Ghostly Interests

by Lily Harper Hart

  “That’s another good answer,” Zander said. “I like you.”

  “I’m glad,” Jared said. “My understanding is if I am going to want to date Harper I’m going to need your seal of approval beforehand.”

  “You didn’t ask for it last night,” Zander reminded him.

  “That’s because I didn’t realize last night was a date.”

  “It wasn’t a date,” Harper hissed.

  “Shut up and let us talk,” Zander chided her. “You know Harper is my best friend in the world, right?”

  Jared nodded.

  “I’ll have to kill you if you hurt her,” Zander warned.

  “I don’t want to hurt her,” Jared said. “I know that. I’m not even sure if I want to date her. Well, that’s not true. I definitely want to date her. I guess it’s more than I’m not sure if it’s smart to date her.”

  “Because of your job? Are you worried people will laugh at you for dating a ghost hunter?”

  “I don’t really care what people think about me,” Jared countered. “I … I’m not sure if Whisper Cove is going to be my forever home and I think she’s definitely sure it is going to be her forever home. That might throw a kink into things.”

  “Oh,” Zander said, making a face. “That’s very pragmatic of you.”

  “I can’t help it. That’s the way I was born.”

  “Well, I know a little something about that,” Zander said, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to Harper. “I think you should give him a shot. You’re obviously into him and he’s really into you. I don’t want to see you get hurt, but I have a feeling you can make him fall in love with you and he’ll never want to leave Whisper Cove.”

  “Zander!” Harper was beside herself.

  “You have my approval to date her,” Zander said, ignoring Harper. “You need to try to wrap your head around the ghost stuff, though. It’s never going to change and she’s the real deal.”

  “I think I’ve already come to that conclusion myself,” Jared said, smiling at Harper ruefully.

  “Let’s eat,” Zander said. “You can tell us all about your afternoon with that smarmy professor.”

  “I can’t wait,” Jared said, his eyes soft as they searched Harper’s face.

  “Me either,” Harper muttered.

  Twenty

  “Have you arrested Dalton?” Harper asked, handing the steak sauce to Jared. The police officer was sandwiched between Harper and Zander and yet he didn’t appear to be bothered by the intense interest of either one of them.

  “Not technically,” Jared said. “We brought him down for formal questioning and he pitched an absolute fit about being railroaded.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “I don’t know,” Jared said truthfully. “The guy is a world-class worm of the nastiest order, but guys like him usually don’t kill women.”

  “What about the photos? Did you look at the flash drive?”

  “I looked at the photos,” Jared said. “The guy is into some … freaky … stuff.”

  “Whips and chains?” Zander asked sagely.

  “More like weird places and public settings,” Jared replied, sawing into his steak. “This looks good.”

  “You’re the one who ended up cooking it,” Zander said. “If you’re going to be hanging around here with us you should probably know now that Harper can’t cook. If you want breakfast in the morning you’re going to have to wait for me to cook it.”

  Jared was tickled by Zander’s forthright nature. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep that in mind when I start spending the night here.”

  “I love your attitude, man,” Zander said.

  “Doesn’t anyone want to hear what I have to say about the possibility of Jared spending the night here?” Harper asked.

  “No,” Zander said. “Eat your corn and steak. If you can’t say anything nice then you should keep your mouth shut. This is the best nibble you’ve had in … well … a long time.”

  “Since Quinn,” Harper said. “Go ahead and say it. It’s not a dirty word.”

  “Harper … .” Zander’s face twisted.

  “He already knows about Quinn,” Harper said, her voice low. “Mel told him.”

  “Oh,” Zander said, shifting his attention to Jared. “My family is full of people with big mouths. You should know that, too.”

  “I figured that out my first day on the job,” Jared said. He wasn’t looking at Zander while he was talking to him, though. Instead he was fixated on Harper. He reached over and rubbed her shoulder, the gesture instinctive. “I’m not sure how much you want me to talk about Quinn. It seems like a sore subject.”

