Finding Harmony (Katie & Annalise Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

around, yanked by the tone of my voice, but my iPhone rang.
    Ava. Maybe talking to her would give me time to back away from the ledge. Because I was about to jump off of it and all over my husband.
    “Later,” I said to Nick. Did I hear a muffled exhale from him?
    “Hi, Ava,” I answered, and I walked into the bathroom for the call.
    “Hello, Katie. I got a call for a gig. When you start singing with me again?”
    Ava’s question felt sudden, even though I had expected she would ask it at some point.
    She continued into the pause I did not fill. “We could make it work, even with the kids—like only book daytime gigs if you want. I still get calls from places wanting afternoon beachside entertainment for the tourists.” Ava’s daughter was only one month younger than my twins.
    “Let me ask Nick,” I hedged.
    “Then you tell him ‘no’ is not an acceptable answer. Monday night we invited to perform a set at a Yacht Club party. You need to dress nice—none of your bag dresses—and do something with that hair. I’ll swing by Monday afternoon, and we rehearse.”
    I feigned nonchalance but a thrill ran through me. I would sing tomorrow night! That beat the heck out of worrying about dead people or how to keep my husband from becoming a dead person himself.
    I hung up and went back into the bedroom, where Nick was still working his pencil. I decided to hold off on the news about the Yacht Club until after the christening party. I dressed for bed. I pulled back the covers. I cleared my throat noisily.
    When he finally looked at me, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
    I sucked oxygen in to displace the space in which my words were hiding, and pushed them out on the exhale. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. At least not completely. But there is one thing I want that is very, very important to me. I need you to say yes to it.”
    “Oh yeah, what’s that?” he asked.
    “I want to work with you on the Eddy Monroe case for Petro-Mex.”
    He didn’t look happy about it. He kicked the bed frame into line, stalling for time. I kept my face neutral while he wrestled it down inside himself.
    He spoke slowly when he got around to answering. “Yes, on one condition.”
    “What?”
    “That we start with an emergency meeting of all Stingray Investigations personnel assigned to the Dead Guy In The Driveway case.”
    I considered his proposal and found it acceptable. “Let the meeting begin,” I said, beckoning with my finger. He swan-dived onto the bed.
    Technically, what came next might be called sexual harassment in some companies, but it was the most effective teamwork session of my career. When the ceiling fan came on of its own volition, we met eyes and laughed.
    “Thank you, Annalise. I think we’re going to need that,” Nick said.
    “She takes good care of us. But I can assure you, she will turn on you like a feral pig if you ever do me wrong.” I know it sounds strange, but my jumbie house was my best friend. We had each other’s back.
    He bit the back of my neck and I groaned—in a good way.
    “Feral pig? You’ve got Wilburn on the brain and your Texas roots are showing.” He nibbled some more. “I will never do you wrong, but not because I’m scared of some big voyeuristic jumbie house built on a graveyard.”
    A picture of Nick toppled over on my bedside table with a firm thwack. One by one, every picture of Nick in our bedroom fell on its face.
    “That’s kinda disparaging, honey. And we don’t really know whether she’s built on a graveyard or not. But I think those pictures are what Navy types would call a shot across the bow. An apology would be good before she fires off a real cannonball.”
    “I’ll consider myself warned. My sincerest apologies, Annalise. Although you are a big jumbie and a voyeur, I mean that in only the most respectful and complimentary way. I’ll withhold judgment on the graveyard part.”
    My house fell silent. Nick gave his full attention to the nape of my