Ghostly Charms

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I see you had the soup,” Zander noted as he sat next to Rain. “That’s one of my favorite things here. That’s what we came for, too.”

  “It’s not as good as the soup back home,” Rain countered, petulance practically oozing out of every pore. “That soup was good. They had cream of broccoli that was great. I ate it all the time.”

  “Rain, this is home now,” Ezra noted. “The soup we just ate was awesome. You have nothing to complain about.”

  The look she shot her brother said she felt the exact opposite. “Can I go?”

  Exasperation etched across Ezra’s features. “Where are you going to go?”

  “I’m going to walk on the beach. That’s allowed, right?”

  He sighed, the sound long and drawn out. “Yeah. It’s allowed.”

  Rain promptly hopped to her feet and headed toward the door. She didn’t look over her shoulder as Ezra admonished her to be careful.

  Harper felt like an intruder on a private moment as she did her best to avoid making eye contact with Ezra. As a distraction, she forced a smile and gestured toward Zander. “This is my best friend and business partner.”

  “Zander Pritchett.” Zander extended his hand. “Harper told me you’re opening an art gallery. That’s exciting. We need some culture in this town.”

  “I wish I could be excited.” Ezra was rueful, his eyes on the door Rain had disappeared through. “I apologize for my sister. She’s having a difficult time with things.”

  Since he’d opened the door, Harper decided to walk through it. “She doesn’t seem happy with life.”

  “She’s not. Not even a little.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve only had her with me for a month now and it feels like a year.”

  Harper exchanged a quick look with Zander. They were obviously both thinking the same thing.

  “What happened to your parents?” Harper prodded. It was an invasive question, but she asked it all the same. “I mean ... how did you end up with her?”

  “As you’ve probably figured out, she was my parents’ late-in-life ‘accident.’” He made the appropriate air quotes. “They thought my mother was far too old to have another child — she was forty-five at the time — but they were wrong. Despite the surprise, Rain was a welcome addition to the family. She was bright and engaging ... until she fell in with the wrong crowd.

  “My parents were on a train trip from Boston to Los Angeles — it was a fortieth wedding anniversary gift to themselves — when it derailed. That was about a year ago.”

  Harper stirred. “I remember that story. Your parents were on that train? That’s horrible.”

  “It was a shock for all of us,” Ezra agreed. “I lived in New York City at the time. I loved it there. My Aunt Betsy took in Rain. She was fifteen at the time. It was only supposed to be for three years and we thought it was the best outcome because Rain didn’t want to move to New York with me. Unfortunately, Rain fell in with a bad crowd not long after my parents died.”

  Harper wasn’t surprised by the statement. “She was probably lashing out because of the grief. She didn’t know how to handle the emotions she was feeling at the death of her parents and acted out. Teenagers are known to do things like that.”

  Ezra’s laugh was hollow. “Yeah. That’s what we thought the first few times she got in trouble. Then she landed in jail three times in the same month — all for petty crimes like underage drinking and pot — and my aunt decided that she was too old to deal with her.

  “I had a choice at that point,” he continued. “I could’ve had Rain join me in New York. She wouldn’t have had a choice but to do what I said. I was technically her legal guardian even though my aunt took on the mantle.

  “I thought that would be too much for her, though. I didn’t want to force her to a big city where she would feel overwhelmed. I came back and looked around Grand Rapids — that’s where she was living with my aunt at the time — but the community there can’t support a proper art studio. I needed to come to the east side of the state.”

  “I’m guessing she wasn’t thrilled with the idea,” Harper offered, sympathy rolling through her. She had profound respect for Ezra. He was trying to do the best he could by his sister and the young woman wasn’t making things easy for him. Of course, she felt bad for Rain, too. The girl couldn’t get a handle on her emotions so she was acting out in the worst possible ways.

