A Friendly Demonstration
Chapter 43
The toast to David and Abi's engagement was drunk and then while most of the group settled back to enjoy light-hearted talk Gill turned to her brother, "Okay, sailor, you've kept all this pretty quiet. How long have you known Abi?"
Instead of answering immediately David turned to his soon to be fiancée and said apologetically, but with an imp of mischief dancing in his eyes, "Abi, this is my little sister, Gill, although judging by the amount of curiosity she should be called Cat! But she can't apparently help it. So we not only have to forgive her, but if we want any peace whatsoever, then we had best come clean."
"Well, as much as we can without breaking security," Abi countered demurely.
"There's always that," David agreed sombrely.
Gill looked from the one to the other, a growing suspicion in her eyes quickly turning to frustration, "Honestly David! Trying to get a straight answer from you is like trying to get blood out of a stone!" she complained.
"Well, we could tell you the truth," Abi said, and then turned towards David, "couldn't we?"
"I suppose we could…" he began doubtfully, "but then we'd have to kill her…"
"The only corpse," Gill gritted between her teeth, "The only corpse around here is likely to be yours David Shephard! So give! And remember, my questions will undoubtedly pale into insignificance compared to what Granny's interrogation is likely to be like!"
"Is that right, David?" Abi asked, slightly anxiously Harm thought.
"Um… yeah… Granny definitely will want all the details," David admitted with a reassuring smile at Abi, "but she really isn't that bad."
"But telling me will give you the chance to rehearse your story, won't it, brother dear?" Gill suggested lightly.
"That's true," David conceded and then took a breath before he plunged ahead, "Well… it was FO Plymouth's doing really," David began.
"FO?" Harm inquired.
"Yes, FO, the Flag Officer Commanding Plymouth Navy Base," David explained.
"How did an Admiral become responsible for you two meeting?" Gill asked.
"Oh, he didn't, not directly," Abi smiled. "We both had to visit FO HQ, I was the Pilot in the Pytchley – that's a Hunt class mine warfare vessel…"
"And I was standing in for our Pilot, who hadn't reported for duty yet. It turns out we were both at HQ to collect chart updates – you wouldn't believe how much paperwork is 'needed' to commission one of HM Ships, even in times of peace. Anyway, I noticed Abi waiting to accept her issue of charts and noticed that she was quite pretty…"
"Typical sailor," Abi interrupted but with a smile at David.
"Anyway," David shot her a tolerant but reproving look at her interruption, "I introduced myself to her and tried to start a conversation, but she gave me a real ice-maiden stare and ignored me. So I gave it up as a bad job. But then, as luck would have it we were both issued with our updates at about the same time, so both of us with our arms full headed for the lift."
Abi nodded, "Of course that didn't suit me, the one thing I wasn't in the mood for was for some sailor trying to pick me up. So, even though it seemed we were doomed to share the lift…"
"Lift, sir?" Theresa Sullivan quietly asked Harm.
She was answered however by David Shephard who turned a devastating smile on her, "Elevator, you poor benighted colonials call it," he explained but in a tone of voice that robbed his words of all insult.
It was Abi's turn to send David a quelling look, "So having made up my mind not to respond to any efforts at conversation he might make..."
"In other words, she pretended I didn't exist!" David interrupted with a grin, "But the frosty front didn't stay in place very long. The lift started downwards and then suddenly stopped halfway between floors, the lights went out, there was a squeak of terror and Abi threw herself into my arms. Chart updates went flying everywhere!""
"I did not 'squeak' with terror, just with surprise, and I did not throw myself into your arms, David Shephard!" Abi said hotly and then continued in more dignified tones, "I merely lost my balance and stumbled when the lift jerked to a sudden and unexpected stop!"
"So…" David continues blithely, "What else could an officer do, other than to offer comfort and reassurance?"
Even Abi chuckled at that while Gill and Theresa joined Brian and Harm in grinning broadly while Simon Houghton smiled genially and his wife shook her head in pretended reprimand.
"Are you really going to take all night to tell this story, David?" Abi asked once she'd stopped laughing.
"Well if you can tell it better…" David suggested.
