Ghostly Ordeal

by Lily Harper Hart

  “None of us want that. We’ll let you know when we have more information.”

  “I would appreciate that. Thank you.”

  Eight

  Jared met Harper downtown for dinner. He was surprised by the text she sent, which basically said “meet me at Jason’s restaurant at seven” and didn’t question the reasoning behind it. He already understood why she did it. Together time with her parents was obviously wearing on her and she needed an excuse to be away from them ... and maybe drink.

  In fact, she already had a huge martini sitting in front of her when Jared arrived. She was halfway through it and seemed to be ranting at a feverish pace as her friend Jason Thurman sat next to her and listened to the diatribe with sympathetic eyes.

  “And then they started arguing about which one of them had worse taste in partners,” Harper said as Jared shrugged out of his coat and hung it over the back of his chair. “They actually got in a competition with one another about who has worse taste in dates. Can you believe that?”

  “That sounds ... kind of funny,” Jason said after a beat, smiling at Jared as the police officer leaned over the table to press a kiss to Harper’s cheek.

  “It wasn’t funny.” Harper scowled as she flicked her eyes to Jared. “I blame you for this.”

  “I’m glad you’re pounding the alcohol if you’re blaming me.” He flashed a worried smile. “Heart, I don’t want to be a nag, but do you think you should be drinking hard liquor if you have to drive home?”

  “That shows what you know. I didn’t drive here. My car is back at the house. My father insisted on driving because he said my mother taught me how to drive — which isn’t even true, mind you, because she was always too busy to do it — and he dropped me off downtown when I couldn’t take another second of their fighting. I told him I had work at the office and walked from there.”

  Jared made a face as he slid into his chair. “That’s like seven blocks away. You walked that far in this cold?”

  “It was better than hanging out with my parents.”

  “Okay.” Jared wasn’t sure what response she was looking for so he ran a hand through his hair to brush away the light dusting of snow that had fallen on him between the parking lot and the front door of the restaurant and sipped the glass of water waiting for him. “I take it you didn’t have a good day.”

  Jason held up a hand to still the conversation. “I’m going to warn you that questions regarding her day are going to involve some really loud answers. She’s been here for forty-five minutes and barely taken a breath. All I asked is how things were going.”

  “I see,” Jared smirked at the gregarious restaurant owner. When Jason first arrived in town, he had designs on Harper. They briefly dated in high school before he was forced to move away. He hoped they would have a second chance, but his hopes were quickly dashed when he saw Harper and Jared together. Now he was merely a friend to them, although he still irritated Jared from time to time. That was on purpose. “I’m betting you were willing to listen to the diatribe, huh?”

  “While feeding her martinis.” Jason winked. “By the way, I noticed the ring on her finger. I guess you finally got it together and proposed, huh? Congratulations.”

  Jared’s smile widened. “It was a Christmas gift of sorts.”

  “For both of us,” Harper added, finishing her drink. “I think I need another one.”

  Jason moved to stand, as if he was going to get the drink for her, but Jared shook his head, confusing the bartender who could do nothing but lift an eyebrow. “No?”

  “I think you should have some food before you have another drink, Heart,” Jared admonished. “I don’t happen to believe that drinking when you’re this worked up is a good thing.”

  “Why?” Her expression was blank. “I’m not driving.”

  “No, but I would like to talk to you, have a nice dinner conversation, and I don’t think the liquor is going to make that possible.”

  Instead of arguing, Harper let loose a world-weary sigh that made Jason snort. “Fine. I’m done drinking.” She pushed the empty glass toward Jason. “I want a Shirley Temple. If I can’t have the liquor, I’ll get hopped up on sugar instead.”

  “Now you’re talking.” Jared leaned back in his chair and kicked out his long legs in front of him. “Tell me about your day.”

  “You’re stepping in it now.” Jason carefully backed away from the table. “I think I’ll get your drinks and let you guys talk about this in private ... because you’re engaged now and that seems like the respectful thing to do.”

  Jared glowered at him and shook his head. “I’ll have an iced tea. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Jason clapped him on the shoulder and leaned close so he could whisper. “Don’t ask about what happened when she took her parents to the coffee shop. It’s best left forgotten.”

  Jared’s lips twitched, but he remained calm as he held Harper’s gaze. “Tell me about your day,” he repeated. “I’m sorry I wasn’t in touch, but I had a lot going on. We conducted quite a few interviews and then the entire afternoon was spent going through Gibbons’s client files.”

  Harper fixed him with a dark stare. “What did Jason just say to you?”

  “That he was going to get our drinks.”

  “He said more than that.”

  “He said I was a lucky man because I’m marrying you. I happen to agree with that.”

  Harper rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle she didn’t fall out of her chair. “He said something else. I know the way his mind operates. He’s a snarky guy and he’s been listening to me for a long time.”

  “I can’t remember what he said.”

  “Liar!”

  Jared extended a warning finger. “Please don’t make a scene. This is your friend’s restaurant. You shouldn’t talk so loudly in it that you scare away his customers.”