  “She’s very angry with me right now,” Ezra confirmed. “I mean ... really angry. She wants to punish me because I made her leave her friends. She came up with a list of reasons why we shouldn’t move. I put my foot down, though. She’s still angry about it.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” Ezra rolled his neck until it cracked. “I honestly don’t know what to do with her. She’s barely hanging on in school. They’re giving her a pass because she was a late-semester transfer and she’s still grappling with grief, but they’ve warned me that if I can’t get her in line before the next school year that they’re going to hold her back. She is not going to take that well and she’s angry enough right now to drop out of school.

  “In truth, I can only maintain control of her until she’s seventeen,” he continued. “Sure, she’s not an adult until she’s eighteen, but if she puts up enough of a fight, she’ll get her way. They’ll emancipate her at seventeen and there’s not a thing I can do about it.”

  “That blows.” Zander furrowed his brow. “She basically has you by the nut sack, huh?”

  Harper wrinkled her nose. “That’s a lovely visual.”

  “He’s not wrong.” Ezra chuckled as Harper rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry to have dumped all this on you. I am genuinely at a loss right now. When she smiled at your friend here, I had hope that it was a beginning. Maybe she would loosen up or something. Apparently I was wrong.”

  “Actually, teenage girls the world over absolutely love me,” Zander explained. “She’s not the first and she won’t be the last. I’ll get her to loosen up.”

  “I think that she might respond to Jared better,” Harper offered, realizing too late what she was saying.

  “Excuse me?” Zander’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Why would she listen to Jared more than me?”

  “Oh, um ... because he’s a police detective,” Harper lied smoothly. “He’s got an air of authority about him that the rest of us don’t have.”

  “And she has a huge crush on him,” Ezra added, clearly oblivious to the vibe Zander was emitting. “She’s been daydreaming about him since yesterday. She doesn’t come out and say it, of course, but it’s obvious that she thinks he’s dreamy. That’s still a word, right?”

  “Only for those over thirty,” Zander replied, his expression dark. “I don’t understand why she thinks Jared is hot. He’s not. I’m totally hotter.”

  “Maybe you should convince her of that,” Harper suggested. “While you’re at it, maybe you should also convince her to start studying and pay attention in school. She’s not going to make it far without a high school diploma, and she might be angry enough to drop out just to be a pain.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Ezra admitted. “I have no idea what to do for her.”

  “I think you’re doing the best you can,” Harper reassured him. “You’re not a miracle worker. You can’t fix everything.”

  “No, but I need to fix her. I owe my parents that.”

  Harper wanted to tell him he didn’t owe his parents anything — that he’d already gone above and beyond — but she understood what he was saying. His parents had two legacies in life. Now one was in charge of the other. He couldn’t just abandon his sister. He would never forgive himself.

  “We need to get her involved with the right group of people,” she said after a beat. “Let me do some thinking. There has to be a way to arrange this without making it look like a setup. She won’t hang out with anyone she thinks you approve of right now. It has to be her id
ea.”

  “I really appreciate the help.” Ezra was earnest. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Zander replied. “We like butting our noses into other people’s business.”

  “We really do,” Harper agreed. “This is normal for us. We’ll totally figure it out.”

  6

  Six

  Jared and Mel were standing next to the coffee kiosk on Main Street when Harper and Zander exited the deli. To Harper’s immense surprise, Rain was with them and she seemed to be talking a mile a minute.

  “There’s nothing to do in this town,” the girl complained as Harper and Zander closed the distance. “I mean ... absolutely nothing. Why isn’t there a movie theater? How come there’s no coffee shop?

  “There’s a coffee shop,” Harper volunteered, causing Rain to jolt. The girl shot her a death glare over her shoulder, but the ghost hunter refused to take it to heart. “In fact, you’re standing in front of a coffee shop. It just happens to have wheels on it.”

  Rain’s expression was bursting with sarcasm and snark. “This isn’t a coffee shop. At least ... not good coffee. This is old people coffee.”

