Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.
I’m Burk Harmon, City Manager for Harrison, North Carolina. People around here like to tease that I look a lot like Drew Scott from the Property Brothers. I actually do have a twin brother, Beck. He just moved back to Harrison and married his high school sweetheart.
Tell us about where you live and why you choose to live there.
Harrison is a sleepy suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. We moved here after our father’s death. He was a popular golfer, and the sports community and media blamed my mom for his suicide. Neighbors here tend to protect each other. They rallied around my family so I was proud and honored to come to work for the city. I interned here during college, and then I was offered the Finance Director’s job when I graduated. My old boss finally convinced me to apply for the City Manager’s job when he retired, and …here I am.
What is a quirk of your personality that most people wouldn’t know?
I like my clothes pressed, even my jeans.
What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach your happily-ever-after?
The biggest obstacle was convincing Lacie to relax her “no dating” policy. But then it was risking a decade long friendship to woo her into a future together as man and wife, as family. It was a challenge to show Lacie that all men were not created equal, but I think I finally did it. Not sure what swayed her in my favor. Maybe it was agreeing to escort her and fifty seniors on their trip to the mountains? Or the private picnic lunch I arranged? Or tutoring her daughter with her math homework?
Tell us about your special lady. What makes her special?
She’s beautiful, on the inside as well as the outside, and strong yet gentle. She’s a single parent and a wonderful mother to Violet even though she didn’t have the best example. As Assistant Parks and Rec Director, she works with the seniors, and she treats them all with respect and dignity, with as much tenderness and affection as if they were all her grandparents. The men in her life, men who should’ve loved and protected her, taught her that she couldn’t depend on us, so she covers a world of hurt with that make-my-heart-stop smile.
The first time you saw her, what did you think? Did you like her immediately, or did she have to grow on you?
I met Lacie after I officially came on board after graduation as the Finance Director. Lacie worked in Parks and Rec and used to bring in the cash they collected late in the afternoons. Her visits were the highlight of my days, still are, and I always made time to talk. Seemed like she needed a friend. Back then, she was only twenty one, a single parent of a toddler. It took a while before she took me up on my offer to fix some things around her Grandma Wilma’s house and to help Violet with math homework. It took her Grandma Wilma even longer to come around. Good thing Violet was in my corner.
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| Coming SEPT 18 with Pelican Book Group |
Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her “no dating” policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?
Weaving a Legacy of Grace 