Ghostly Seas

by Lily Harper Hart

  Zander slapped her hand away, frustration bubbling up. “I am not bored. I most certainly am not mushy. I’m simply explaining the state of the world. Everyone on this ship wants me.”

  “Who wants you?” Jared challenged, jerking his eyes from the magazine and finally meeting Zander’s gaze. “Name one person on this ship who is staring at you.”

  “Those guys over there.” Zander pointed across the deck without hesitation, forcing Jared to look even though he figured Zander was exaggerating ... which was part of his normal repertoire. “Look how hot they are for me.”

  Jared’s forehead wrinkled as he studied the two men. Even though he didn’t want to encourage Zander, the men were indeed staring in their direction. “Do you know who they are?”

  Zander shook his head. “I think they’re fans.”

  Jared wasn’t so sure about that. “The one guy is the captain. I can tell by his uniform.”

  “Really?” Zander preened as he straightened, running a hand through his dark hair as he situated himself in a more flattering pose on the lounger. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure ... and you have a boyfriend, so there’s no flirting with the captain.”

  “I can flirt if I want,” Zander protested.

  “No, you can’t.” Harper was firm as she shook her head. “You have a boyfriend whom I happen to love. He’s good for you. I refuse to let you lose your head and flirt with some random guy simply because he’s the captain of a cruise ship. I’ll buy you the series collection of The Love Boat when we get home instead. That should be more than enough to serve as a distraction.”

  Zander dramatically rolled his eyes. “Do you always have to be such a pain? There’s no reason that I shouldn’t enjoy a mild bout of flirting. I mean ... come on. It’s fun and no one gets hurt.”

  “I’ll hurt you,” Harper promised.

  “But ... he’s making love to me with his eyes,” Zander complained.

  Jared cringed at the words. The captain was indeed staring at their little group. The police detective was trained to recognize human behavior, though, and he was certain the man was not staring at Zander.

  “He’s making love to Harper with his eyes,” Jared corrected. “He’s not looking at you.”

  Zander balked. “He is so!”

  “No, he’s not.” Even though he wasn’t fond of the idea that the captain was staring at his fiancée, Jared remained calm. He had no intention of causing a scene. “Harper is the one causing his heart to go pitter patter.”

  “Well ... that is just crap.” Zander’s mood turned dark in an instant. “I can’t believe you stole my innocent cruise crush, Harp. You’ve totally broken my heart.”

  Harper sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Oh, geez. This is going to become a thing for the rest of the trip.”

  Jared shrugged in apology. “You’re used to it. You’ll survive.”

  “That’s so depressing.”

  Jared couldn’t help but agree.

  4

  Four

  Rowan met Quinn in front of the dining room shortly after seven. She wasn’t hungry, but she figured Quinn would make a fuss if she tried to skip a meal.

  In truth, since seeing the sheer number of omens, she’d completely lost her appetite. Her stomach felt as if it was going to revolt at any moment and she wished for the umpteenth time that she wasn’t the one considered “special” due to her abilities.

  For his part, Quinn greeted her with a hug and a kiss before directing her toward the buffet line. Because of their status on the ship, they had unique eating privileges. The other workers were allowed to eat in the restaurants and main dining room whenever they wished, but they had to pay through a reduced rate. Quinn and Rowan were basically allowed to eat wherever they wanted for free.

  “How was the rest of your day?” Quinn asked as they filed into the line. He made sure to stay on the same side of the buffet table with Rowan because he didn’t want to risk being separated from her.

  “How do you think?” Rowan challenged bitingly.

  “Rawr.” Quinn made a sound like a spitting cat, and his expression was so comical Rowan couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “Oh, there you are.” Quinn beamed. “I was afraid a body snatcher had somehow grabbed my girlfriend and switched places with her. It’s good to know you’re still in there.”

  Rowan’s smile slipped. “I’m not trying to be difficult.”

  “I know.”

  “It’s just ... overwhelming.”

  Quinn took pity on her and leaned closer, brushing his lips against her cheek as he whispered. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out. I promise you that.”

  Rowan wasn’t so sure. “But ... how? I’ve never seen anything like this before. I don’t know what to do. It’s almost paralyzing.”

  “I agree.” That was the truth. Quinn felt paralyzed himself. Whenever he tried to come up with a believable scenario to work with, he found himself staring into space. He was well and truly at a loss. “We’re going to figure it out, though. We always do.”

  “Sometimes we don’t figure it out until it’s too late, though,” she pointed out.

  “Well ... I can’t make any promises. We can only do what we can do. All I can say is that I will do my very best to make sure this thing — whatever it is — never happens. I can’t do better than that.”

  Sheepish, Rowan shook her head. “I know. I shouldn’t take this out on you. It’s just so ... weird. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  “That’s why we need to take a step back and think,” Quinn said as he grabbed several plates to heap food on. “They have crab legs.” He handed one of the larger plates to his girlfriend. “I think you should eat because you’re looking a little pale. Then, after dinner, we’ll go from there.”

  She accepted the plate and nodded. “That makes sense. I don’t know how hungry I am, though. I feel sick to my stomach.”

