“This is not happening. You’re going to ruin the whole thing, and I’m going to be made a laughingstock and fail!”
“Excuse me?” I said as I walked more into the room. “You automatically assume I’m going to ruin this for…you?”
She stopped walking and slapped her hands down on the table. Fuck if she didn’t look stunning in that moment.
“You’re a firefighter. The last one ended up hiding from Anna every chance he got. The one before that showed up for the first meeting and never came back to help. The one before that spent more time flirting with everyone than he did helping. You’re just here to appease your captain. What could you possibly know about planning a Christmas fundraiser dinner?”
I took a moment to let her words settle between us. “Wow. Okay, wow. There you go judging me once again, Emma. You don’t know anything about me.”
She lifted her chin. I could see the regret in her eyes, but she was too proud to back down. “Fine. Then tell me something about you, because the only thing I know is your name is Harrison, you have a daughter, and you’re a firefighter.”
I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Where do you want me to start?”
Emma leaned against the window, both hands on the long windowsill. “Tell me what makes you think you’re able to help with this fundraiser. And don’t forget, I know you didn’t volunteer for this, your boss made you do it.”
Drawing a slow, deep breath, I exhaled. “My father was a Senator for twelve years. My mother used to throw a lot of parties. Some were fundraisers, some just to gain supporters for my father when he was running for re-election. I’m an only child, so I often helped because I loved spending time with her. Next to my father, I was her only concern, and we were close. I enjoyed helping her with things like that, as well as helping her in her garden, so if you need to know what flowers are best to use this time of year, I’ve got you covered. The hardest thing I ever had to do was leave my parents. I was close to both.”
“Why did you have to leave?” she asked.
“I joined the Navy, because that was what my father did. And I always wanted to be like my father. I was in the Navy for ten years as a Navy SEAL.”
Her eyes went wide again.
“Then life changed. A woman I had dated a few times knocked on my door one day and handed me a baby. My baby. Told me she didn’t want her, and if I didn’t it was my problem to deal with.”
Emma’s hand came up to her mouth. “That’s terrible, Harrison.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck. “The timing was good and bad. I had found out a few months before Nicole showed up with Noel that my father had cancer. Stage 4 lung cancer. I decided not to re-enlist and was due to leave for Boston the next day. I had to change everything and showed up at my parents’ house with a one-month-old baby.”
“How? I mean, how does a Navy SEAL take on a one-month-old baby and take care of her?”
“My best friend’s wife, Trish. She came to my rescue. She helped me that night get what I would need, traveled with me to Boston, then interviewed some people for a nanny position. I would have been lost without her. Of course, my mother and father were both overjoyed. I thought my father would be upset with me, but he was so happy to have gotten to meet his granddaughter. I, of course, had a DNA test done. I would have kept Noel either way, though. I fell in love with her the moment she looked up at me and smiled. Trish said it was gas, but I know it wasn’t.”
Emma grinned.
“She didn’t even name her,” I softly said. I could still here the sadness in my voice.
“You named her Noel?”
I nodded. “I did. We were a few days away from Christmas and it felt fitting. Anyway, back to my qualifications. I also helped plan a ball while I was in the Navy. Well, my whole team had to help with it.”
Emma smiled. “I am, once again, put in my place when it comes to you.”
I winked. “You really need to work on that whole judging thing you’ve got going on.”
Rolling her eyes, Emma pointed to the table. “So, back to planning…I was looking at the ballroom and how they had the tables laid out the year before last. It was a good flow and I think we should keep it the way they had it.”
Glancing at the large paper, I pulled it toward me. “I’ve never been to the fundraiser dinner for the library. I take it it’s sit down?”
“Yes. A five-course meal.”
I glanced up. “I was told Pricilla was handling this.”
Emma smiled. “She’s our central library manager. She doesn’t handle this part anymore and gave me the job this year. Do you think we’ll have a problem working together?”
Standing, I replied, “I don’t have an issue working with you as long as you don’t have one working with me.”
A shy smile played across her face. “I can work alongside you, that’s not a problem at all.”
