Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) (14 page)

“Oh, that’s so hot,” Jared deadpanned, although he was concerned enough to rub her back. “Heart, you really don’t look so hot.”

“That’s why you should keep talking to me,” the blonde shouted. Harper was thankful the other women and teenager had the grace to find someone else to fawn over. “This woman is defective. She’s going to end up fat, for crying out loud.”

“Shut up,” Jared said, annoyed. “Harper, come on. I’ll get you away from all of these people.”

“This isn’t fair,” the woman said, swiveling with enough force that her purse slapped Harper in the face. “My entire night is ruined now. This is all your fault!”

At first Harper thought the woman was talking to Jared. Then she realized she was the focus of her ire. When the woman reached over to grab her shoulder Harper slapped her hand away. The movement was enough to tip her already frazzled stomach over the edge and the next thing she knew her four ice cream treats were on the pavement by her feet.

“Oh, well, good,” Jared intoned. “I think that’s the perfect end to our day.”

“I think I’m going to be sick again.”

“
G
et out of the way
.”

Zander’s face was a mask of concern as Jared helped Harper into the house and directed her toward the bathroom. “What happened to her?”

“She’s sick,” Jared replied, running a hand through his hair and making a face. “She threw up in my truck.”

“I’m so sorry,” Harper said, rushing toward the bathroom and slamming the door hard enough to make the painting on the hallway wall rock back and forth. The unmistakable sound of liquid hitting toilet water followed moments later.

“It’s okay,” Jared said, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. “It will wash.”

“What did you do to her?” Zander’s tone was accusatory. “Why is my Harper sick?”

“Maybe it has a little something to do with your attitude,” Jared suggested. “Have you ever considered that?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so,” Jared grumbled, stripping off his shirt as he shuffled toward Harper’s bedroom with Zander close on his heels. He removed his shorts before grabbing a pair of cotton ones from her closet. “I think she might’ve gotten a little puke on me, too. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to give her a complex.”

“Why is she sick?” Zander asked, his heart rolling. “She never gets sick. I’m the one who gets sick and she takes care of me.”

Jared narrowed his eyes as he studied Zander, an idea forming. He had a feeling he could kill two birds with one stone … er, toilet bowl. “She’s been upset about what happened yesterday and I think it finally got to be too much for her.”

“Oh, no,” Zander said, his hand flying to his mouth. “I tried texting her a few times today.”

“Yes, five hundred,” Jared intoned. “I know.”

“It was three hundred and twelve,” Zander hissed. “Don’t make things worse than they already are.”

“Is that even possible?”

“I hate you sometimes,” Zander muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “I apologized. She’s just holding a grudge to punish me.”

Jared hadn’t read any of the texts, but he doubted very much Zander apologized. It was far more likely he skirted the issue and tried to make up another way. “You didn’t apologize,” he said finally, opting to bluff. “Why are you saying you did?”

“She told you that, too? What is happening?” Zander made a forlorn face that was so pitiful Jared had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “I meant to apologize. I just … didn’t get around to it.”

“Well, now is your chance.”

“I’m sorry.”

The words were out of Zander’s mouth so quickly Jared wasn’t sure if he heard the man correctly. “What?”

“I’m sorry.” Zander’s voice was stronger this time. “I might’ve overreacted.”

“Thank you, but I think you should apologize to Harper,” Jared prodded. “She’s the one making herself sick over this.”

“She won’t forgive me until I apologize to you,” Zander explained. “I was just heading off that request before she got to it.”

“Ah.”

“I really am sorry, though,” Zander said. “I didn’t think you would … .”

“Make an ass of myself?”

“That’s usually my job,” Zander lamented. “I really was worried there was a possibility Jason was a murderer.”

“I know,” Jared said, resting his hand on Zander’s shoulder. “You just need to apologize. She’ll take you back. She loves you.”

“I hate apologizing.”

“You’d be surprised how well it works to clear the air, though.”

“Is that what you did?” Zander asked, genuinely curious.

“Not at first,” Jared replied. “I ran and made her feel like crap. Luckily for me she was angrier with you than me. I apologized when she showed up at my place, though. Then I apologized a few more times to make sure she knew exactly how sorry I was.”

“Okay. I’m going to do it. I just want you to know I’m not going to like it.”

“Good man.” Jared tugged the cotton shorts on and grabbed the soiled clothing from the floor. “Strip her down while you’re in there and toss the clothes out so I can get them in the washing machine right away.”