  “It’s not a sore subject,” Harper said. “In fact, I wish people would bring him up more often. People are terrified to talk about him with me.”

  “You can talk about him with me,” Jared said. “Did I put up a fight last night when you opened up?”

  “You opened up?” Zander was flabbergasted. “Who are you and what have you done with my Harper?”

  “You don’t have to be so dramatic,” Harper said. “I just told him that I wasn’t in love with Quinn and I was hopeful he was in a better place.”

  “That’s a big deal for you,” Zander said. “I’m proud.”

  “Ugh, I can’t even look at you right now.”

  Jared smirked. “If you start dating me you might be able to convince me to beat him up for you from time to time,” he offered.

  Harper couldn’t help herself and she burst out laughing. “You’re playing both of us. Nice.”

  “You could never take me,” Zander scoffed. “I work out five days a week.”

  “I’ll go to the gym with you and we can box,” Jared offered.

  “Zander doesn’t go to a gym like that,” Harper said, giggling. “He goes to a gym where everyone manscapes and they’re only half there to work out.”

  “Ah,” Jared said. “Well, we can still go to the gym together. We’ll have a competition to see who can bench press more.”

  “I seriously love this guy,” Zander enthused. “If you don’t date him I’m going to.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re not my type,” Jared deadpanned. “I don’t care how much you manscape. I’m not interested in the parts you’re offering.”

  “You’re cute,” Zander said. “I … .”

  “Can we please turn the conversation back to something important?” Harper asked, her irritation bubbling up.

  “Yes, my queen,” Zander said. “She has PMS. Just FYI.”

  “Thanks for the 4-1-1,” Jared said.

  Zander snorted as Harper rolled her eyes.

  “Can’t you please finish your story about Professor Dalton before you two start flexing your muscles?” Harper asked.

  “Sure,” Jared replied. “There’s honestly not much to tell. We showed him the photos. He didn’t deny them. He did deny going after Annie. He said he would never do that. Then he lawyered up and we had to let him go.”

  “Why didn’t you arrest him?” Harper asked.

  “We don’t have any evidence,” Jared said. “We have suspicious behavior on his part, but we don’t have the DNA results on the semen sample found inside of Annie yet and we don’t have any other forensic evidence because the water washed it all away. We need a break – and I’m not sure where we’re going to get it from.”

  “Do you think it’s him?” Harper asked, her face serious.

  “I want to think it’s him,” Jared said. “The guy is a user and manipulator. I can’t say I really and truly believe it’s him, though.”

  “What do you do next?”

  “Finish my dinner,” Jared said. “Then I thought I would enjoy some more of Zander’s delightful company. You can hang around, too, if you want.”

  “Oh, he’s a keeper,” Zander said.

  “I was talking about with the case,” Harper snapped.

  “I know,” Jared said. “I don’t know where to go with the case. I’m hoping Annie
remembers what happened to her. We can’t use her as a witness in court, but at least it would give us a solid place to focus.”

  “What happens if she never remembers?” Zander pressed.

  “Does that happen?” Jared asked.

  Harper shrugged. “Sometimes. She’s remembering bits and pieces, though. I think she’s eventually going to remember.”

  “I hope it’s sooner rather than later,” Jared said. “I don’t like the idea of a predator walking free and knowing he could do something to another innocent girl.”

  “I don’t like it either,” Harper said.

  “I know,” Jared said. “I want to solve this case. Until we do, I’m afraid I can’t plan our first date. You’re going to have to pine for me for a few more days it seems.”

  “You’re pretty full of yourself,” Harper said, arching an eyebrow.

  “Don’t worry. I promise I can back it up.” Jared winked at her playfully.

  “I’m officially in love with him,” Zander said.

  “THIS is a nice house,” Jared said, looking around the kitchen with obvious interest. “Did it come like this or did you two do a lot of work on it?” He was leaning against the counter with a beer in his hand as he watched Zander and Harper load the last of the dinner dishes into the dishwasher.

