“That’s just his face,” Eric said.
Harper ignored the dig. Eric was working overtime to get over his bitterness. She opted to give him a little leeway. “So what happened this time that has you convinced there’s a ghost?”
“Everything keeps moving,” Jenny explained, stopping in the small living room first. “For example, do you see that lamp by the table over there?”
Harper nodded.
“It’s not supposed to be there,” she said. “It’s supposed to be on that other table and yet it has moved to this one twice. I’m not moving it. No one else is coming in here. If it’s not ghosts, how is it moving?”
“Ghosts don’t really move lamps,” Harper replied.
“Are you saying ghosts don’t move things?”
“I … .” Harper broke off, biting her lip. In truth, ghosts did move things. She’d never heard of them moving a lamp, but stranger things had happened. “What else has moved?”
Jenny moved from the living room into the kitchen and pointed at the counter. “Do you see that canister?”
“The cookie jar?” Harper asked, moving farther into the room.
Jenny nodded. “That cookie jar was on the baker’s rack the other day and today it’s on the counter,” she said.
“Are there cookies in it?” Eric asked.
“What does that matter?”
“I’m just curious if someone moved it to get cookies out,” he said. “That might signify that a human was moving things instead of a ghost.”
“What human?” Jenny asked, her agitation growing. “I’m the only human coming in here except for the people I show the house to and I can guarantee they’re not moving things around. Plus, the cookies in that jar have been there for months. They’re stale. No one would eat them.”
Harper licked her lips as she scanned the cottage. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing felt off. The house was empty. “I don’t see a ghost, Jenny,” she said, lifting her hands helplessly.
“Do you always see them at all times?” Jenny was starting to get shrill.
“No.”
“Well, then it’s probably hiding!”
“Hey, kids, what’s going on?” Jared appeared in the doorframe, taking everyone by surprise and causing Jenny to clutch at her chest.
“Is he a ghost?”
“He’s a police officer,” Harper replied dryly, rolling her eyes until they landed on Jared. “You know you can’t just walk into a strange house, right? That’s technically against the law.”
“Not when you leave the keys in the door,” Jared said, lifting Jenny’s key ring and shaking it. “That’s not safe, by the way.”
“Oh, thanks,” Jenny said, snatching the keys. She took a moment to collect herself and when she did, she turned her full attention to Jared. “You’re the new cop, huh?”
Jared nodded. “And you are?”
“Jenny Porter.” She extended her hand and shook Jared’s, lingering long enough to make Harper feel uncomfortable. “You’re not gay, are you?”
Jared made a face. “That’s a nice opening line you’ve got there,” he said, pulling his hand back.
“I’m sorry,” Jenny said. “Every time I find a man attractive he turns out to be gay.”
“That’s possibly very flattering,” Jared said, turning his attention to Harper. “What are you doing here?”
“This is the real estate agent I told you about,” Harper explained. “She thinks there’s a ghost here because things keep moving.”
“Do you see a ghost?”
Harper shook her head.
“Do you think there’s one here?”
“I honestly don’t,” Harper replied. “I can usually feel a presence long before I see something. I don’t feel anything here.”
“So, you’re not gay?” Jenny asked, her interest in Harper’s part of the conversation waning.
“No,” Jared answered, winking at Harper.
“Do you want to go to a real estate party with me tonight?” Jenny asked. “I know it’s short notice, but you’re extremely attractive. I’m taking a shot that you haven’t been in town long enough to hook up with anyone.”
“You must send off a scent to attract women or something,” Eric muttered.
Jared opened his mouth and then snapped it shut, debating how to answer. He took longer than Harper would’ve liked, though, and she made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat.
“Chill out,” Jared ordered. “I was just deciding what I should say.”
“Don’t let me stand in your way,” Harper snapped. “I think you should go to the real estate party.”
“I knew this would happen,” Eric said.
“Hey, nothing is happening,” Jared said, extending a warning finger in Eric’s direction. “Don’t get any ideas.”
“Am I missing something?” Jenny asked.
“No,” Harper said.
“Yes,” Jared countered. “While I appreciate the offer, I already have a girlfriend.”
“You do?” Jenny was disappointed. “Who worked fast enough to nab you? You’ve only been in town a month.”
“Harper nabbed me,” Jared answered, smirking at the murderous look on his delightful blonde’s face. “She moved in and snapped me up like I was the last stuffed mushroom on the tray.”
“That is just … .” Harper shook her head, mortified.
“You’re dating him?” Jenny asked, impressed.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Harper replied, glaring at Jared. “I was this morning. Now he’s kind of bugging me.”
“She swooped in and stole my heart,” Jared said, patting his chest. “Harper stole my heart.” His face was thoughtful. “That’s what I’m going to call you.”
“What?” Harper was confused.
“Never mind,” Jared said, shaking his head. “We’ll discuss that later. I only stopped because I saw your car and wanted to see what you were doing. I haven’t seen you in four hours and I think I’m going through withdrawal.”
