Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) (2 page)

“Don’t say it,” Zander hissed.

It was already too late. “Jason Thurman,” Jenny announced. “He’s moving back to town and he’s really interested in the house. Look, here he comes now.”

H
arper snapped
her head in the direction Jenny indicated and widened her eyes when she saw the expensive black BMW pull into the driveway. Jason Thurman? She hadn’t even thought about him in … well, she couldn’t remember the last time her mind wandered in that direction. Their brief high school romance seemed like it happened a lifetime before.

“Oh, well, great,” Zander muttered. “Of course he would show back up when I look terrible. It’s as if the world wants to crap on me today or something. I blame you, Harp.”

“Uh-huh.” Harper was too distracted to focus on Zander’s unhappiness because she was fixated on the man climbing out of the car. “You look fine, Zand.”

Zander scowled as he rubbed the side of his face. “Am I dirty?” When Harper didn’t immediately respond he turned his attention to Jenny. “Well, am I?”

“You look exactly the same to me,” Jenny said, exasperated.

“Excuse me!” Zander’s voice hopped from annoyed to shrill in the blink of an eye.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Jenny complained. “You’re gay. I can barely muster the energy to pretend I pay attention to what a straight man is saying. Why would I put effort into you when I know there’s no hope of a payoff?”

“Oh, well, that makes sense,” Zander sniffed. He wasn’t big on putting effort into people unless he was assured of a payoff either. “As long as I look half as good as I usually do, I’ll still be twice as good-looking as that guy. I remember him being a real dork.”

“Didn’t you and Harper start your own club because you were real dorks?” Jenny challenged.

“We were the coolest people in school,” Zander clarified. “You were just jealous we didn’t invite you to hang out with us.”

“Yeah, people referred to you guys as band geeks without the instruments,” Jenny said. “No offense or anything.”

“Yes, why would I take offense at that?” Zander deadpanned, rolling his eyes. “Come on, Harp. We’re out of here. We don’t need a trip down memory lane. I need a shower.”

For her part, Harper couldn’t drag her eyes away from the tall man heading in their direction. His hair was darker than she remembered, although still blond. His eyes were a vivid green and when they locked with Harper’s his face lit up with a welcoming smile.

“Harper Harlow?”

“Oh, crud,” Zander muttered, making a face. “The world hates me today.”

“You and me both,” Jenny lamented, frowning as her gaze bounced between Harper and Jason. “I was hoping to win a cruise if I sold this house.”

“So?” Zander brushed off the front of his shirt. “You could still sell it. I don’t remember Jason the Jerkface being all that smart. He’s probably too dumb to notice the layer of dust everywhere.”

“You might be right,” Jenny said. “The problem is I was hoping to take Jason on the cruise. Unfortunately, he seems to have other things – or people – on his mind.”

“What?” Zander glanced in the direction Jenny stared and felt his stomach twist when he realized Harper and Jason were zoned in on each other, big smiles on both of their faces. “Oh, seriously? Worst. Day. Ever.”

“Harper Harlow. I can’t believe it’s you.” Jason flashed an impish grin, stopping in front of the dumbfounded blonde. “I didn’t know you still lived here.”

“Where else would we live?” Zander asked, annoyed. “This is our home.”

“Hey, Zander. You look … great.” Jason’s greeting came off as friendly, but Zander was in no mood for playing games.

“You do, too, Jason,” Zander said. “I see you gave up the Zack Morris ghost since graduation and embraced … whatever color that is on top of your head there.”

“Oh, yeah.” Jason chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. “At some point frosting my hair became a burden. I also realized I didn’t look half as cool as I thought I did.”

“I think you look great,” Jenny said. “Who is Zack Morris, though? Was he the guy who dressed up in the seahorse costume at games when we were in high school?”

“I can’t even … .” Zander pressed his lips together as he rolled his eyes.

“Zack Morris was from
Saved By the Bell
,” Harper said, finally finding her voice. “Zander and I used to love watching that show on reruns.”

“Oh, she speaks,” Zander muttered.

“Did you do that in your loser club?”

“The club was for winners,” Zander snapped. “Winners! W-I-N-E-R-S!”

“You just spelled whiners without the H,” Harper supplied, grinning as Zander’s face flushed with color.

“Oh, that kind of fits,” Jenny said. “Jason, the house is open if you want to take a look.”

“I will in a second,” Jason said, moving his eyes back to Harper’s angular face. “You look … great. You look exactly the same, in fact.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment,” Harper said, laughing.

“I know it’s not a compliment,” Zander said. “Harp, we really need to be going. You owe me a new outfit and I need a shower.”

Harper ignored Zander’s petulant pouting and remained fixated on Jason. “You look the same, too,” she said. “Other than the hair, I mean.”

“Yes, everyone I’ve run into since hitting town again has commented on my hair,” Jason said. “Wow. I can’t get over seeing you. How long has it been?”

“I don’t know,” Harper said.

“I know,” Zander interjected, making a face. “Does anyone want me to remind him or her of your final five minutes together?”

“Not really,” Harper replied brightly.

“You remember the last time we saw each other?” Jason asked, knitting his eyebrows together as confusion washed over him. “Why would you remember that?”