"I can and I will!" Abi retorted. "To wrap things up neatly, we were stuck in that damned lift for four hours before they finally got it moving again, and by that time … well, we couldn't sit in silence for all that time, so we got to talking, and then when we were let out of the bloody thing, David asked me if I would like to join him in Defiant's wardroom for a drink. I thought about it…"
"For all of ten seconds!" David interrupted.
"And then I said yes," Abi continued; for the moment seemingly ignoring David's interruption, but sending him a sideways look that promised later retribution.
Gill joined the others in laughing at the story but scepticism was unalloyed, "Is that the truth? You started to date because you got stuck in a lift?"
Abi and David nodded.
"But I don't understand," Brian Tierney said, "How was it the Admiral's fault?"
"Well, it was his lift." David explained deadpan and in such a serious tone that the table exploded in laughter once more.
By the time the laughter stopped Harm became aware that so had the string quartet's playing, and looking over his shoulder, he saw that the musicians were trooping off the stage, to be replaced by more Royal Marine Musicians in larger numbers who eventually resolved themselves into a twenty-four musician ensemble who started a medley of tunes that Harm recognised as coming from the Big Band era of popular music beginning with one of Glen Miller's more sedate numbers.
As the music started an officer whose arms were encrusted with the broad band and rings of a Vice Admiral RN stood up at his table and extending a hand to one of the ladies seated there led her out onto the dance floor.
Simon Houghton smiled at his wife, "Shall we?"
Rebecca Houghton smiled up at her husband, "We shall!" she confirmed laying her hand in his.
"Are you dancing?" Simon directed his attention towards Harm, who out of the corner of his eye caught an affirming nod from Gill directed at Theresa Sullivan.
"With great pleasure!" Harm smiled and stood, "Theresa?"
Theresa let Harm lead her out on to the dance floor but took the opportunity to say, "I'm not very good at this sort of dancing, sir."
"Well, you're pretty fit, and you kick box, so you must have some ideas of muscular co-ordination, " he smiled, "So just follow my lead, and I'll try not to make a fool of you!"
"I don't think you'd ever do that, sir," Theresa smiled as she stepped into his formal embrace.
Her confidence was well-founded, Harm stick to the simpler steps, effortlessly keeping time with the band and subtly leading Theresa through the movements, so that although unbendingly rigid to start with she relaxed as the dance continued and when the music faded to silence she was able to smile up at Harm with more than just a touch of gratitude.
"Thank you, sir! I think you made me look to be a much better dancer than I am!"
"Not entirely my doing Theresa, you have a sense of rhythm and you followed my lead easily enough and that made dancing with you as pleasurable as it looked as simple as it was!"
Tucking her hand into his arm he led her back to the table where they were soon joined by the other three couples, and where Theresa was almost immediately whisked away by Brian Tierney leaving Harm free to slip into the empty chair next to Gill.
"Hey, you," he said softly, "all okay?"
Gill took a sip of her drink and then smiled, "Yes, better than okay, really!"
"I wondered, you seemed to go after your brother with a vengeance!"
"Oh, just giving him a hard time, mostly out of habit… but of course, you were an only child, right?" Gill said as if that fact explained a lot.
"Was an only child?" Harm teased her, "Unless my mom has a surprise in store for me, I still am!"
"Clown!" Gill grinned, "You know what I meant!"
"I do," Harm confessed.
Rebecca Houghton safe in David's respectful arms peered over his shoulder at the table, "Ah… that explains a lot!" she said with deep satisfaction.
"What does?" David asked.
"Well… I thought the formality between Captain Rabb and his date was a bit overpowering, but looking at him now as he talks to your sister… and then again…" Rebecca twisted as far as she could to see Theresa and Brian dancing together, much more fluidly and a little closer than was strictly appropriate.
David glanced at where Rebecca was looking, "Yes, but it's my understanding that both my sister and the Captain received invitations and you know how impossible it would have been to refuse one and then turn up as an escort for someone else!"
"True," Rebecca nodded judiciously.
"Besides, I think my little sis wanted to show off her latest conquest!" David grinned.
"Oh, that's awful, you make her sound like some shallow, heartless, bit… uh female!" Rebecca just caught herself in time.