“Ugh.” Eric rolled his eyes.
“Technically we’re not doing anything,” Harper said, her cheeks warming at Jared’s words. “There’s nothing here for me to do.”
“You have to do something,” Jenny argued. “I can’t sell a haunted house.”
“Have you considered humans are coming in and moving things?” Jared asked.
Jenny made a “well, duh” face. “No. It never occurred to me.”
“I’m just saying that it’s unlikely there’s a supernatural explanation for this,” Jared said. “The most obvious solution is usually the correct one.”
“The family lives out of town,” Jenny said. “I’m the only one showing the house. No one else is coming in here. I lock the doors whenever I leave.”
Jared moved past Jenny and tugged on the sliding glass door behind the kitchen table, pulling it open with minimal effort. “Maybe they’re getting in through this unlocked door,” he suggested.
“I don’t understand,” Jenny said. “I checked that when I did my first walkthrough.”
Jared hunkered down so he could study the lock. “It looks like someone jimmied it,” he said finally. “These doors are easy to open. The lock on this is ancient. You should put a piece of wood in the track here to make sure people can’t get it open.”
“Okay,” Jenny said, flapping her hands. “Now I’m worried that someone is coming in here and doing illegal things, though.”
“Like what?” Jared asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe they’re cooking meth.”
“I think you watch too much television,” Jared said. “The house would have a noticeable odor if that was going on. Do you have something you can wedge in here?”
Jenny shook her head. “I’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Jared offered, tugging the door shut again. “It’s probably kids looking to hang out without parental eyes prying into their business. It doesn’t
look like they’re doing too much damage.”
“Well, at least it’s not a ghost,” Jenny said, her pragmatic side taking over.
“That’s something to be happy about,” Harper said.
Jenny sighed. “Well, that’s one problem solved,” she said, turning her predatory gaze to Eric. “I just have one other problem to deal with today. I don’t suppose you want to go to a real estate dinner with me, do you?”
Eric groaned. “I just watched you ask Jared out.”
“He’s got a girlfriend.” Jenny wasn’t bothered by Eric’s attitude. “I’ll bet you look good in a suit.”
“I’m out of here,” Eric muttered, breezing past Harper. “This day just … sucks.”
“Welcome to my world,” Jenny sighed.
Eighteen
“Well that was fun,” Jared said, walking down the cottage’s driveway and waving as Jenny sped off. “She’s … neat.”
“She’s not so bad,” Harper said, her eyes landing on Eric as he paced behind her car. She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like he was talking to himself.
“What’s his deal?”
“We had a talk before Jenny showed up and he’s … unhappy with his lot in life,” Harper replied.
“What did you talk about?”
Harper met Jared’s twinkling gaze and made a face. “You think you’re something special, don’t you?”
“I think you’re something special,” Jared replied, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “That’s why I stopped to get my Harper fix when I should be working.”
“I can’t even pretend to be angry with you when you say sweet things like that,” Harper said. “You’re just too … cute.”
“Luckily for you I’m cute and not gay,” Jared said, leaning over and giving her a quick kiss. “I’m going to do that better later. I don’t want to risk enraging Eric.”
“He’s not really angry,” Harper explained. “He’s … hurt more than anything else.”
“I think he’s disappointed,” Jared corrected. “Who wouldn’t be? He lost the best girl in the world … to me.”
Harper grabbed his face with both of her hands. “I can’t help wanting to kiss you senseless when you say things like that.”
“Don’t fight it.”
Harper gave him a firm kiss. “Better?”
“For now,” Jared said, taking a step back. “What are you going to do now?”
“I’m not sure,” Harper replied. “I was thinking of letting Eric take my car back and walking through the woods.” She pointed toward the tree line at the back of the cottage.
“Why?”
“Don’t you know where that leads?”
Jared shook his head. “I guess I’m still figuring out the geography here,” he said, glancing around. “What’s on the other side of those trees?”
“Well, it’s about a mile walk, but it leads to the town park,” Harper said. “This river is the one I was telling you about the other night. Some of the kids party alongside it.”
“Are you hoping to see Derek?”
“That would be nice,” Harper conceded. “I’m not betting on that, though. I just want to look around. I still think those kids were doing something in the woods that night. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find whatever it is they’re trying to hide.”
“I think that’s a fabulous idea,” Jared said. “I’m going to go with you.”
Harper’s eyebrows flew up her forehead. “You are?”
“I am,” Jared said. “I’ve been considering going through the woods behind where Derek died myself. I might as well go with someone who knows where she’s going so I don’t get lost. You would cry if I never left those woods.”
“Do you want me to invite Eric?”
“What do you think?”
Harper smirked. “I’ll send him back to the office,” she said. “You’re going to have to leave your car here and then circle back around for it.”
“Oh, no,” Jared said. “We’re going to walk back to your office and get your car together and then you’re going to drive me back here to get my car when we’re done. That ensures at least a full hour with you. I’m going to treat it like my afternoon snack.”