“Because you two dated for like … two months … and then you showed up one day in August between junior and senior year and announced you were spending the following year in Interlochen on a music scholarship,” Zander answered. “You didn’t give Harper any notice and you left the next day.”

“Oh, that.” Jason pressed his lips together. “I thought I was going to be a famous guitarist. That wasn’t my finest moment.”

“Oh, don’t feel bad,” Harper chided. “We were kids. That’s the time to dream.”

“Yes, but I didn’t give you the proper respect you deserved when I took off,” Jason said. “I knew for a month before I told you, but … I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was having so much fun I told my parents I wasn’t going to accept the scholarship and they freaked out.”

“That would’ve been stupid on your part,” Harper said. “Interlochen is one of the best schools in the country.”

“Yeah, but I was an idiot with a bad case of puppy love,” Jason said. “I finally ran out of time and the idea of me just disappearing without telling you was too much so … .”

“So you told her, broke her heart, and left me to dry her tears for the rest of the summer,” Zander finished, annoyed. “Come on, Harp. We have places to be.”

“Zander, take a pill,” Harper said, shaking her head. “I haven’t seen Jason in like … what … ten years, I think. Can’t you give us five minutes to catch up?”

“There are things crawling in my hair, Harp,” Zander snapped. “I know darned well you saw something … no matter what you said.”

Harper opened her mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. She couldn’t lie to her best friend – and he would know if she tried.

“Why do you look like that?” Jason asked, narrowing his eyes. “Are you a home inspector or something? Have you been under the house?”

“A home inspector?” Zander was back to bordering on shrill. “Do I look like a home inspector?”

“I’m not sure how to answer that.” Jason rubbed his hand up and down the back of his neck. “You’re filthy, though.”

“They were … um … helping me inside of the house and there was an incident with the heat ducts,” Jenny supplied. “We’re cleaning it up now and I can officially say the furnace system runs like new.”

“If I buy the house I’ll probably replace and modernize the entire system,” Jason said. “That furnace is twenty years old and it might have mold or something inside of it because the house has sat vacant for so long.”

“That’s probably best because Zander swallowed twenty years of bugs and dust when the ducts were blown out,” Jenny said.

“I still don’t know why you’re here,” Jason said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to see you, but … what are you doing here?”

“Work,” Harper replied, not missing a beat.

“Oh, well, this should go over well,” Zander muttered.

“And what kind of work do you do?”

It took Harper a moment to realize that Jason didn’t already know what she did for a living. It was hardly a secret. She didn’t care what people thought about her. Jason had been gone long enough he missed her coming out party, though. For some reason Harper found herself reluctant to share the ghostly wealth this go around. “Oh … um … what do you do?”

“I bought The Landing restaurant out on the cove,” Jason replied. “I’m reopening it – in a few days, in fact.”

“Oh, wow, that’s great news,” Harper said. “Zander and I used to love going out there to eat on the deck. You remember that, don’t you, Zand?”

“I remember their clam chowder smelling like sardines and tasting like feet,” Zander replied.

“Well, I have a new recipe and an entirely new staff,” Jason said. “I promise my clam chowder will be better. You’ll have to come and check it out one day.”

“I’ll definitely do that,” Harper said. “I love new restaurants.”

“Yes, we all love new restaurants … and food,” Zander said. “Speaking of that, though, don’t you have a lunch date, Harp?”

“Huh, what?” Harper’s face was blank when she shifted it in Zander’s direction.

“A lunch date,” Zander repeated. “You have one. That’s why I had to do the … thing … and you look like a dream while I look like my worst nightmare spread on a cracker and then dropped on the floor so some kid can step on it.”

“Wow, that was quite the visual,” Jason intoned.

“I’m in quite the mood,” Zander shot back.

“Oh, you’re right,” Harper said, realization washing over her. She’s almost forgotten her virtual lunch date with Jared. “What time is it?”

“Time to go,” Zander said, tapping the spot on his wrist where a watch would be if he hadn’t declared them gauche the year before and destined for the fashion trash heap.

“I’m sorry, but we really do have someplace to be,” Harper said. “I’m sure I’ll run into you down the road and I can’t wait to see your new restaurant. Good luck with the house, too. It’s beautiful, but it needs a lot of work – and it needed the work before we even got here, which is a nice change of pace.”

Jason’s smile slipped when he realized Harper was leaving. “Seriously? You can’t stay for a few more minutes? We’ve hardly had any time to catch up.”

“We’re late,” Zander said, grabbing Harper’s hand and dragging her toward her car, which was parked on the road in front of the house. He caught sight of Eric and Molly as they hit the front walkway and didn’t bother lowering his voice when he called out to them. “Move, you two! We don’t have all day. Time is a wasting.”

“Who are they?” Jason asked, intrigued.

“Did you get everything handled?” Jenny asked hopefully as Molly and Eric trudged down the sidewalk. “How does it look?”

“Better than Zander’s hair,” Eric replied, flashing a tight smile. “That’s about all I can say about what’s left inside.”

“We’re really sorry,” Molly added. “We did our best but … we’re not maids.”