“You’re the only guy I know manly enough to ask another guy to strip down his girlfriend,” Zander said, shaking his head. “It’s freaking humbling.”

Jared grinned. “I think you meant that as a compliment, so that’s how I’m going to take it.”

“I did mean it as a compliment,” Zander confirmed. “You’re all man … even if you do have freakishly large nipples. If it wasn’t for those you’d be practically perfect.”

The good will Jared felt only moments before dissipated. “Go in there and take care of her,” he ordered. “I’ll get the bed set for when she’s ready to pass out.”

“Yes, sir!”

Z
ANDER
was
quiet when he slipped into the bathroom, his heart squeezing when he saw Harper’s face pressed to the toilet seat and the dried tears on her cheeks. She really was miserable.

“Hi, Harp.”

“I’m not in the mood, Zander,” Harper rasped out.

“I’m not here to make you feel worse,” Zander promised, dropping to his knees and rummaging through the drawer in the vanity until he found a hairbrush and tie. “I’m here to make you feel better.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to … pull your hair away from your face and get you out of these clothes.” The apology was on the tip of his tongue, but Zander swerved before he could utter it.

“I can undress myself,” Harper grumbled, slapping Zander’s hand away when he reached for her shirt.

“Well, you need to, Harp,” Zander said, adopting a pragmatic tone. “You stink and Jared wants to throw the clothes in the washing machine.”

“Is that why he sent you in here, or is it really because I grossed him out? He’s probably running for his truck even as we speak.”

“I’m pretty sure a little puke isn’t going to scare him away,” Zander said, cracking a smile. “He’s tougher than that.”

“He
is
tougher than that,” Harper agreed, reaching for the back of her shirt and tugging it over her head. It got caught halfway through the process and she made a whimpering noise until Zander pulled it off the rest of the way. He helped with her shorts – not once asking what the substance on the pocket was – and then cracked the door so he could toss the clothes in the hallway.

“Jared said he would get you something comfortable to wear when you were done being sick,” Zander offered. “He’s making sure the bed is ready, too.”

“I’m never going to be done puking,” Harper whined. “My stomach feels as if it has been twisted into knots. I wish that child-eating tick of yours would show up and eat me.”

“Yes, well, we’ll have to get him a collar and leash,” Zander said. “I think we should call him Chuck.”

“Chuck the tick? That makes no sense.”

“No, because we decided to adopt him while you were upchucking.”

The look Harper shot Zander was murderous. “You are … a terrible person.”

The moment was here and Zander knew there was no getting out of it. “I’m sorry, Harp.”

Harper stilled as Zander ran the brush through her hair and pulled the flaxen mess back into a ponytail holder. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Zander repeated. “I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

“See, that’s not really an explanation because I don’t know what you’re specifically apologizing for,” Harper pointed out. “For all I know you’re sorry you got caught.”

“I’m definitely sorry I got caught,” Zander said, hoping to earn a smile and coming up empty. “I’m sorry for most of it. I’m sorry for getting Jared worked up. I’m sorry for telling him you were at the restaurant when you clearly wanted to handle that yourself. I’m sorry for making a scene.”

“What about the part where you didn’t trust me?”

“That never happened.”

Harper made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat that almost caused her to wretch again. When she was sure it wasn’t going to happen she scorched Zander with a harsh look. “It did happen,” she argued. “It happened when you took it upon yourself to decide I had no idea what I was doing and opted to work Jared up into a frenzy.

“He was really upset, Zander,” she continued. “He was embarrassed and thought he did a disservice to his job.”

“Well, that was stupid of him,” Zander complained. “He and his big nipples are great at their job.”

“Knock it off,” Harper warned, wagging her finger in Zander’s face. “I can’t take you trying to wiggle out of this right now. You were wrong.”

“I was wrong,” Zander agreed. “I did the wrong thing, but I did it for the right reason. You may think I hate Jason – and I do – but I didn’t run to Jared because I wanted to get back at Jason. I’m going to do that on my own. I ran to Jared because I thought there was a chance you were in danger.

“I can live with a lot, Harp, I really can,” he continued. “I put up with the Kartrashians on television, rap music that’s just screaming and doesn’t even have a beat, the return of ponchos … but I cannot lose you. That’s my line in the sand.”

