Captive(48)

“Did my husband tell you I’ve been pregnant twice, and lost both?”

She nodded.

“Then you know I’m not predicting anything, I’m just using my track record to draw a rational conclusion.”

“It’s a high-risk pregnancy, yes. But there is risk in everything, child. You could walk outside and get struck by a car, but that doesn’t prevent you from ever leaving your home.”

I arched my brows at her. “If I’d been hit by a car twice already, trust me, I’d be wary of it happening again.”

Harmony’s smile widened. “Ah. Well then, you must think of it like I do. If I’d been hit by a car twice already, and I was still standing here, I’d be certain my chances were less than those of someone who has never been hit by one.”

She put her palm back on my stomach and grinned happily. “Baby is good. Baby needs peace and positive energy to grow. I will help with the changes you need.”

“Changes?” I asked.

She waved a hand dismissively. “We must bring in yellow and rearrange the furniture to create the right energy. Add some plants. Baby needs earth, air and water. You must eat healthy and stay relaxed.”

“Is this a feng shui thing?”

She smiled. “I follow some of those principles, yes. And some of my own, too.”

It surprised me how reassuring it was to have someone telling me what to do. Would having the walls painted yellow help anything? It was impossible, yet a voice inside me asked what it could hurt. Harmony was giving me a checklist, and completing it would occupy my mind. And this was what Ryke wanted since he’d hired her.

“I can do all that,” I said. She lowered her brows in a glare.

“Others will do all that. You will relax.”

“Actually, I have to go in to work. I’m a counselor. I usually work three days a week.”

Harmony shrank back like I’d smacked her. “You mustn’t take on the pain and burdens of others right now! It’s not good for you.”

“It’s my job, though. Counseling, I mean. I don’t take on anyone’s pain. I just help them talk through it. It’s important to me.”

“Mmm.”

I already knew that meant she disagreed. “I have to get ready and go, but you can do whatever you need to do here with … the yellow and all.”

I couldn’t get over my surprise that Ryke had chosen Harmony to take care of me. I figured he knew something I didn’t, so I shrugged it off and concentrated on the day ahead of me at work.

***





When I finished drying my hair and went to refill my coffee cup, Harmony had arrived for her second day of work. She was chatting with Mimi about the garden she planted every year.

“Good morning, Katherine,” she said when she saw me. Today she looked a little more sedate in a tan kimono, but she was still braless and her hair was still flying in all directions.

I smiled through sips of coffee. “No one’s called me that in a long time.”

“I think we connect more intimately with people when we use their full, given names,” she said, walking toward me and reaching for my coffee cup. “No more coffee. It’s not good for the baby.”

I gaped at the cup she’d taken from me. “What?”

“You’ll hardly miss it.” She waved a dismissive hand and I glared at her.

“Kind of like I’ll hardly miss the TV?”

While I was at work yesterday, she’d made changes, alright. Every wall was painted yellow now, even in our bathrooms. The furniture had all been rearranged, and the TV had been replaced by a large aquarium. Large, tropical houseplants had been placed in every room. Those, I kind of liked, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

“You needed a change of pace. And your husband told me to do whatever I think is best for you.”

Mimi interrupted what may have been a brewing confrontation. “How about breakfast, you two? Eggs? Toast?”

“Mmm, eggs would be great,” I said.

“We’ll need to take a look at your diet,” Harmony said, reaching into the giant canvas bag slung over her shoulder. She sat a ceramic jar on the counter and dug further, pulling out a scrap of paper. “I’ve made a list of the things we’ll want to have on hand.”

“Were you planning on going to the store today?” I asked Mimi.

She nodded and started pulling stuff out of the fridge to cook breakfast. I tried not to think about how perfect a fresh cup of coffee would taste with the eggs and toast while I ate.

“I might as well head to the store,” Mimi said after we finished. Harmony picked up the cream-colored ceramic jar she’d set on the counter and carried it into the living room.