  The admonishment hit hard and Harper’s face crumbled. “I’m sorry.” She meant it. “I don’t mean to rant and rave like this. It’s just ... my parents. You have no idea how annoying my parents are. I feel as if I’m caught in high school again.

  “Those years stuck under that roof with them when I was old enough to understand what was going on were the worst in my life,” she continued. “I mean ... it was painful. I didn’t understand why they stayed together. They obviously hated each other to the point where they couldn’t stand to look at one another.”

  Jared’s heart went out to her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what that’s like. My parents always got along. And, when they didn’t, they took fights behind closed doors. Those times were rare, though.”

  “You’re lucky.” Harper leaned her forehead on her hand and rubbed. “We found Carl’s ghost, by the way. He was hanging around outside the house.”

  Jared glanced around to make sure nobody had heard her — he was still leery when she openly talked about her gifts — but absolutely no one was looking in their direction. “Did he say anything?”

  “He didn’t even realize he was dead. It’s going to take some time for him to remember. He was much more interested in picking a fight with Mom ... who couldn’t even see him.”

  “He wanted to fight with your mother?” Jared didn’t like the sound of that. “How come?”

  “That’s a very good question. I have no idea why. He seemed most upset because my father was with us. He called my mother a charlatan, which might’ve been funny if my head wasn’t already pounding thanks to the arguments.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jared had no idea how to make her feel better. “Maybe you shouldn’t spend time with your parents.”

  “Why do you think I didn’t move back in with them after college? I could have. It would’ve saved me money. The idea made me want to throw something through a window, though.”

  “Your mother?”

  Harper’s lips curved. “There are times I would definitely like to throw her through a window.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, though. You
either have to cut them out of your life or put your foot down. I don’t expect the former and I’ve never seen you do the latter.”

  Harper balked. “I put my foot down.”

  “When?”

  “When ... .” She trailed off, uncertain. “I’ll come up with an instance. Just you wait. Until then, tell me about your day.”

  Since she seemed to need the distraction, Jared did just that. He launched into a long tale that encompassed all his interviews, and when he was finished, Harper was intent.

  “It sounds to me like Carl was a real jerk,” she said as she ate the salad that had been delivered between stories. “I figured that out myself because he was trying to hit on me and asked if ghosts can have sex.”

  Jared made a face. “That is lovely. Wait ... can they?”

  “Why are you asking?”

  “Because, if it’s possible, we could both decide to stay behind as ghosts and keep things exactly how we like them. That would be years and years from now, mind you, but it’s nice to have options.”

  Despite herself, Harper smiled. “That’s kind of cute ... but we don’t want to do that. We’ll just go to the other side together. I don’t know what’s over there — I’ve only seen glimpses, after all — but I think it will be a fabulous place to spend our happily ever after.”

  Jared caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “I don’t care where we end up as long as we’re together.”

  “That’s sweet.” She was much more relaxed than she had been when he first sat down. “I’m sorry about being a ranting monster earlier. I just can’t seem to help it. They drive me crazy.”

  “I think it’s a parent’s job to drive their child crazy.”

  “Your mother doesn’t drive you crazy.”

  “No, but ... it’s different. Your parents are wired differently than mine were. Frankly, I think it’s a miracle that you turned out semi-sane. You could’ve been a real basket case.”

  “I’m not too far from there right now.”

  “You’re fine.” He kissed her palm and released her hand. “I don’t want to dwell on your mother, but she went to her own house, right? She’s not still hanging around our house, is she?”

  “Not if she knows what’s good for her.” Harper’s gaze momentarily darkened. “I left her with my father. They were fighting about whether or not he liked cream in his coffee. I had to get away from them so I walked from the coffee shop to the office. It wasn’t any more comfortable there because Eric and Molly were making out like high schoolers on the couch but even that was preferable to listening to my parents.”

  Eric Tyler and Molly Parker were Harper’s employees at GHI, Ghost Hunters, Inc. Harper and Zander started the business after college, not caring if they were the laughingstock of the community, because it seemed wise to take advantage of Harper’s peculiar gift. They’d made a real go of it and most people didn’t even question what they did for a living. There were some, of course, who looked down on them, but Harper wasn’t the type to dwell on that.

  “They’re in love,” Jared teased. “I would much rather have him making out with her rather than mooning after you.”

  “He did that for like five minutes.”

  “I’m betting he did that quite frequently before we started dating, but it doesn’t matter. They’re together and happy. I take it there are no new clients.”

  “Believe it or not, the run-up to Christmas and the few weeks right after is a slow time for us.”

  “Ghosts respect the holidays?”

  “No, people just decide they would rather put up with ghosts until all their shopping is complete. January is a dead zone because most everybody is in debt. Things will pick up nicely in February.”

  “Thanks for the tip.”

  “I don’t mind the lull right now,” she admitted. “What I can’t stand is that the one case we do have involves my mother. She doesn’t even seem to be a little sorry that he’s dead.”

  Jared wanted to quiz her regarding Gloria’s reaction but it felt invasive ... especially given his motivations. He wasn’t ready to tell Harper her mother was a legitimate suspect in their murder investigation. His heart hurt at the mere thought.