  As if on cue, the crab platter popped into view and Rowan’s stomach gave a terrific yowl of excitement.

  “Or perhaps you’re hungrier than you thought,” Quinn suggested, after he’d finished laughing.

  Rowan pursed her lips. “I guess I could eat something.”

  “That’s good. I want you to keep up your strength. I don’t know much about what’s happening, but I do know that you’re not going to be able to do your best pondering and problem-solving if you’re hungry.”

  “Fair enough.” Her smile was small but heartfelt. “I’m definitely getting the crab legs.”

  “I’m shocked,” Quinn deadpanned.

  “There’s also chocolate cake.”

  “I’m right there with you on the cake. Let’s load up. My understanding is they have special entertainment for dinner tonight. I’m kind of curious how it goes.”

  Rowan knit her eyebrows. “Entertainment? Do I even want to know?”

  “I have no idea. I think we’re going to find out whether we like it or not, though.”

  “THIS FOOD IS AMAZING.” Excited, Harper cracked a crab leg and sent juice flying across the table.

  Zander used his napkin to dab at the liquid as he glared at his friend. “Well, that was just undignified.”

  Harper chuckled at his ornery expression. “It was an accident.”

  “I think it makes you look distinguished,” Jared offered, taking a seat next to Harper and across from Zander. “I think you should always bathe in crab juice from here on out. That will help you attract men wherever you go. I mean ... what guy doesn’t love crab juice?”

  Harper elbowed him in the stomach hard enough to elicit a grunt. “Don’t listen to Jared,” she admonished her best friend. “He’s just trying to see if he can make you melt down.”

  “That’s a horrible thing to say about the man you’re going to marry,” Jared complained.

  “Yeah, well, you’ll live.” Harper was used to Jared and Zander fighting. At first they tried to hide their competitive natures a
nd get along for her sake. It didn’t last long. In truth, they were the sort of men who enjoyed getting one over on each other. Harper worried that would eventually cause the structure of their relationships to crumble, but instead, they’d merely strengthened their foundation over time. Now that they were living in separate houses, things seemed to be much better ... which was a relief.

  Unfortunately for everyone concerned, a three-person vacation wasn’t going to help their ongoing boundary issues. In fact, Harper was convinced it would only exacerbate them.

  “What are we going to do after dinner tonight?” Zander asked, changing the subject. “I thought we could go to one of the bars on the lido deck. They’re right off the pool and there’s supposed to be one that plays jazz.”

  “I didn’t realize we were spending the evening together,” Jared noted, his eyes momentarily darkening. “I thought we were splitting up after eating.”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  Jared slid his eyes to Harper, who was suddenly staring at the chandelier and pretending she didn’t hear the two most important men in her life gearing up for a fight. “A little bird told me.”

  Zander followed Jared’s gaze and frowned. “You’re not hanging out with me tonight?” He was aggrieved. “You’re just going to leave me on my own, a poor little orphan with no one to love him? I can’t believe you would do this to me. I just can’t believe it.”

  “Calm down, Esmerelda,” Jared intoned, rolling his eyes. “There’s no reason to get worked up.”

  “It’s as if you don’t even know me,” Zander complained, holding up a hand so he wouldn’t have to look at Jared’s face. “I think I’m going to cry.”

  “Oh, don’t cry,” Harper said, forcing her eyes to Zander and grabbing his wrist so she could give it a squeeze. “I’m sure we can work out a compromise. For example, I could go to the lido deck with you for an hour and then cut the evening short to rendezvous with Jared at the room.”

  “No.” Jared and Zander spoke in unison, shaking their heads to the same beat.

  “You promised we would have time for ourselves tonight,” Jared reminded her. “The whole point of me coming on this vacation with you is so we could have peace and quiet for a bit.

  “No ghosts ... or murderous individuals with knives and guns ... or crazy women stealing kids right before Christmas,” he continued. “It was supposed to be you, me, piña coladas, bathing suits, and relaxation.”

  Zander made a weird snorting sound that reminded Jared of an enraged pig.

  “And occasionally a bit of time with Zander,” Jared conceded. “However, I don’t want to go to the bar tonight. I want to go to bed.”

  “Then go to bed,” Zander suggested, his eyes flashing. “You’re obviously turning into an old man who can barely keep his eyes open after eight o’clock. That’s probably not the sort of man Harper wants to spend the rest of her life with. It’s good she figures out how weak you are now rather than later.”

  Jared narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “Now, you listen here ... .”

  “Knock it off!” Harper held up her hands to silence both of them, frustration on full display. “I know you guys sometimes get off on messing with one another, but it would be great if you could give me a break for the rest of the day. I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

  She turned to Jared, the set of her jaw firm. “I know I promised you time alone tonight. I have no intention of reneging on that promise. We’re going to get alone time if I have to strip you naked and rub coconut lotion on you all by my lonesome.”

  Jared’s grin was triumphant. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t get to dictate how much time I spend with Zander on this trip, though,” she continued, causing his smile to falter. “We’ve had this cruise planned for almost two years. We started hearing about it a full year before I met you. We had to save up before we could make our reservations, though. I’m glad you’re here because I love you and want to spend time with you, but I want to spend time with Zander, too. We’ve been talking about this cruise since ... I don’t even know when. It’s a big deal for us.”

