“So you left the scene of an accident?”
“I panicked. It was a terrible decision. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I don’t either,” Harper hedged. “Was Jared mad when he visited you?”
“We had breakfast together actually.” Quinn turned rueful. “He seemed nice enough, maybe a little tired. He clearly had a lot on his mind.”
“We don’t get a lot of murders in Whisper Cove.”
Quinn’s lips curved, reflecting genuine amusement. “I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about my return. It can’t be easy for him. I mean ... we were together at the time of my disappearance. He probably can’t help himself from worrying that you’ll be torn between us or something.”
Instead of reacting with earnest emotion, Harper barked out a laugh. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous.” Her mirth bubbled up. “Jared knows he has absolutely nothing to worry about. He’s not the sort of guy to dwell on things like that. Don’t even get yourself worked up about it. Jared is fine.”
Quinn searched Harper’s face for a long beat, his expression unreadable. “So ... you’re happy, huh?”
Harper realized her reaction could be misconstrued as dismissive after the fact and quickly collected herself. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just ... Jared and I have been through a lot. There’s nothing that can separate us.”
“Not even a back-from-the-dead boyfriend, huh?”
“No.” Harper opted for honesty. “I don’t mean that to hurt you, but it’s been a long time. I’m not the same person you dated years ago. I’m more sure of myself now, strong. Jared and I fit together. I’ll always be fond of you because you’re part of my past but ... it was a different time.”
“Right.” Quinn pressed his lips together. “Just tell me you’re happy.”
“I am happy. I love Jared with my whole heart.”
“And he loves you?”
Harper mustered a girly smile, one that made her look impossibly young. “He does. I never doubt that.”
“Well, that’s great.”
Harper took sympathy on him. “He’s a good man. I think you would really like him … under different circumstances.”
“When he’s not questioning me for murder, right?”
“That’s a given.”
Despite himself, Quinn chuckled. “You’re right about being different. You’re still the same in a lot of ways, though.” He opened his arms in offering. “We were friends before we started dating. I would like to be friends again. I don’t want to go back to a place where you don’t exist in my world.”
Harper’s smile was wide and heartfelt as she stepped into his embrace. “I don’t want to go back to that place either.”
From across the street, Zander watched the exchange, a huge ball of worry coiling in his stomach. He didn’t trust Quinn — it was obvious he had an agenda — and apparently Harper was walking right into his net.
No, Zander didn’t like the turn of events one bit. He had no idea how to fix things, though. He was truly at a loss.
Ten
Bone tired, Jared sighed with relief when he slipped off his shoes and coat by the front door and tilted his head to listen for the telltale sounds of Harper and Zander going about daily life. It was well after six before he returned to the house. He texted Harper to eat without him because he had no idea when he would finish his shift. He assumed that meant she would dine with Zander, but he was mildly worried about the silence that greeted him.
“It’s about time you got here,” Zander snapped as he walked into the room and came face to face with Jared. “I’m about to have a meltdown.”
“I thought that was your perpetual state,” Jared said dryly as he threw himself on the couch and rested his feet on the coffee table. “Where is Harper?”
“Oh, like you care.”
Jared narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “You don’t want to go there. Now, I’ll repeat my question. Where is Harper?”
Perhaps sensing that Jared wasn’t in the mood to be trifled with, Zander adjusted his tone. “We ordered Chinese. She’s picking it up with Shawn.”
“Oh.” Jared furrowed his brow. “I thought you guys already ate.”
“She refused to eat without you.”
The statement, although minor, bolstered Jared’s spirits a bit. “That was nice of her.”
“No, it was nice of me,” Zander countered. “I’m starving, running on fumes. You have no idea the day I’ve had.” He dramatically threw himself in the chair at the edge of the room. “I need a spa day after what I’ve gone through.”
“And what have you gone through?”
“Um ... what do you think?”
Jared blinked several times in rapid succession. “I have no idea. That’s why I asked.”
“Oh.” Zander straightened. “Didn’t Harper tell you how we spent our day?”
“No, I was busy with work. I assumed you guys were at the office.”
“Oh, we were at the office.”
Jared’s anxiety ticked up a notch. “Zander, my day has been terrible. I found out my victim was a grifter and any number of people could’ve wanted her dead and then I had to inform her mother she was dead. That’s on top of going to the morgue and looking at a body. So, I’m sure you understand, I’m in no mood to mess around.”
“Okay. Geez.” Zander held up his hands and shook them. “I didn’t have an easy day either. There’s no reason to get all worked up.”
“Just tell me what happened.”
“Fine.” Zander shifted on his chair to get comfortable. “We had a visit from an old friend ... and it went on and on and on.”
Jared expected the news. There was no way Quinn would come back to town and hide in his hotel room all day. Still, it grated knowing that the man — an individual he didn’t trust — spent the better part of the day with the woman he loved. He was glad he heard the news when Harper wasn’t around to witness his reaction. “I see.”
Zander cocked an eyebrow. “You see? That’s all you have to say?”
“I’m collecting my thoughts.”