  Zander snorted. “Harper does not do home improvement projects.”

  “I can do … crafty things,” Harper argued.

  “Honey, you failed home economics because you couldn’t thread the sewing machine,” Zander reminded her.

  “That’s because those machines were ancient,” Harper said. “Besides, I’m sorry, there should be an easier way to thread a machine. We have all the technology in the world and yet that is still like medieval torture.”

  Jared smiled. “You don’t strike me as the crafty sort.”

  “I can craft with the best of them,” Harper said, grabbing Jared’s beer from his hand and taking a proprietary swig from it.

  “That’s cute,” Zander said. “You’re already sharing beverages.”

  “Shut up,” Harper said. “I … .” She broke off when she heard the back door open. Everyone shifted their attention in the direction of the door and when Phil stomped into the room only Jared appeared surprised.

  “Women are evil devils!” Phil opened the refrigerator door and rummaged around, not returning until he had his own beer. “I’m not talking about you, honey. You’re the only woman in this world who shouldn’t be stabbed and buried alive.”

  “You say the sweetest things, Dad.”

  “I’m not joking, though,” Phil said. “I’m done with women. I never want to see another one again.” He twisted the top off the beer and took a long swig.

  “I know some nice men you might like,” Zander offered.

  “Don’t be cute,” Phil said. “I said I was off women. I didn’t say I was on men.”

  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” Zander said.

  Phil made a face. “We’ve talked about this,” he said. “I’m perfectly fine with your lifestyle and whatever it is that you want to do. You promised to never talk to me about it, though.”

  “Dad … .”

  Phil ignored his daughter. “Don’t you want to know why I’m off women?”

  “No,” Harper answered.

  “Yes,” Zander said, nodding vigorously as he ignored the death glare Harper lobbed in his direction. “I always love your dating stories.”

  “I thought you said that people shouldn’t date until their divorces were finalized,” Harper reminded him.

  “I say a lot of things, Harper,” Phil shot back. “Most of them don’t stick because I’m fickle and I lie to get my own way sometimes.”

  Jared pursed his lips to keep from laughing out loud. Despite not being formally introduced he’d managed to ascertain that Phil was not only Harper’s father, but also a hilarious source of entertainment.

  “What was wrong with your date tonight?” Zander asked, feigning sympathy.

  “I went out with Margo Fields,” Phil said.

  Zander guffawed. “Doesn’t she have a yard full of ceramic geese?”

  “And a house full of cat needlepoint,” Phil said. “It was frightening. I thought I was walking into a pet store except everything was pastel and covered in plastic.”

  Harper wrinkled her nose. “Plastic?”

  “Yeah, she had one of those plastic covers over her couch,” Phil said. “I knew there was something wrong with that woman when she asked me out.”

  “I think that was the first clue for all of us,” Harper deadpanned.

  “I spent five minutes with her tonight and I wanted to deafen myself with Q-tips,” Phil said. “She cooked something that looked as if it might have been cat at one point.”

  “How did you leave things?” Zander asked. “You didn’t tell her you would call her again, did you?”

  “Oh, she doesn’t think I’m going to call her,” Phil said. “I excused myself to go to the bathroom and crawled out the window. I’m pretty sure she realizes that means I won’t be calling for another date.”

  Harper’s mouth dropped open as Zander slapped the counter because he was laughing so hard. Harper risked a glance at Jared and found his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “That is horrible, Dad,” Harper chided. “That poor woman … what is she going to tell people?”

  “That her cats scared me away,” Phil said. “She can’t honestly think any man is ever going to think that’s okay.”

  “You’re a terrible person,” Harper said, reaching for Jared’s beer again. He handed it to her wordlessly.

  “Who are you?” Phil asked, finally focusing on Jared.

  “I’m Jared Monroe.”