  Jared let loose a heavy sigh. “I get that. It’s just ... I thought we were going to be alone tonight. It’s not the end of the world if we’re not, though. I can survive.” He held up his hands in defeat. “We’ll go to the jazz club.”

  The look on Zander’s face was right out of the “Manipulative People and How They Get What They Want” handbook. He looked so pleased with himself, so puffed up, that Harper briefly imagined poking him with a pin to let the hot air out.

  “We’re not going to the jazz club,” Harper countered, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing when suspicion rolled over Zander’s handsome features. “I’m too tired from a day of traveling. I want to go to bed early — for more reasons than one — and going to a club will give me a headache.”

  Zander began sputtering. “But ... .”

  “No.” Harper wagged a finger in her best friend’s face. “If you want to go to the jazz club, you’re more than capable of going yourself. You can whine all you want about being alone, but we both know you’ll be the hit of the club five minutes after you arrive. People love you. That’s not going to change. You’ll be the most popular guy on the ship by morning.”

  Zander pushed out his lips into a pronounced pout. “I don’t want to go alone.”

  “Well, I’m not going to a club tonight.” Harper was firm. “My back hurts. I’m tired. I want to go to bed with my man and then start fresh tomorrow. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. No one says you have to go to bed early.”

  Zander slowly shifted his eyes to Jared. “I blame you for this. You’ve made her lame.”

  Even though he was annoyed with Zander, Jared couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “She’s the most appealing woman I know. Perhaps you’re the lame one.”

  “I’m going to remember you said that,” Zander muttered. “Payback will be swift and brutal.”

  “Bring it on.”

  Harper groaned as she slapped her hand to her forehead. “Seriously, you guys make me tired. Maybe I won’t do anything with either of you.”

  “Oh, don’t be a baby,” Zander lamented. “There’s no need to be dramatic. Things will be fine.”

  “Seriously,” Jared added. “You don’t need to be difficult and blow things out of proportion. We’ve got everything under control.”

  Harper took her frustration out on the crab leg and gave it a vigorous snap. This time the juice hit both men. “You make me tired.”

  “That’s why you love us so much,” Jared said as he wiped his face. “Seriously, though, what’s with you and the crab juice?”

  “That’s what I want to know,” Zander complained.

  QUINN WAS HAPPY TO SEE ROWAN clearing her plate. By the time the bus boys came around to gather the empty plates, she was leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach as the workers prepared the stage for the evening’s main attraction.

  “I think I should invest in stretchy pants,” Rowan announced, causing Quinn to grin. “When I eat my weight in crab legs, stretchy pants would be so much more comfortable than capris. I feel as if I can’t breathe.”

  Quinn chuckled as he tugged Rowan’s chair so it was positioned directly next to his. He moved her hand from her stomach and linked their fingers before resting their joined hands against his chest. “I’ll look into buying you stretchy pants tomorrow. I think they sound like a fabulous idea.”

  Rowan snickered. “What are we doing? Are we staying for the entertainment? We never stay for the entertainment. I thought you hated comedians.”

  “This isn’t a comedian.”

  “Oh?” Rowan arched an eyebrow. “Who are we dealing with?”

  “His name is Mark Brady. He’s supposedly a psychic to the stars.”

  Instead of being impressed, Rowan made a face. “But ... you don’t believe in psychics.”

  “I didn’t say that.” Qui
nn turned somber. “In fact, that’s the opposite of what I said. I believe some people truly have the gift. I’m not saying this guy does, but I kind of want to get a feel for the room and the people we’re dealing with since ... well, you know.”

  Rowan sobered. “I get it. You want to see if the psychic predicts anything worth following up on.”

  “I don’t know where to look,” Quinn admitted ruefully. “It makes me uncomfortable because I feel like I should be doing more. It’s not that I believe this guy can predict the future. It’s more that I want to watch the way the people interact while we’re in here, to give me an idea.”

  Rowan squeezed his hand tighter. “That sounds like a good idea. I’m sorry I gave you grief about it.”

  “Hey, he could very well be a kook.”

  “It won’t be the first time we’ve dealt with kooks.”

  “Or the last.”

  Rowan’s mouth split into a huge grin. “This might be fun. We’ve never done it before. Maybe it will be an adventure.”

  “That’s the fighting spirit I like to see. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  MARK BRADY TURNED OUT to be the theatrical sort. Ten minutes into the man’s act, Quinn was convinced he was full of it. He was too much of a showman to be the real deal. Still, though, Quinn was happy to sit through the show if it meant watching the guests. Their reactions were key ... and he wanted to see if anyone stuck out to him. Unfortunately, since they were dealing with a ship full of oddballs, everyone stood out to him.

  “Someone on this ship is going to die,” Brady intoned, his eyes going wide. He’d been making increasingly dire pronouncements for the last twenty minutes, and Quinn believed he knew why. He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. “It’s a woman. A woman with a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know.”

  Rowan tilted her head to the side as she slid her eyes to Quinn. “That could be any woman,” she whispered. “I mean ... that could be me.”