“You’re lucky you’re smoking hot,” Harper chided, moving toward her car. “Another woman might think that’s a cheesy line.”
“That’s why I picked you.”
“I thought I swooped in and snapped you up?” Harper challenged.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t thrilled with the swooping.”
“SO, wait … tell me exactly what I’m looking at geographically here,” Jared instructed twenty minutes later, his fingers linked with Harper’s as she led him closer to the riverbank. “This river winds a lot. This is the same river that pops up over by your house, right?”
“Yes,” Harper replied. “It’s not even remotely straight. It cuts through quite a few different pockets around here. In fact, because the trees are so dense in some spots, it’s virtually impossible to walk the bank throughout the entire town if you want to do it.”
Jared rolled his neck until it cracked. “That means that some of the areas are isolated,” he surmised. “That makes it easier for people to party.”
“You think like a cop,” Harper said. “It also makes it easier for people to fish and have private picnics.”
Jared smirked. “Would you like to have a private picnic with me by the river one day?”
“Are you going to cook?”
“I think I can be persuaded to cook if you promise that we’ll be alone for the entire afternoon.”
“Deal,” Harper said, rolling up to the balls of her feet and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. “We have a spot behind our house where we hung a hammock by the river. It’s beautiful, and no one ever comes by.”
“You have a hammock?” Jared was intrigued. “I’ve always wanted to take a nap in a hammock. I have no idea why. I think I saw it in a movie once.”
“We can definitely take a nap in the hammock,” Harper said, turning her attention back to the riverbank. “When we were teenagers, this is generally where we came to party.”
“No offense, but you don’t strike me as the partying type.”
“I really wasn’t,” Harper admitted. “Wait … was that an insult?”
“It was a compliment,” Jared replied. “I wasn’t a big partier myself. I’m taking it Zander was a partier.”
Harper shrugged. “Zander was … a social butterfly,” she said. “He still is. I like time alone, but Zander never really has enjoyed hanging out by himself. He makes me go with him to get a pedicure because he can’t take it if it’s too quiet.”
“That can remain a thing you two do alone.”
Harper giggled. “He liked to come to a few parties down here back in the day, and I had to come with him because I was always worried someone would pick on him.”
“Mel says that Zander worried people would pick on you, too,” Jared said. “How rough was it when you started doing miraculous things and people figured out you were talking to ghosts?”
“Um … .” Harper didn’t know how to answer the question. She instinctively moved to pull her hand away from Jared, but he stopped her.
“No,” he said. “Tell me.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Harper said, running her free hand through her hair. “I told myself it didn’t matter what they thought, but sometimes it hurt. I’m not going to lie. It doesn’t bother me now. Somewhere along the way I figured out that I wanted to be me and I was fine if other people didn’t like or accept me. I wish I would’ve figured it out in high school because it would’ve made my life easier.”
Jared tugged her to him, wrapping her in a warm hug and kissing her ear. “I like and accept you for exactly who you are,” he whispered. “You’re perfect just the way you are, Heart.”
Harper stilled. “Heart?”
“That’s what I’m going to call you,” Jared said, rocking her slightly. “It’s close to your nam
e and every time I see you my heart jumps.”
Despite herself, Harper couldn’t help but feel a warm glow build throughout her chest. “I think I might cry.”
“Don’t you dare,” Jared ordered, pulling his head back so he could study her face. “It’s not supposed to be a sad thing. You’re supposed to think I’m charming and smother me with kisses.”
“Well, in that case … .” Harper slammed her mouth into Jared’s, taking him by surprise with the force of the kiss. He enthusiastically returned it, splaying his hands over her back and pressing her as close to him as he could manage.
When they finally separated, Jared was breathless. “That was … .”
“Pretty good,” Harper finished. “I’ll do better when we’re in the hammock.”
“I’m definitely looking forward to that,” Jared said, grabbing her hand and urging her back into the woods. “Come on. I want to finish our hike so I can go back to work. The faster I get through this day, the faster we can do that again.”
“You make laugh.”
“You make me smile,” Jared countered.
By the time the couple made it to the park they were mired in a mutual adoration society that neither one of them could explain. Silently they decided to embrace it, because explaining it seemed impossible.
“And we’re back to where this all started,” Jared said, his eyes landing on the merry-go-round. “I didn’t see anything that would lead me to believe anything heavy has been happening in these woods. Did you?”
Harper shook her head. “That doesn’t mean nothing is out there,” she cautioned. “We walked one path. There are quite a few more of them out there. I’m not sure you could find anything if you didn’t know exactly where to look.”
“What are you doing back here?” Derek asked, popping into view and causing Harper to rear back and smack into Jared’s chest.
“What’s wrong?” Jared asked, looking around as he steadied her.
“It’s Derek,” Harper gritted out, catching her breath. “He just … surprised me.”
“Obviously,” Jared said dryly, glaring at the empty spot in front of Harper. “Have some manners, dude. Don’t scare someone just because you can.”
Ghostly Issues (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 2) Page 14