Even though he was often self-absorbed and eager to irritate Jared, Zander took pity on the man. He could see the emotional upheaval in the police detective’s eyes and he could only imagine the worry that plagued him because of Quinn’s miraculous resurrection.
“He didn’t hurt her or anything,” Zander offered quickly. “He showed up at the office and asked her to go for a walk so they could talk. She agreed. They didn’t go far, down to the beach, and they talked for a long time.”
“Did they look ... happy?”
The question caught Zander off guard. “I don’t think that’s the word I would use,” he hedged once he had time to reflect on how to answer. “They looked intense, as if they were having an important conversation, and then they hugged.”
“They hugged?” It took everything Jared had to keep from blowing up at the news.
“It wasn’t a sexy hug. It was an ‘I’m glad you didn’t really suffer and die in the woods’ hug. I don’t know what they said to each other because I was spying across the road, but I’m certain it wasn’t like that. There was no petting or anything.”
“Okay, well ... that’s good. I mean ... I guess that’s good.” Jared found himself in the awkward position of not knowing what to do with his hands. Ultimately, he decided to rub them against his jeans. “I’m glad it wasn’t a romantic rendezvous.”
“Harper would never do that.” Zander’s voice was shrill. “You should know that.”
“I do know that.”
“So ... why are you so worked up?”
“Because I love her, and I feel as if I’m trapped in a situation where I can’t react the way I want to react,” Jared replied without hesitation. “I want to grab that guy by the back of his neck and shake him until answers I believe start falling out. I can’t do that, though, because this is Harper’s situation to deal with.”
“You
’re part of the situation, too,” Zander pointed out. “You have a right to feel what you’re feeling.”
“I don’t want to hurt Harper.”
“So, instead you’re going to eat your feelings?” Zander challenged. “That doesn’t sound very healthy.”
“I don’t have a roadmap for this. I’m doing the best I can.”
“I get that.” Zander leaned forward so Jared had no choice but to meet his gaze. “You have to tell her how you feel, though. She needs to know.”
“I will tell her how I feel ... once I know that the situation has calmed a bit. She needs time to adjust.”
“And you don’t want to rock the boat,” Zander surmised. “I get it. That doesn’t change the fact that Quinn Jackson is up to something, and it can’t possibly be good. In fact, I’m betting that he’s evil incarnate and he’s trying to take over Whisper Cove for some nefarious plan.”
The words escaped Zander’s mouth at the exact moment the front door of the house opened to allow Harper and Shawn entrance. Harper pulled up short and stared hard at her friend as Shawn skirted around her, his arms laden with Chinese takeout.
“What did you just say?” Harper asked finally, when it became clear Zander wasn’t going to continue on his diatribe without prodding.
Uncomfortable, Zander shifted on his chair and licked his lips. “I was just talking to Jared about a television show I watched a few days ago.”
“Oh, really?” Harper shrugged out of her coat. “What was it about?”
“A woman who hadn’t seen her ex-boyfriend for six years because she thought he was dead but believed every ridiculous word that came out of his mouth upon his return even though it made no sense,” Zander replied, unruffled. “Right up until the moment he stole her money and tried to kill her, she believed he was just an old friend who had something horrible happen to him.”
“Wow.” Harper faked an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “What are the odds that story would air right before Quinn showed up? I mean ... that’s freaky.”
Sensing a potential war, Jared pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead as he straightened. “Hey, Heart. Why don’t you come over here with me, huh?”
Harper ignored the request and continued glaring at Zander. “I don’t understand why you’re being like this. First you follow us on our walk — yes, we knew you were there spying — and then you spend the entire afternoon getting in passive aggressive digs when Quinn is hanging around the office. I don’t get it.”
Jared’s stomach flipped. “He spent the whole day with you?”
“Is that a problem?” Harper asked pointedly. “He wanted to see GHI, what we do. When he disappeared, we didn’t have the office space we do now. Eric and Molly weren’t with us either. It was a vastly different operation.”
“Oh, please.” Zander rolled his eyes. “It was the exact same operation, except now there are four of us to insult one another when things get hairy. He wasn’t hanging around because he wanted to see the operation. He was hanging around because he wanted to be close to you. I’m not an idiot.”
“You sound like an idiot.”
“Let’s not fight,” Shawn interjected worriedly. As the newest member of their little foursome, he was the most uncomfortable when the insults started to fly. “We got crab rangoon and entrees for everybody. Who doesn’t love crab rangoon?”
Zander pretended he hadn’t heard his boyfriend’s plea. “Harp, you know I love you ... .”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Harper warned, jabbing a finger in Zander’s direction. “You’re going to add a ‘but’ on there. Nobody wants to hear that ‘but.’”
Technically, Jared was more than willing to listen to the “but.” He didn’t want to be painted as the bad guy in this scenario, though, so he calmly kept his mouth shut.
“I’m trying to protect you, Harper,” Zander snapped, his temper on full display. “You refuse to see what’s right in front of you. This is like when Quinn disappeared all over again. Who was the one who handled things back then? I know you like to pretend that you’re the one who handles things best, but I was the one who kept you together back then.”
