirt wasn’t too poofy, that one word
had made Deidre chuckle, and nod.
She’d glanced at Garrett, and he’d smiled at her, “Get whatever you want, Harmony. This is to make you look beautiful, and have everyone see that you’ve moved on.”
She’d nodded, but what his mother didn’t know was that Garrett was going to announce their relationship to the world that night, so she actually wanted to look really nice for him, as well.
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+8 Point!
CH 48
“Do you have a preference at all?” she asked him.
Deidre had answered her before Garrett could, “Harmony, a dress is about the girl, not the
man, so don’t concern yourself with what Garrett will wear. I can tailor his tie to the colour of
your dress, so you match.”
“Okay.” She’d murmured.
Though that was not what she’d learned over the last three years. Laurel had always told her,
for big events, she should wear something Damien approved of, so it would make him smile
when he stood next to her. So she’d always done that, but now she guessed that was more to
do with what they expected of her. That Damien needed to see her in something to make him
smile, because she was not the woman he wanted on his arm.
There were six dresses on hold for her tomorrow to go and try on by the end of their
discussion and Deidre was happy with that and smiled at her. “I like them all, and Maribella
will surely have your size in stock. Though you’re very tiny, aren’t you?”
“Yes, it’s likely any dress will have to be hemmed. I’m only five foot five.” Harmony nodded, she
wasn’t short, average height, but everyone called her short, “though I can walk in heels quite
well, which will see me three inches taller. I have some nice black heels that will go with any
dress as long as it’s not pastel in colour.”
“Excellent, now you know we don’t work until the 2nd of January, and that everyone gets off
this week. I did mention that to you in orientation, didn’t I?”
“You did.” Harmony nodded.
“Good, use that time to settle into your new apartment. How do you like it? Is it to your liking?”
“It is lovely. Bigger than my apartment as well. I had a combined living, kitchen and dining,
just a kitchen bench separating the two.”
“Ah, I recall my apartment before meeting Scott, he was horrified,” Deidre chuckled. “It was a
one–bedroom studio, everything in the same room bar the bathroom. It was above a bakery,
small. But I liked it and the rent was cheap.” She smiled at the memory of it “Scott called it a
rundown shoebox. He didn’t much like being there. It amuses me nowadays. But back then, I
called him a snobby rich man who had never once had to make ends meet before. He didn’t
much like that either.” she chuckled “You should see our apartment upstairs, it’s massive.
Four bedrooms and each one of those rooms would have housed my studio apartment and then some. Our bedroom alone is likely three times the size of it.” she shook her head “He
likes his space.
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CH 48
+3 Point
Harmony chuckled, she liked getting to hear little bits of the woman’s life, liked that she had once been like herself as well. Harmony understood trying to make ends meet. “Did you give
him a hard time about it?” she asked.
.
“A little.” Deidre nodded “I was worried about the age gap and the social status as well. 15 years and millions of dollars.” She shook her head, “I at the time didn’t understand why he liked me… Though it all worked out for the best, and he still dotes on me.”
“I saw the love between you two at the Christmas party. When you two were dancing. And
may I say neither of you look your age.”
“Thank you, we eat well and exercise, take care of ourselves, stay fit and healthy. That is why
we still look younger.”
“I bet you have a nice skin care regime, are you willing to part with it?” Harmony smiled at her.
“Oh, you don’t need it, you’re young and vibrant, what is your secret, maybe I need to know that?” Deidre chuckled right back.
“Nope, I’ll share when you share.” She teased a little back.
“Cheeky I see.” Deidre laughed.
“I can be.”
She spent the afternoon up in that new apartment unpacking her things and putting them all away. Neatly folding or hanging up items. That walk–in was fully kitted out, with everything; a deep hanging space for dresses as well as two half hanging spaces for blouses and skirts or pants. Draws and shelving, as well as a shoe rack that held all of her shoes and had room for
at least half a dozen more pairs.
S
It had good lighting and a full–length mirror, and there was an inbuilt hamper for her dirty washing, though as she walked about the apartment she didn’t see any laundry or find a closed cupboard with a washer and dryer in it. She would have to take a wander and find the communal laundry room. She could only présume there was one, seeing that there was no
laundry.
She had a week to explore the place and with Garrett’s mother in the dark at this point about them, she was certain she would have plenty of time to herself to explore, because Garrett
couldn’t be seen at her side.
At least here inside this place where he lived, she would get to see how he lived, and if they didn’t work out, she would know what it would be like for her child to come here and visit with
him. Stay over on the weekends when old enough, or for the school holidays. That was good,
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*8 Poin!
CH 48
she thought.
She stood in her kitchen at dinner time and sighed there was no food in here, no food had been brought from her apartment. She needed to go grocery shopping, but it was also a public holiday, so nothing was going to be open at this hour.
She headed downstairs and for the cafeteria, and she heard Garrett call out her name as she
walked passed his office. Turned and looked to him to see him coming towards her. “Hi.” She
smiled at him.
“Where are you off to?” He asked and fell into step with her.
“To get food.” She stated simply “Is my car here?” she asked a moment later, realising she
was going to need it to do the grocery shopping.
“No, why do you need it?” he asked in return.
“Because I have no groceries up there in my apartment. And I’ll need it to go shopping.”
“Oh,” he blinked, seemed a little shocked, “I’d not thought of that… Do you mind if I eat with
you?”
“No, if you want to you can, that’s not going to be a problem for you?” she asked curiously.
He shook his head, ‘no‘ “Mum and dad eat dinner every night alone together in their room, they
like to have one meal a day just for themselves and choose for that to be dinner.” He smiled at
her.
“That’s nice.” She nodded.
“What are you in the mood for? I could have the chef whip you up something to your liking.” He
offered.
“I’m not a fussy eater. I’ll just grab something from what’s already there, like everyone else
does.”
“Alright.” He nodded “This is actually how I eat nearly every day. The boys, their wives and I all
generally eat meals together, though it’s Wyatt’s wife’s birthday today, so he’ll be with her. They
have a private dinner organised.”
“That’s nice.” She smiled, liked hearing his friends were happily married.
“It is, lots of things here get celebrated, we’re big on birthdays, anniversaries, most that work
for me will even get those days off or the next day. I think it’s nice for everyone to be able to
celebrate things like that with their family and loved ones.”
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