"Gill?" David asked seemingly more amused than offended, "No, she's never been that type, thank God, but she's always been very picky about the men in her life, and this Yankee Captain seems to be an okay sort… If he's good for her, then I'm all in favour!"
The dancing continued for an hour or so and then the dance music stopped and an imposing Royal Marines Colour Sergeant stepped forward to the edge of the stage, "Your attention please, Ladies please make your way to the buffet!"
Much to Harm's surprise neither Gill, Abi nor Rebecca made a move, and Theresa who had started to rise from her seat sank back again with a questioning expression on her face.
Rebecca noticed and smiled, "There's no point in going forward just yet, we're on the opposite side of the dance floor, so by the time we get there it will be a God-awful queue, so I'd rather wait for the scrum to disperse a little and save my poor aching feet for the dancing!"
"Besides," Gill added, "if we wait until most of the other ladies have gone through, we'll get our food just before the men get theirs, and we can all eat together in a civilised fashion."
Events worked out pretty much as Gill had forecast and even Harm was surprised by the variety of the buffet, all the work, he was assured, of the Royal Navy's own cooks apart from the traditional buffet of cold cuts and salads, there were two side buffets, one of sea-food and the other an Indian buffet consisting of curries and the myriad of side-dishes that go into the making of a full Indian meal, plus of course the dessert buffet. There was so much variety that even hardened vegetarians were offered enough choice so they could fill their plates without having recourse entirely to green salads.
Well pleased with both the menu and the idea of eating together with the ladies, Harm, with Gill almost bumping shoulders with him made his way back to the table where they found that the attentive Mess Men had, in their absence, delivered four bottle of wine, both red and white to accompany the meal. The party of eight made a leisurely meal to the accompanying sound of the string quartet who replaced the big band for the duration of the meal.
By the time they had finished eating the quartet was winding down and the big band was filing back onto the stage to take up their places once again. As the music struck up Harm turned to Rebecca, "Would you care to dance, Ma'am?"
Rebecca smiled, "Yes, I rather think I would, thank you, Captain!"
Harm led Rebecca out onto the floor where they were soon joined by the rest of the party, Theresa and Brian dancing together as Harm expected, but he was surprised to see that Simon Houghton was partnering Abi which meant…
"Oh that poor boy!" Rebecca chuckled as they turned in the dance to see Gill and David dancing together.
"Poor boy?" Harm asked lightly.
"Yes, I've seen enough of your Gunner Captain to realise she's a very forceful woman, and you are a very brave as well as a very fortunate man, but I'll wager that it was her idea to dance with her brother so that she could have a private word with him! And if word ever gets out in his ship's wardroom that he danced with his own sister then he is going to get his leg pulled unmercifully!"
"My Gunner Captain?" Harm asked, again lightly.
"Certainly! What? You didn't think you could sit there, your eyes hardly ever leaving her without some old dragon like me picking up on it! No, no. You may have come to the ball with that young lieutenant of yours, but I wager you'll be leaving with Captain Shephard!"
For a moment Harm looked blank, but then his face split in a grin that had Rebecca Houghton thinking 'Oh, my word!'
"I only have one issue over that," Harm said, "and that is the description of yourself as a dragon, highly unflattering, if I may say so!"
"Only to dragons!" Rebecca chuckled, "but thank you!"
Harm joined in the laughter, "But do you really think Gill bullied her brother into dancing with her?"
"Not a doubt about it!" Rebecca said stoutly.
"And his shipmates would give him a hard time if they found out?"
"Oh, certainly!"
Harm nodded and then mused aloud, "It's amazing the places you can pick up blackmail material!"
Rebecca looked shocked, "You wouldn't!" she exclaimed and then chuckled.
"Darn straight, I would – if necessary!" Harm replied, and as at that moment the music stopped, he turned and led Rebecca, still chuckling, back to the table where Simon glanced at her and then with a compassionate look at Harm, he turned back to his wife and asked, "Been flirting again, have you?"
"Of course," she said demurely, smiling up at Harm as he held her chair for her.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of conversation, laughter and dancing. Harm did his duty by Abi and again with Theresa and Rebecca but his memories were all of dancing with Gill, although as the hands of the clock crept around the face the dancing became less energetic and more a mere swaying in time to the music, until at four hundred hours, the leather lunged Chief Petty Officer who had announced them stepped up to the stage and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the band will now perform a selection of waltzes to finish the evening while your carriages are called. Thank you."
