Harmony's Healing (Downtown Book 2) (4 page)

I whip around, stunned. “What? Why?”

“I don’t know
why
Danny, you just are,” she shrugs. “When we get home we need to sit down and look at it.”

She then exits the bus, leaving me with a beer in hand and a confused surprised look on my face.
I’m in his will? Why?
He didn’t love me, so how could he possibly put me in there? I take one look at my beer, tilt my head back, and guzzle it down.

WHAT I WOULDN’T GIVE TO
have my parents back. When I was ten years old I lost them both due to a car accident. It was only an hour after they had dropped me off at my friend’s house for a sleepover, when my friend’s mother got the deadly phone call. In a blink of an eye, I was an orphan.

My parents, my sister and I lived life on the road. We traveled all over the United States, hopping from one house to another, never staying more than a year. My dad never had to be in an office. He worked in sales with a major computer company. He would go to different companies and try to sell his company’s products. He was a very good salesman. We lived comfortably on what he made. My mother didn’t work. She homeschooled me and my sister Melody. It never mattered where we lived, education went with us. However, the year before our parents were killed, Melody moved to Los Angeles from San Diego to pursue her singing career as an indie artist. Unfortunately she had to move back home to take care of me. We didn’t have any extended family who could take me in. If it weren’t for her, I would have been put into foster care. Melody is ten years older than me, so at the age of twenty she became an instant parent.

Things were super hard for Melody. She didn’t know how to be a parent to a ten year old; she never asked for it and never wanted to have children of her own. Yet she managed, bringing me up the best she knew how. She took on bartending and got occasional singing gigs to support us, but the money never came flowing in. I saw the frustration, the tantrums and many nights of her crying, wondering how she was going to put food on the table or how she was going to pay for a new pair of shoes for me. Seeing how hard it was on her made me feel very guilty. I thought about it daily, how she had given up her dreams to raise and support me. I promised myself that someday I would help pay her back..

Unfortunately her dreams got cut altogether. I was in college, getting a degree in interior designing. Our parents left money for me in their will and they had placed restrictions on it that I could only use it for college. Going to school was always something I wanted to do. I loved designing and couldn’t wait to make a living out of it. But things got cut short for me too. Melody damaged her hand while cutting limes at work. Her hand slipped and the knife sliced into her palm - the hand that used to play the guitar. The owner of the bar couldn’t help pay for her hospital bills or therapy so I had to leave college and get a job.

I didn’t have any experience in anything, nor had I ever worked before, so I did the unthinkable - I began stripping. I don’t know what that makes me as a person, but I was only twenty-one, I had to do what I felt was right to help my sister and to pay those horrible medical bills. I was desperate. I found an ad in the help wanted section, asking for new, inexperienced dancers. I knew what I was getting myself into. Our parents insurance was not enough. We were drowning and the only choice I thought could bring in the dough was taking off my clothes for drunk, dirty old men who had money I seriously needed.

The money was fantastic. After four degrading years I was able to pay most of Melody’s medical bills and other things that were important, we were finally back on our feet. However, I couldn’t take it anymore. Every shift I felt dirty and used. I hated being gawked at, whistled at, and men were always trying to grab my tits. It wasn’t right. Even though I had bodyguards walking me to my car, or pushing the men out the door when they mistreated me - I still couldn’t take it. Six months ago I left behind friends, employees and a job I’ll never miss, because I found a new place that has treated me with respect and most importantly like family.

While working at the strip club I was able to get Melody and myself a nice condo to rent downtown. The Hard Rock condos are very pricey, but the owner was a multimillionaire who I knew from the strip club; he gave me a really good deal. It was good knowing that not all men from the days of me stripping were nasty old men. Once in awhile they would just come in the club to talk, release their stress from the week, and I was there to listen. So being a stripper wasn’t horrible all the time. Anyhow, I was so very lucky to land such a great place for me and Melody. It was a one bedroom condo, so Melody let me have the bed while she slept on the sofa bed. The place was already filled with furniture, dishes, TV’s, everything we needed. Although we did buy a few pieces; such as bright colored pillows to brighten up the drab gray walls and the black leather couch. It was a bachelor pad waiting for a woman’s touch.

Since my sister’s accident she hasn’t worked or put any effort into trying to get a job again. I’ve become the sole bread winner, the one who’s in charge of the money. It was fine in the beginning, but now it’s gotten a little out of hand. Melody changed after the accident; depression, denial has hit her hard. Not being able to play her guitar anymore, it’s totally understandable, yet at the same time I feel like I’m ten years older than her now, instead of the other way around. She’s turned into a teenager; going to concerts almost every weekend, partying and blocking out her loss, all the while leaving me to all the responsibilities. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m tired of doing everything myself. I give her a weekly allowance, which she spends on her motorcycle and the concerts she goes to. I feel all my hard work is going into the gutter. I just wish she would get some help and move on. However, I love my sister and will continue to support her no matter what. I just hope it doesn’t last forever.