  “Well, if your mother is no longer dwelling with us — and I can’t tell you how excited that makes me — I have a suggestion,” he offered, his eyes twinkling. “How about we finish dinner, pick up some cake and ice cream from the bakery, head home and eat it naked in front of the fireplace?”

  Harper chuckled. “You had that one ready to just whip out, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. “Ever since I saw that fireplace.”

  “I think it sounds like a fantastic idea.” She spoke from the heart. “A few hours of just the two of us is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

  “Good. I’m sorry your day didn’t go well.”

  “I am, too. My night is looking up, though.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  HARPER WAS COMPLETELY SOBER and back to her normal self when she and Jared landed at the house. She carried the bag with the cake and ice cream while he gave chase, and they were breathless when they made it inside.

  “I really do love you,” Harper murmured as Jared helped her out of her coat, his mouth on hers.

  He laughed at the muffled words. He understood them completely. “I really love you, too. You have no idea how much.”

  “Oh, I think I do.” She held onto his arm as she kicked off her boots and dragged him toward the living room. “Come on. I’m starving for cake ... and you.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  Jared flicked the switch on the gas fireplace to turn it on and then frowned when he heard a noise from the other end of the house.

  Harper, apparently oblivious, sat cross-legged on the floor. “Come on. I’ll feed you cake.”

  “Just a second, Heart.” Jared craned his neck to look down the hallway that led to the guest bedroom. “Did you hear that?”

  “All I hear is my own pounding heart.” Harper opened the container that held the chocolate cake. “Do you think it’s wrong of me to want to rub this frosting all over your chest and lick it off?”

  Jared caught her hand as she reached for his belt loop and gave her a curt shake of his head. Finally catching up to his mood, she frowned.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “I think someone is in the house.” Jared hated uttering the words because all the playfulness vacated Harper’s face in two seconds flat. “I need you to put your boots on and get ready to run across the road in case I find something.” He drew his service weapon and held up his hand to still her when she opened her mouth to argue. “Do it.”

  Her heart rate picked up a notch as she slowly got to her feet and trudged toward the front door. She felt as if the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders as she tugged on the boots and watched Jared slip into the hallway. He didn’t call out to her, whisper words of reassurance or love as he readied himself to face an enemy. He was too intent on hunting whoever was stupid enough to break into a cop’s house.

  Harper knew she should’ve stayed in the foyer and prepared herself to flee, but she couldn’t swallow the idea of leaving Jared to fight with a potential intruder on his own. Instead, she cut toward the hallway and scampered behind him, ignoring the dirty look he shot her when she caught up.

  He gestured in the opposite direction, his expression serious. She shook her head.

  “Go,” he whispered.

  “No.” She refused to back down. “We’re doing this together.”

  “There’s no we. I’m the cop. I’m the one who is armed.” He kept his voice low.

  “There’s always a we. I’m going with you. The longer we stand here arguing about it, the more time we waste. It might be nothing. Maybe my mother left the fan on in the room or something.”

  Jared arched an eyebrow. He hadn’t even considered that. “That fan is old.”

  “Yeah, and it creaks ... just like that noise I he
ard a second ago. There’s probably no one in the house.” She hoped that was true.

  “You stay behind me just in case.”

  “I will. I’m not leaving you, though. You wouldn’t leave me.”

  “Those are entirely different circumstances, but we’ll argue about it later.” Jared squeezed her hand and then reached for the door handle. “Get ready.”

  She nodded and stared at the door, willing the room to be empty so she and Jared could go back to their romantic evening.

  Jared sucked in a breath and shoved open the door, frowning when he saw a hint of movement and heard a theatrical gasp.

  “Who is that?” a voice bellowed.

  Harper frowned. “Mom?”

  Annoyed, Jared felt along the wall until he found the light switch and flicked it. When the room was bathed in light, he almost fell over. Gloria wasn’t alone.

  Harper was horrified. “Dad?”

  The bickering Harlows were doing a different kind of fighting tonight. It was the sort that necessitated dueling tongues and nudity.

  “Shut off the light!” Gloria barked. “We’re having a private moment, for crying out loud. What are you even thinking?”

  Harper was convinced she was going to pass out. “Oh, my ... they’re naked.”

  “I see that.” Jared was flummoxed. “I feel sick.”

  “You’re not the only one.”

  Nine

  “I think I’ve lost the ability to hear.” Harper jerked her head back and forth to make the muffling effect closing in over her dissipate. “Or maybe ... .” She listed to the side.

  Jared caught her before she hit the floor. She didn’t pass out. Her legs simply went out as she struggled to come to grips with what she was seeing.

  “Harper!” He drew her to him and pressed a hand to her pale face. “Stay with me,” he ordered.

  “I’m with you. I’m just having a terrible nightmare.”

  “If you are, we’re sharing it.” He clutched her to his chest and glared at Gloria and Phil, who had the good sense to draw the blankets up to their chests and cover themselves. “What are you doing?”