  As if to prove her right, Mel made a series of yummy noises as he sipped his coffee. Rain took advantage of the situation to arch a “see, I’m right” eyebrow.

  “What kind of coffee do you want?” Harper queried, refusing to be baited by the girl. That’s what she wanted. Attention. It didn’t matter if it was positive or negative. From what Ezra had told them, Rain was essentially the center of her parents’ world. All that changed when they died. Even though her brother was determined to do right by her, she probably figured she was a burden or afterthought. It had to be weighing on her.

  Also, since Zander was the sort of person who sucked up attention like someone would guzzle iced tea on a hot day, she was used to feeding the beast.

  “I want real coffee,” Rain replied. She looked agitated by Harper’s presence. “Like ... Starbucks.”

  “Ah.” Harper’s smile never wavered. “I happen to be a big fan of Starbucks myself. There’s one about five miles away, in New Baltimore. It’s not too far of a drive.”

  “It is if you don’t have a car.” Rain folded her arms over her chest and jutted out her lower lip. “Ezra won’t let me drive. He says I have to earn the privilege. He’s a big, fat know-it-all.”

  Unsure how to respond, Harper turned her attention to Jared. “And how has your day been going?”

  He grinned at her as he leaned forward to bestow a kiss. “I’ve had better days. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Oh, geez.” Mel made a groaning sound as Zander rolled his eyes. Rain didn’t look any more thrilled than the men by the turn of events.

  “Ignore them,” Jared insisted, rubbing his nose against Harper’s cheek. “They’re just jealous.”

  “I know.” Harper beamed at him. “I bet you wish you’d stayed in bed with me this morning.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.”

  “I’m totally going to gag,” Zander complained, making an exaggerated face. “I mean ... just gag, gag, gag.”

  “You and me both.” Rain moved closer to him, her eyes never leaving Jared’s profile. “What does he even see in her?”

  “Um ... he’s lucky to have her,” Zander shot back. “What does she see in him?”

  “He’s hot.” Rain was matter-of-fact. “I mean ... totally hot. He’s so hot that he could set the world on fire.”

  Zander snorted. “Yeah, let’s not go overboard. I told you about his nipples, didn’t I? I wasn’t exaggerating.”

  His arms still around Harper’s waist, Jared turned and pinned Zander with a dark look. “Do you want me to wrestle you down and make you eat full-fat cheesecake?”

  Zander’s mouth dropped open in abject horror. “I can’t believe you just threatened me with that. That’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to me. I mean ... like ever.”

  “I can say worse things,” Jared warned. “I’ll even enjoy doing it.”

  “Oh, I’m terrified.” Zander turned imperious. “Just for that, when I get married, you’re not allowed to be in the wedding party.”

  Jared was silent for a beat. “Okay,” he said finally.

  “Did I miss something?” Mel was suddenly interested in the conversation. “Are you and Shawn talking about tying the knot?”

  “We’ve discussed it,” Zander replied primly. “Nothing is official yet. I let him know my preference for a big and splashy proposal, though. He’s probably renting the blimp right now.”

  Harper snorted. “You want him to propose to you with a blimp?”

  “Or at a baseball game.”

  “You don’t go to baseball games.”

  “I would if he was going to propose.”

  “It’s not much of a surprise if he invites you to a baseball game out of the blue, is it?” Jared noted. “I think you should be the one to propose since you’re the one who has wedding fever.”

  “Harp, make it stop.” Zander held up his hand and shoved it in Jared’s face. “We’ve been over this. I can’t deal with the attitude.”

  Harper giggled and shifted, her eyes falling on Rain. The girl looked legitimately mystified by what was happening. To keep her from feeling uncomfortable, Harper separated from Jared and focused her full attention on the bewildered teenager. “I’m guessing being in a new town, practically a full state away from all your friends, isn’t easy. Have you managed to meet anyone yet?”

