Page 43 of SEAL's Harmony
“Do you want to talk about it now or wait until we get home?” Ry asked.
His tone was different. Serious. He hadn’t sounded like that since the night they torched her car. “Home, I think. Did something happen at your work today?”
“Yes, but it’s nothing I can talk about. That’s the hard part of my job, most of it’s classified.”
Harmony nodded. Her friends had warned her about this part. They said that the guys didn’t have a choice, and they weren’t deliberately locking the women out of their lives.
“I understand, no worries. What should we get for dinner tonight?” Harmony asked, changing the subject. Every night they’d had a different cuisine—Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, Chinese—most of which she’d never tried before. Her father was a meat and potatoes kind of guy. She figured they had to be running out of countries soon.
“How about sushi? I bet you haven’t eaten it before.” Ry grinned.
“Umm, isn’t that raw fish?”
“Yes, and no. Some of it’s raw, but there’s cooked sushi, too. They also have fried dishes called tempura. But I bet you’d like the sushi. What do you think?”
“Sure, why not. If I hate it, I’ll make a PB&J.”
Ry laughed. It was her standard response whenever he suggested something new.
“One of these days, I’ll take you there to eat. It’s really cool to see the chefs prepare your dinner in front of you.”
“They do?”
“If you sit at the sushi bar, they do.”
“There’s a special bar for that?”
Ry chuckled. “Yes, but not like you’re thinking. When we place our order, I’ll show you.”
The restaurant was almost empty, so they let Ry take her over to where the chefs worked on their dinner. They amazed her with the speed they created the beautiful little pieces of food. Ry ordered five rolls for him, and she picked out three cooked rolls. He also ordered edamame, steamed soybeans. They looked like peapods on steroids.
On their way out, Ry grabbed some chopsticks, promising to show her how to use them. Harmony had her doubts that she’d be able to pick up anything with two thin sticks, but he promised her she’d have fun trying. That was good enough for her.
Ry loved watching Harmony using or trying to use the chopsticks. After dropping rolls into the soy sauce and wasabi for the third time, she gave up. Watching her stab the roll with one stick like she was roasting marshmallows cracked him up.
“I don’t know how you do that. You’ve got excellent chop sticking skills,” Harmony said after poking another roll and dipping into the soy sauce.
“Chop sticking skills?” Ry laughed. “You invented a new word and I like it. We’ll have to let everyone know about my mad chop sticking skills.”
Harmony smiled as she chewed the roll that had barely fit into her mouth.
As much as she was enjoying dinner, he noted a sadness in her attitude that hadn’t been there for the last few days. He couldn’t wait to find out what had happened. It wasn’t about Harry because Ry had checked in with Detective Nelson earlier, and they were still searching for the guy.
Harry Ericson had just disappeared, and no one could figure out where he’d gone. Ry worried that he might have taken his own life, especially when the detective informed him that his wife had passed away. It could have been the trigger that set him off. But after some things Chrissy discovered, Ry wasn’t sure.
After clearing away the dinner dishes, they usually walked Whiskey together, but Harmony said she had to check something out, and she’d take care of it while he walked the dog. Ry figured it had to do with her day, and he hoped she wouldn’t keep him in suspense much longer.
When he returned, she was sitting on the couch with her legs pulled up, waiting for him. There was some paperwork, a beer, and her water bottle on the coffee table. She’d even made a bowl of popcorn for Whiskey. Something was up, and he didn’t think he’d be happy about it.
“Just let me change and we’ll talk, okay?” Ry asked. Less than five minutes later, he returned in sweat shorts and a T-shirt, his version of her yoga pants and T-shirt.
Harmony left the television off and was tossing popcorn at Whiskey and giggling as he ran around catching it. Ry shook his head at their antics as he sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. She tensed. For a moment, he wondered if she’d get up, but she settled against his chest.
“So what’s going on, sweetheart? You’ve got me worried.” Ry asked, keeping his voice calm even though his insides were churning.
“It’s probably nothing, but you know how you always say you trust your gut? Mine is telling me something is up.”
“If something’s going on, we’ll figure it out together. Remember, you’re not alone anymore.” Ry reminded her.