  Phil shook Jared’s proffered hand and looked him up and down. “I apologize for not introducing myself sooner,” he said. “I assumed you were one of Zander’s friends and that I would never see you again once he decided you had too much ear hair or whatever his new dating issue is this week.”

  “His date this week talked with his mouth full of food,” Harper offered.

  “You’re not here because of Zander, though,” Phil said. “You’re here for my daughter.”

  Jared stilled, surprised by the statement. “I … .”

  “Who told you that?” Harper asked.

  “Everyone in town is talking about how you went on a date with this guy last night.”

  “It was not a date,” Harper growled.

  “How did they even know?” Zander asked.

  “Haddie Lewis was at the same restaurant,” Phil said. “She told everyone at the senior center this afternoon that Jared and Harper looked very cozy.”

  “That’s a lie,” Harper protested.

  Phil studied Jared for several moments and then shrugged. “You’ll do. If you’ve managed to gain my daughter’s interest you have to be doing something right and I won’t have ugly grandchildren if you two are responsible for them.

  “I officially welcome you to my family,” Phil said, extending his hand.

  Harper arched an eyebrow as Jared risked a quick glance in her direction. “Oh, yeah, I’m not looking like much of a prime dating option now, am I?”

  Jared tilted his head to the side, considering. “If anything I’m finding you more and more attractive.”

  “I seriously love you,” Zander gushed.

  Harper was worried her best friend was going to have to get in line where that sentiment was concerned because the more time she spent with Jared Monroe the more she realized she couldn’t stop thinking about him either.

  Her whole life was spinning out of control.

  Twenty-One

  “I think we should go back to the college,” Harper announced the next morning.

  Zander looked up from his coffee, a blank look on his face, and immediately started shaking his head. “Why?”

  “Because Annie Dresden is still wandering around as a ghost,” Harper explained. “She can’t be p
ut to rest until her murder is solved.”

  “And Jared told you last night he’s not going to ask you out until the murder is solved, too,” Zander said.

  “That has nothing to do with anything.”

  “Don’t you even bother lying to me,” Zander scolded her. “You didn’t tell me about the almost-kiss or the fact that you talked to him about Quinn. I feel so … betrayed … as it is. If you lie to me about this I’m going to have to end our friendship.”

  They both knew it was an empty threat.

  “Zander … .”

  Harper’s face was so earnest Zander couldn’t take it. “It’s okay, Harp,” he said. “You can like him. You’re allowed. He’s a nice guy. He’s handsome. He’s funny. He obviously has great taste in women. Please don’t ruin this chance before you even see if you can like him.”

  “I don’t want to ruin this chance,” Harper admitted. “I … I’ve been thinking about him, too. Ever since I met him. There’s something about him … I can’t put my finger on it … but it’s as if I’m drawn to him.”

  “Good,” Zander said. “You deserve a little happiness.”

  “What if he breaks my heart?”

  “You can’t go through life scared to try the things that might make you happy because they also might make you sad,” Zander said. “That’s not how this world works, love of my life. The best things in life come with risks.”

  “What if he never accepts that I can see ghosts?”

  “He already does,” Zander said. “He wouldn’t have come to the house if he thought you were a loon.”

  “He doesn’t know about the other part, though,” Harper pointed out. “He doesn’t know I can … see the other side.”

  “Give it time before you tell him that,” Zander said. “I’ve loved you my whole life and I still have trouble with that. It’s going to be okay. I feel it here.” He tapped the spot on his chest above his heart. “You need to open yourself up and let him get to know you. I’m not saying he’s going to be your forever, but I do think he’s got a shot of making you really happy.”

  “He said himself he doesn’t think he wants to stay in Whisper Cove.”

  “That’s what you heard because you were looking for a reason to let him go,” Zander countered. “Even if he gets a job in another municipality down the road it’s probably not going to be that far away. Stop looking at the negative. Look for a reason to hold him close.”