  Suspicion filled Rain’s eyes. “Why do you care?”

  “Because I happen to think your brother is going to bring a really good business to town and I want to see you both happy. If you need help meeting people ... .”

  “I don’t need help meeting people.” Rain was firm. “I’m not going to be here long. As soon as I’m seventeen, I’m leaving. It’s a waste of time to make friends.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Jared countered, slinging his arm around Harper’s shoulders. “I happen to think that Whisper Cove is a cool place to live. You can never have too many friends.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Rain didn’t look impressed with the statement. “If you want to have so many friends, how come you’re so mean to Zander?”

  “Yeah. How come you’re so mean to me?” Zander echoed with a faux injured look on his face. “I hate it when you’re mean to me. It breaks my heart.”

  “Oh, geez.” Jared extended a warning finger in Rain’s direction. “Don’t encourage him.”

  “I need little encouragement.” Zander winked at Rain, earning a full-fledged smile. “As for meeting people, you should hang around the park over there.” He inclined his head to a woodsy space across the road. “A lot of the teenagers hang out there in the afternoons. You’ll make friends before you know it.”

  “I already told you I don’t want to make friends.” Despite the words, Rain darted her eyes in that direction. “If I hang out in the park, it’s going to be because I like the park. No other reason.”

  Zander held up his hands in faux capitulation. “Fair enough.”

  Because it seemed necessary, Harper decided to change the subject. “Anything new on Lionel?”

  “He’s still dead,” Mel replied. “The medical examiner confirmed that he died of a heart attack, which is what we were expecting.”

  Harper brightened considerably. “So, it was an accident. That’s good.”

  “No, it’s not good.” Jared shook his head. “He was killed during a break-in. His favorite razor, a gift from his late wife, was taken. His death is a felony no matter what.”

  “Even if it was an accident?” Rain furrowed her brow. “How does that work? I mean ... if he wasn’t touched, there’s no crime, right?”

  “Wrong.” Jared was somber. “His death was a direct result of criminal activity. It’s most definitely a crime.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Rain’s eyes drifted back to the park, to where a teenaged boy had suddenl
y appeared. “You know a lot of stuff, huh?”

  Harper pressed her lips together, legitimately amused. Rain was clearly interested in talking to Jared, to the point where she was hanging around virtual strangers just to get a little face time in. Not far away, though, was an age-appropriate boy and she seemed interested in him, too.

  “That’s Andy Cornell,” Harper volunteered. “His mother passed away a few years ago and his father is a construction worker with the county. I think he’s a junior this year, which will make him a senior next year. That’s the same as you, right?”

  Slowly, Rain’s eyes tracked back to Harper. “So? I didn’t ask about him.”

  “I was just volunteering information.”

  “No, you were being a busybody.” Rain’s lips flattened into a grimace. “I already told you that I don’t need any new friends. I wasn’t lying about that.”

  “Fine.” Harper’s temper flared, but she managed to rein it in ... barely. She didn’t envy Rain. The girl was obviously a bundle of runaway nerves, her desires and worries twisting into something she couldn’t quite control. That didn’t mean she was a fan of the sass. “You don’t need friends. You’re perfectly fine on your own.”

  “I am.”

  “Great.” Harper rolled her eyes until they landed on Jared and found him smiling. “What? I don’t think any of this is funny.”

  “I didn’t say anything.” He was suddenly the picture of innocence. “I’m just getting a glimpse of my future. Maybe we should have boys instead of girls.”

  Harper snorted. “Let’s just get through the wedding first.”

  “Are you guys already talking about kids?” Mel’s eyebrows migrated north. “That was fast. I thought you might take a bit of time for just the two of you.”

  “That’s the plan,” Jared reassured him. “Harper seems to think her biological clock is ticking, though, so apparently we’re going to practice a lot whether we need kids or not.”

  Rain’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she lowered her eyes. “I’m going to go to the store and get a soda.”