“You were,” Harper admitted, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “You saved me. I saved myself after that. I pulled myself together. I think I’ve done a pretty good job living my life since then. Obviously you feel differently.”
“I didn’t say that,” Zander grumbled. “You’re my best friend. I want to protect you. That’s allowed.”
“Quinn doesn’t want to hurt me, though, so what are you protecting me from?”
“Him.” Zander didn’t back down. “He’s not a good man. He never was.”
“You’re worrying about nothing,” Harper countered. “Everything is going to be perfectly fine. I guarantee it.”
Zander remained dubious. “You can’t see him for what he is. I can. Don’t trust him.”
“It’s going to be fine.” Harper waved off Zander’s concern as if he’d told her the color she picked for her sweater that day washed her out. “Nothing bad is going to happen. Trust me.”
JARED WAS MORE THAN ready for bed when it came time to turn in. He’d already stripped down to his boxers by the time Harper strolled out of the bathroom. She took a moment to watch him, her heart rolling when she saw the misery lining his face.
“Are you okay?”
Jared hadn’t realized she was watching and he forced a smile to cover his worry. “Of course. I was just thinking about some of the stuff we discovered about Judy Lange.”
“Yeah, that was weird,” Harper agreed, moving to sit at the end of the bed with him. She was dressed in a plain T-shirt and nothing else. “I don’t think that’s what has you worried, though.”
“Oh, yeah? What do you think has me worried?”
Harper saw no reason to lie. “Quinn. You’re worried about Quinn, too, aren’t you?”
“What would make you say that?”
Harper allowed a hint of anger to creep into her tone. “Answering a question with a question is a deflection. You taught me that.”
“Actually, you already knew that when we met.” Jared’s smile was rueful. “I believe you said exactly that to me not long after our first interaction, when I was trying to deflect a question because it made me uncomfortable.”
“So, why are you doing the same now?”
Jared held out his hands and shrugged. “I don’t know, Heart. I’m out of my element in this situation and I have no idea what to do. It’s ... frustrating.”
Instead of reacting with anger, Harper was calm as she collected Jared’s hands between hers and asked the obvious question. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid.” Jared hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but when confronted at the moment, he could do nothing but tell the truth. “I’m so afraid that you’re going to decide that you belong with Quinn — that it’s somehow kismet that he returned — that I think I’m going to make myself sick.”
The heartfelt admission was enough to cause Harper to gasp. “You can’t think that.”
“I don’t want to think that. I can’t stop myself from worrying, though. This situation is ... like nothing I’ve ever had to deal with before.”
“I don’t think most people ever have to deal with situations like this,” Harper admitted, searching for the correct words to soothe Jared’s obviously frazzled nerves. “You know I love you, right?”
“I love you, too.”
“I don’t doubt that. I never doubt that. You’re apparently the one doubting that.”
“It’s not that I doubt that,” Jared protested, hating how petulant he sounded. “It’s just ... your ex-boyfriend is back. He came back from the dead. We’re only together because you’re no longer with him. I can’t help feeling vulnerable ... although I don’t even know if that’s the right word.”
“Jared, I know this is difficult, and I don’t think I’ve been very sympathetic to your feelings since it started.” Harper searched for the
right words. “I didn’t take your feelings into consideration. I simply assumed you would understand how I feel about the situation, but that’s not possible because you’re not psychic.”
“No, I’m not psychic.” He swallowed hard. “How do you feel?”
“Mildly overwhelmed,” she answered without hesitation. “When I first saw him, I thought it was a dream. I didn’t know what to think or feel. The one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty that I did not feel, however, was love. I didn’t look at him and fall back in love all over again. In fact ... .” Harper trailed off, unsure if what she was about to say sounded mean.
“Keep going,” Jared prodded. “I like what you’re saying so far.”
Despite the serious nature of the conversation, Harper chuckled. “I bet you do. I was just going to say that I don’t think I ever loved Quinn.”
“No?” Jared kept his voice deceptively mild. “I wasn’t sure how you felt.”
“I think I convinced myself that I loved him back then, but what I felt at the time pales in comparison with what I feel for you now. I don’t think it could’ve possibly been love.”
Even though he knew it was ridiculous, Jared wanted to pull her on his lap and weep until the fear finished seeping out of his soul. “I love you so much that I can’t help but worry about your former boyfriend coming back. I hate it. I’m not an insecure person. I’ve never felt insecure where you’re concerned before. I can’t help it now, though, and I’m sorry.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry.” Harper shifted so she could face him and ran her fingers over his face. It was a simple gesture, nothing romantic about it, and yet it was wildly passionate all the same. It was a statement of belonging without words. Harper knew Jared needed to hear the words this go-around, too. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I only want to be with you. It never occurred to me you didn’t know that, and I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“No, I guess I haven’t,” Harper agreed. “I should’ve thought about your feelings, though. If our positions were reversed and you had a former girlfriend come back from the dead, I would be worried, too. I wouldn’t be able to help myself. I would need reassurance, and that’s something I didn’t provide for you.”
Ghostly Visions: A Harper Harlow Mystery Books 10-12 Page 10