Harm led Gill out onto the floor for one last dance before the party broke up and farewells to Simon Houghton and Rebecca were made, with accompanying promises to keep in touch, and the party finally broke up on the steps to the wardroom building as Harm spotted the two pool cars edging their way forward.
Just as Rebecca had predicted Brian and Theresa made their goodnights to Harm and Gill and slipped into the back seat of Julia Martinez' car, while Harm and Gill acknowledged Libby Hawkes' crisp salute before sliding, with a sigh of relief on Gill's part, into the back seat of the second car where Gill ticked her hand into Harm's arm and laid her head against his shoulder.
Harm waited until Libby had walked around the car and settled behind the wheel before he confirmed, "Are you okay to drive, Hawkes?"
"Yes, sir! The Royal Navy looked after us real well, gave us a good supper and even provided racks to rest on until we were called. So, here I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!"
"And raring to go?" Gill murmured.
"Yes, ma'am!" Libby replied.
"Good," Harm smiled, "Then straight back to Northolt, please Hawkes!"
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Gill stretched luxuriously as she fought her way from the depths of sleep to the surface of waking and it seemed that her nostrils twitched at the smell of fresh-brewed coffee. Smiling, she rubbed and blinked the sleep from her eyes and then conscious of being alone in bed she rolled onto her side and fumbled for her wrist watch on the bedside table suddenly jolted wide awake by the realisation that it was just short of thirteen hundred hours.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Gill rolled out of bed and threw on her dressing gown over her pyjamas before heading for the bathroom for a quick wash and brush up before she made her way downstairs to where Harm was pottering about the kitchen, his hair still damp and spiky from his shower and wearing a pair of jeans faded to a neutral grey by many washings and a new Naval Academy sweat shirt bought on his last trip to the States.
Turning his head as Gill walked into the kitchen, he smiled, "Good morning, boo'ful, coffee?"
"M'mm, please…" Gill said as she dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. Tilting her face up for his kiss as he brought her the coffee, she returned it gently and then sat back and shook her head ruefully, "I can't believe I slept so late!" she complained.
"Don't sweat it, after all, we didn't get back home until nearly six," Harm reminded her.
"True…" Gill replied wryly, "but it wasn't so long ago I could do a twenty-four hour duty and then turn to for a day's work!" She caught the glint of laughter in his eye and said indignantly, "And don't even think about blaming it on old-age!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," Harm said urbanely, although that had been his exact intention.
"H'mph!" Gill snorted as she continued to glare at him, but in the face of his tolerantly amused and loving eyes she couldn't keep up her pretence of ill-humour. "Going to get you for that," she said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, bring it on," Harm remarked blandly.
"I will, I will," Gill promised.
Harm said nothing but with an air of complete indifference to Gill's threat he sipped his coffee, while Gill drained the last of hers and stood. "I'm going for a shower and to get dressed… have we any plans for this afternoon?"
Harm shook his head, "No… I thought we could just curl up on the couch and spend a lazy afternoon while I tell you how perfect you are… and just how much I love you."
Gill froze, "What did you just say?" she demanded tremulously.
"I said I wanted to curl up on the couch with you, and tell you how much I love you," Harm smiled.
"Damn you, Harmon Rabb! You're supposed to whisper that into my ear while we're dancing close to some slow, romantic music, in a darkened night club somewhere, not in the middle of the day in a kitchen while I'm still in my PJs!" Gill quavered.
"Does it really matter?" Harm asked gently as he stood.
"Of course not, stoopid!" Gill said, a teardrop trembling on her eyelashes, "In its way, it was perfect, but just so typical of you, and that's one of the reasons I love you too! But Harm… Can't you ever do anything the conventional way?" she finished plaintively.
"Apart from the fact that I think that somewhere in there you said that you loved me too, that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say," Harm objected taking her into his arms so that Gill could rest her head against his chest, "I'm the most conventional person in the world. Wait until Mattie gets here, her personal mantra runs something like, 'Oh for God's sake, Harm, lighten up will ya?'"