All of the anger she’d been holding onto fled when Harper heard Zander’s admission. “I love you, Zander. You need to think before you do some of this stuff, though. Going after Jason is fine – he’s actually got a little bit of your brand of mischief coming after what he did to Jared – but you can’t mess with Jared’s life. It’s not fair after all the wonderful things he’s done for you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

Zander nodded and leaned forward so he could rest his forehead against Harper’s. “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t forgive you until you apologize to Jared.”

“I already did that.”

“Okay, then I forgive you.” Harper let loose with a raspy cough that forced Zander to move his head away from the toilet. “I’m not going to puke on you.”

“That’s good, because that would be a new fight,” Zander said. “You need to brush your teeth before we can make up properly, though. Your breath smells like the Hulk’s jockstrap.”

Harper made a face. “I’m so glad we had this talk.”

“Hey, now that we’ve made up you can get over your stomach bug,” Zander said. “There’s no reason to be sick now.”

Harper knit her eyebrows together. “Who told you that? I’m sick because I ate four ice creams when we were in town.”

Zander scowled as he shifted his eyes to the hallway where Jared rested against the doorjamb, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth up. “You lied.”

“I exaggerated,” Jared countered. “She was upset about not speaking to you all day. Now you’ve made up and all is right with the world … or will be once I get the princess in bed and the dirty clothes in the washing machine.”

“I’m going to make you pay for this,” Zander warned.

“I can’t wait to see you try.”

“
I
S SHE
asleep
?”

Despite his earlier threat, Zander remained calm and placid until everyone was sure Harper had nothing left in her stomach to lose and Jared herded her into the bedroom. Jared stayed long enough to make sure she knew there was a small trash receptacle at the side of the bed, a bottle of water on the nightstand, and a cool cloth on her neck. Her even breathing moments after her head hit the pillow allowed him to join Zander in the living room.

“She dropped off,” Jared confirmed, sighing as he sank onto the couch next to Zander. “I was worried she was going to be up forever, but she was too exhausted to hold on.”

“I’m still going to get you back for making me think I made her sick.”

“I think we’re even after the Jason fiasco last night,” Jared shot back.

“Fine.”

“Great.”

“Good.”

“You’re still a butthead sometimes,” Zander grumbled, annoyed. “You’re a good guy, too, though. I don’t know many men who would take care of someone the way you just did. She’s lucky to have you.”

“We’re a threesome. We’re all lucky to have each other.”

“Well, at least you admit you’re lucky to have me.” Zander’s grin was impish as he slouched on the couch. “What did you guys do today?”

Jared related his day with Harper, leaving some of the private stuff out but relating all of the investigation highs and lows. When he was done, Zander was confused.

“So is Jason still a suspect or not? I can’t figure out where you landed on that subject.”

“He’s still a suspect, but I’m leaning against him being the culprit,” Jared replied. “For one, I can’t find a motive. For another, he would have to be an idiot to dump the body beneath his own deck.”

“Unless he planned on moving it later. He had no way of knowing Harper and I would be poking around down there.”

“I have considered that,” Jared conceded. “I just don’t think it’s him. I can’t rule him out, though. Mel got his alibi last night to be on the safe side and he really doesn’t have one. He said he was home alone reading.”

“He’s guilty,” Zander announced. “Lock him up.”

Jared snorted. “You have a one-track mind,” he said. “However, I will never forget as long as I live how funny you were hissing ‘thunder stealer’ at Jason while he worried I was going to either arrest or shoot him.”

“Yes, I make memories wherever I go.”

The duo lapsed into comfortable silence as Zander mulled the bevy of information Jared lobbed in his lap. Finally Zander couldn’t take the quiet any longer. “Why do you think Rosie won’t say who she was seeing?”

Jared shrugged. “It could be vanity. It could be her selfish nature. I’m honestly not sure.”

“She obviously doesn’t remember how she died,” Zander said. “If she did she’d want revenge. Everything I hear about this woman makes me think she’d want someone to pay if given the chance.”

“I agree with you there.”

“And you didn’t find this supposed dating circle at the ice cream shop?”

“Nope. If they ever met there, they certainly weren’t in attendance tonight. Harper took to walking straight up to people and asking if they formed a special club because they wanted to land rich men.”

Zander chuckled at the visual. “She’s so cute.”

“She is,” Jared agreed. “You need to treat her better sometimes. She loves you and it hurts her when she’s not in sync with you.”

“I think it hurts her when she’s not in sync with you, too.”