I’m about ready to go to work when I notice a few unopened, unpaid bills laying on the kitchen table. Once again Melody has forgotten to pay them. I’ve been extremely busy with work so I’ve asked her to help out by paying a few bills for me, since even getting online to do it is becoming a hassle for me.

I pick up the electricity bill. “Have you paid these yet?” I turn toward her.

She’s getting a cup of coffee. “Uh….forgot,” she shrugs then takes a sip of her coffee.

She really doesn’t seem to care and it’s so frustrating for me. “Melody!” I snap.

She wraps her arm around my shoulders, and squeezes me; like this is no big deal to her. “Sorry, Harm, I forgot...I’ll deal with it right now.”

I shake my head without looking at her and scold her, “Please do, because the electricity is due tomorrow and if we don’t - “

She raises her voice at me in frustration; childlike, “I said I’ll pay it!” I hate when Melody gets snappy with me. She’s been living under a rock if she hasn’t realized what I’ve done to help her out. She’s been so careless it’s scares me. Melody sighs, puts her coffee cup down and gives me a hug. Another thing I don’t like is her kissing up to me every time I give her a responsibility. “I’m sorry, alright? I just got up and I’m exhausted and grumpy.”

We go through this all the time, it’s like a broken record. “I’ve gotta go to work,” I mutter. I go grab my purse and check my face in the mirror one more time before I open the front door.

“Don’t you wanna hear about the
King's Fate
concert?”

I see her in the reflection of the living room mirror; she has her hands on her hips. She’s dying to tell me about her trip, yet I don’t have it in me to listen. Plus I’m running late for work. “No, I don’t.”

“Party pooper,” she crosses her arms.

I whip around, “Well someone around here has to make money to pay the bills, so no I can’t listen to another one of your concert hookup stories,” I bluntly state. It’s true though. She’s always giving me the same stories about how she got to go backstage to meet the band and how she hooked up with the one of the bandmates. It’s like she’s reliving her twenties again or something and she’s not even forty yet! Although I did take away her chance at “living it up” when she actually
was
in her twenties. What is the fascination with hooking up with a different band member every week?

“Oh, but doll, it was fantastic!” She exclaims.

I open the door. “Bye, Mel!”

“You’re no fun!”

“See ya!” I close the door behind me and head off to work. It’s going to be a very long day.

I jump in my old beat up Saturn and make it to work a few minutes early. I immediately go get a cup of coffee and check on my list of things that need to be done. We have a small promotional party for a law firm that Helene, Faith’s mother, and I are setting up. We have a banquet room at the hotel for special occasions so word is getting around town that we put on the best parties, which is helping the hotel become popular - and giving me more work. I really do enjoy helping Helene with the parties; from table settings, to decorations, it’s been so fun. Not the job I expected to have.

Since Faith has been on tour with lead singer, boyfriend Lucky, from
JINKS
, I’ve moved up to assistant manager. I got a nice bump in my salary, which may not be as much as I used to make as a stripper, yet it’s a nice number and it pays the bills and I get to keep my clothes on -
I am so not complaining.
I was shocked that Faith even had the confidence in me so soon for the position in the first place. I didn’t come here looking to be anything other than a housekeeper. I don’t have experience in management so when she told me I was not housekeeper material and instead I was going to help her mother as a party planner, I was overjoyed. Now I’m a party planner plus an assistant manager. I couldn’t be more happy. A respectful job.

I was sitting in the coffee lounge, drinking my coffee and going over my list when Helene finds me. “I just got a call from Faith. They’ll be here in a couple days! Oh, how I have missed her,” she exclaims gleefully. Helene is a classy woman. Her black hair is cut into a cute bob, with bangs that frame her oval face to perfection. She’s got amazing blue eyes that remind me of Faith and a voice that is sweet, soft, yet holds a firm tone when she’s in manager mode. When I first met her I fell in love with her stamina. She made everything seem so amazing and exciting; I held onto every word she ever taught me and followed her around as if she was the Queen of England. I admire her and look up to her.

Helene is wearing a simple black dress that ends at the tips of her knees, a gorgeous necklace with chunky teal stones, teal stone earrings, bracelets and teal stiletto heels. I love her style. I bought a few dresses of my own so I could blend in with the classy, elegant style of the hotel. Being a stripper previously I didn’t own any beautiful dresses, only underwear. Wearing my sheath, patterned dress I feel more at home now than I ever did at the club.

“I bet she’ll be happy to be back,” I say without much enthusiasm. I should be ecstatic she’s coming home, but I’m just afraid -

Helene cuts off my thoughts. “Harmony, what’s troubling you?” She drags a chair from the table, comes by my side and sits close to me.