Gill looked up at him, "Harm?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up and kiss me!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
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"Wake up, sleepy head," Johnny said softly.
"Nowassamarraleamelone…" Julia grumbled, turning over in her nice, warm, comfortable bed.
"C'mon sweetheart, you need to get up. I know you had a long night, but if you don't get up soon, you won't be able to sleep tonight."
Johnny's words eventually penetrated to Julia's consciousness at just about the same time as the realisation that she was in her nice, warm, comfortable, bed. Her own, warm, comfortable bed, and that Johnny was sitting on the edge of but, gently stroking her hair. Which was all very nice, as was the note of concern in his voice, but… but… but then full awareness hit her with the subtlety of a sledge hammer. What the hell was Johnny doing in her bedroom in female enlisted quarters!?
Shooting bolt upright she nearly spilled Rocky onto the floor as she stared at Johnny wild-eyed, "What the hell? Are you trying to get court-martialled? Or are you trying to get me court-martialled?" she demanded. "Get out of here!"
"Okay… I'm gone," Johnny said, not at all offended. "I'll fix you a coffee while you get showered and dressed… oh… and grab your overnight bag. He rescued Rocky from the edge of the bed, "Cute," he observed, "Battered, but cute, but not as cute as you!"
"Oh… get out!" Julia giggled helplessly and made as if to throw one of her pillows at him.
"Okay, okay, I'm gone! See you in the kitchen – but don't be too long, I'm depending on you to rescue me from the blonde widow!"
Johnny had to give Julia credit, it was only a little after fifteen minutes later that she came into the kitchen to find that Patty had perched on the corner of one of the kitchen units, making it impossible for Johnny to squeeze out of the corner into which she had backed him without brushing past her, something he had no desire to do. Julia had no such qualms, "Move your butt!" she snapped at the blonde and pushed past to wind her hands around Johnny's neck and drag him down to her level for a kiss. "Morning you," she smiled, and then still in his arms, which had, almost reflexively gone around her, she twisted around and stared challengingly at the blonde.
Patty could take a hint, and with a bland smile she slid off the counter and with a "See you later, maybe," and a grin at Johnny she swayed out of the kitchen just in time to miss hearing his, "Not if I have anything to do with it!"
"And you'd better not!" Julia told him fiercely as she twisted back to face him again, leaning back against the support of his hands on her hips, "But Johnny Walker, what were you thinking coming into my room like that?"
To her surprise, Johnny blushed, "Um… it's… well, I… uh… Um…"
"Alright, Walker, out with it!" Julia ordered.
"Well, if you must know," Johnny said, goaded almost to beyond endurance, "I was hiding!"
"Hiding?" Julia answered blankly, and then the truth of the matter hit her and she burst out laughing, "Hiding? From…?" and she jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen door.
"Yes! Hiding from that blonde widow spider!" Johnny shivered theatrically.
"Oh Johnny, what am I going to so with you?" Julia chuckled.
"Ah… I do have one or two ideas about that," Johnny grinned, his self-confidence flooding back, "Which is why I booked a double room down the street at that crummy hotel!"
"Taking a lot for granted, Mister," Julia mock-scolded him.
"Well, I figured that with having slept so late today, you'll stay awake half the night, and it seems a shame to waste all those hours for both if us to lie awake in different beds, when if we were together, we could be…"
"Hush up, Johnny Walker!" Julia laughed pretending to be scandalised and laying two fingers against his lips, "Why, the very thought of it!"
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"Whose… idea… was this…?" Jen gasped as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Yours… I think," Victor answered, and although he wasn't gasping for breath like Jen his chest certainly heaved under the cotton of his shirt.
"M'mm… Still… it isn't all bad," Jen murmured as her eyes feasted on the way Victor filled out that self-same shirt.
"What was that?" he asked, genuinely not having heard her.
"Oh, nothing," Jen said, trying to hide her expression.
"Okay… then let's get on with it. Just the one more flight of stairs and then those few steps down the hallway. Ready… lift!"
"It's not my fault it won't fit in the elevator," Jen said a trifle defensively.
"I know, sweetheart, but standing here looking at the damn thing ain't gonna help… so… again… ready? Good. Lift!"
