Authors: Lily Harper Hart
“Who says I want to date you?” Harper challenged.
“Your face,” Jared replied, unruffled. “We were both in Annie Dresden’s yard last night and we both know what was about to happen if she hadn’t shown up. Are you going to deny it?”
“I … .”
“Holy crap! What almost happened in Annie Dresden’s yard last night?” Zander barreled back out onto the patio, a cellophane-wrapped steak clutched in his hand. “You’ve been holding out on me, missy. You said nothing happened. Now I’m eavesdropping and hear something almost happened. Spill!”
Jared wanted to be annoyed with Zander’s appearance – and he partially was – but he was also relieved because the look on Harper’s face a few moments before told him she was about to dig her heels in and deny the combustible chemistry that sparked whenever they were in close proximity to one another. Jared wasn’t sure if he could take that. Zander’s appearance gave him time to think.
“Nothing happened,” Harper sputtered. “You’re overreacting.”
Zander turned to Jared for confirmation. “You tell me what almost happened.”
Jared was unsure how to proceed. “Um … .”
“If you want to date her you’re going to need me on your side,” Zander said. “I’m going to be the best ally you’ve ever had. I need to know I can trust you, though.”
That was an interesting proposition. “She tripped over a root and almost fell,” Jared said. “I caught her and there was a moment when we were pressed up against each other where I gave serious thought to kissing her.”
“How did she respond?” Zander asked.
“She almost kissed me back,” Jared said. “Then Annie Dresden showed up and the moment was ruined. We both pretended it didn’t happen. The problem is: I haven’t been able to think about anything but her since then.”
“I like your honestly,” Zander said. He unwrapped the steak and handed it to Jared. “Do you want to kiss her?”
“I definitely want to kiss her,” Jared said. “I’m not sure about after that, though.”
Zander narrowed his eyes. “We don’t take kindly to the ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ sorts in this house,” he warned. “Is that the type of guy you are?”
Jared snickered. “Not last time I checked.”
“When was your last serious relationship?” Zander asked.
“I … .” Jared broke off, not sure how to respond.
“It’s not a trick question.”
“I know,” Jared said. “It’s just … I’m not sure I’ve ever dated anyone seriously. I’ve had girlfriends, but none of them have stuck around for all that long.”
“Why? Are you bad in bed?”
Jared’s cheeks burned as Harper covered her eyes in mortification. “I hope not,” he said. “None of the feedback I’ve received in that department has been of a negative variety. Well, I’m sure my high school game wasn’t great, but I’ve learned a few things since then.”
“Do you sleep with women and never call them?” Zander asked.
“No. In fact, I usually like to get to know a woman before I sleep with her.”
“That’s a good answer,” Zander said. “How well endowed are you?”
“Zander!” Harper scorched her best friend with a harsh look.
“I’m asking for me just as much as her,” Zander explained. “I like to get the full picture when I imagine someone naked.”
“I’m not answering that,” Jared said.
“What are your intentions with Harper?”
“I honestly have no idea,” Jared replied. “I’m not sure I can wrap my head around this whole ghost thing and yet I can’t stop thinking about her. That’s as much thought as I’ve given this.”
“Why did you come over here?” Zander pressed. “Were you hoping she would be alone so you could kiss her?”
“I wouldn’t have minded that, but in reality I had news about Professor Dalton and instead of tracking down her phone number – which was in the computer system on my desk – I decided I wanted to use the information about the professor as an excuse to see her.”
“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.”