With a little grunt of effort Jen grabbed hold of her end of the couch and lifted it clear of the stairs, while Victor a few steps below her not only took most of the weight but also provided most of the propulsive power to get the awkward piece of furniture around the ninety degree turn in the stairs and up the last eight steps.
Five strenuous minutes later the couch stood in the middle of Jen's living room and with a shared conspiratorial grin both Jen and Victor plumped down onto it, Victor's arm going around Jen's back while her head rested comfortably against his upper arm.
"Pretty comfortable this," Victor remarked lightly.
"M'mm…" Jen replied.
"Almost too comfortable to get up and fix us a drink," Victor said suggestively.
"M'mm…" Jen agreed before the sense of his words penetrated and then her eyes shot open and she twisted slightly to look him in the eyes, "What did you just say?"
"I just said it was very comfortable," Victor said innocently.
"Oh…? I thought you said something about fixing us a drink," Jen said, just as carelessly.
"Well… I'd quite happily make you a drink," Victor admitted, "Except that you don't like my coffee…"
"Oh, I wasn't thinking of coffee, there are some beers in the fridge…" Jen added suggestively.
Victor rose to his feet with a groan, "Oh, okay, I'll get us both a beer," he surrendered and crossed to the kitchen area and opened the fridge.
"Oh… while you're there," Jen suddenly chirped with the air of someone to whom a thought just occurred, "there's some sliced ham on a covered plate, could you make me a sandwich, please? Oh, and one for yourself, too… there's lettuce and tomato in the crisper…"
Victor remained silent but his expression said it all as he threw together a couple of ham salad sandwiches and then the sandwiches on a plate and the two bottles of beer held in the strong finger of his other hand he returned to the couch. Placing his load on the coffee table he glowered down at Jen, "You just handled me, didn't you?" he accused her.
"Of course I did!" she giggled, "What's the point of all those psych classes if I don't learn how to handle people?"
"H'mm… I suppose you do have a point," Victor allowed with a reluctant grin as he sat down and passed her a beer, "But don't get too comfortable with the idea, remember what they say about payback!"
Jen only laughed in response, while Victor in return maintained a dignified silence, belied only by the slight crinkling of the laughter lines at the corner of his eyes.
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Gill took a little over half an hour to return to the kitchen, she had lost at least ten minutes sitting on the edge of the bed she now shared with Harm, a soft smile on her face as she considered his words. Although he had hinted recently at the depth of his feelings for her, knowing what she did about his past, she had come to suspect that it was extremely difficult for Harm to reveal his emotions, which is why despite her mild scold of him, she didn't care where or when or under what circumstances he got around to expressing his feelings, and what was more she had a shrewd feeling that if he had planned to tell her over a romantic dinner, or while they shared an intimate dance, he would have become shy, nervous and flustered and would have chickened out at the last minute to avoid making a fool of himself. So in Gill's not so humble opinion, that he had blurted out how he felt in the middle of a Saturday morning kitchen while she was still in her kimono and pyjamas wasn't entirely a bad thing. It had, she thought been totally spontaneous, unrehearsed, unforced, and absolutely wonderful.
At last giving herself a mental shake, she got up from the bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen.
Harm turned away from the cooker a pleased smile on his face, "Just in time!" he grinned.
"H'mm… I thought so… what's that wonderful smell?" Gill asked as she saw the table already set, complete with bowls of salad and a bottle of condensation beaded white wine.
"Oh… just a mixed veggie omelette," Harm said carelessly, "plus a side order of bacon for you. And a glass or two of wine to toast our ability to say the really important things to each other!"
"Oh, yes!" Gill said enthusiastically and grinned as she saw that Harm had prepare that old boarding school favourite, a Farmer's Omelette, or as she had known it in her childhood, 'Gaffer's Pie'.
Hiding her smile she quickly poured two glasses of wine as Harm finished serving the food and then sliding one glass towards him, she asked, "And do you have a toast?"
"I do," he grinned easily and picked up his glass, "To our love!"
"And our not being afraid to name it!" Gill whispered as she felt her eyes flood again.
"Amen!" Harm agreed fervently raising his glass.