“What are you?” Jason asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he looked at the equipment Eric carried as the man hurried past. “Are you interior decorators?”

Molly giggled. “No, but I’ll help you pick out curtains if you want me to.”

“Oh, you’re so … young,” Eric complained, grabbing Molly’s arm and dragging her toward the street. “Do you have to get so excited whenever you see a man?”

“It depends on the man.”

“What do you do?” Jason called out as the foursome converged on Harper’s car. “I don’t understand what the big secret is.”

Molly was all smiles – and soft giggles – when she reached Harper’s side. “He’s hot.”

“He
is
hot,” Harper agreed, grinning. “We dated for two months in high school. He was cute then, but he’s better looking now.”

“Ooh, fun,” Molly enthused. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

“Yes, that will be the highlight of our drive home,” Zander drawled. “Get in the car! We’re officially done here … and I’m officially done with this day!”

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Eric asked, annoyed. “At least you didn’t have to stay inside and pick up the mess.”

“That’s it! No one talk to me for the rest of the afternoon. We’re declaring a moratorium on talking. It’s quiet time, people.”

Molly, Eric, and Harper exchanged amused glances, but they abided by Zander’s wishes as they loaded themselves in the car. Harper waited until she was behind the wheel with the key in the ignition before turning to Zander again. “I know you said it’s quiet time, but … .”

Zander arched a challenging eyebrow, practically daring her to finish the sentence. Harper was having too good of a time to just let the opportunity escape.

“Do you want me to take you to the office or back home for a shower?” Harper asked. “I forgot what you told me, but I can’t stop looking at the bugs crawling around in your hair and think the shower would be the best option.”

“Home!”

“This has been a really exciting day,” Harper said. “I can’t believe it’s not even noon yet.”

“I hate you sometimes,” Zander seethed. “I … just drive!”

“
H
ow was your lunch date
?”

Zander’s mood upon returning to the office a few hours later was markedly better. He didn’t exactly look happy when Harper glanced up from her computer screen, though.

“How was your shower?” Harper asked, looking her best friend up and down. He’d changed into fresh shorts and a V-neck shirt that showed off his impressive physique. He worked out five days a week – and he made sure everyone knew about it seven days a week – so Harper was sure he wore the top to make himself feel better.

“It was lovely,” Zander replied. “There’s nothing better than washing dead spiders out of your hair. The only thing better is washing live ones out of it.”

Harper pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at his hangdog expression. “Well, you look like a million bucks.”

“I look like a trillion bucks,” Zander corrected. “Don’t sell my good looks short.”

“I would never,” Harper said, giggling.

“Oh, you look so much better,” Molly said, walking into the main office room with a Subway bag in her hand. “Did you get the mouse turds out of your hair?”

Zander’s mouth dropped open. “Mouse turds?”

“Yeah, I was going to mention that, but I thought you were kind of at your limit,” Harper supplied. “You couldn’t really notice them unless you looked long and hard at your hairline right above your collar.”

“I hate you.” Zander crossed his arms over his chest. “I hate all of you.”

“Oh, well, then it seems you and I are going to get along today,” Eric said, joining the rest of his co-workers as he carried a sandwich and bag of chips to his desk. “I hate most people every single day.”

“That’s probably why you’re so popular,” Molly teased, flashing a smile as she unwrapped her sub. She was young and smart. Harper enjoyed her enthusiasm more than anything else. Unfortunately for Eric, Molly’s enthusiasm sometimes went overboard – especially because she had a crush on him. Her idea of flirting was overt, which made Eric uncomfortable. Since he’d been nursing his own crush on Harper for months – only letting the ghost go when he realized Harper and Jared were officially an item – Molly’s unwanted attention often grated.

“Whatever,” Eric muttered, shaking his head. “I got some good data at the job today. I’ll put a report together as soon as I get everything in the proper folders.”

Eric loved numbers, folders, and organizing. Harper hated all of those things so she was glad the energetic man easily lost himself in the process. She preferred being in on the action and conversing with ghosts. She also enjoyed arguing with Zander, although she would never admit it – especially on a day when Zander was forced to take a shower and would have nightmares about mouse droppings and spider carcasses.

“That’s cool,” Harper said. “I’m glad we got good data. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t nearly as difficult of a takedown as it could’ve been. Dorothy is in a better place now and Zander will be in a better place when I buy him a new outfit.”

“And dinner,” Zander added. “Don’t forget you owe me dinner.”

“I could never forget that,” Harper said. “Speaking of that, though, I thought you might want to take a walk down by the lake with me. We don’t have anything scheduled this afternoon and I figured an ice cream cone might improve your day.”

Zander narrowed his eyes, suspicion washing over him. “You want to take a walk? Why?”

“I love taking walks,” Harper replied, averting her eyes. “Why do you think I want to take a walk?”

“I don’t know,” Zander hedged. Part of him thought he was being unnecessarily rough on his best friend. The other part couldn’t shake the idea that something else was going on. “You didn’t answer my question when I first came in. How did your lunch date go?”

“Oh, it was good,” Harper said, brightening. “I turned the camera on and we got to talk to one another while eating. It was just like being in the same room together … without being able to touch each other.”

“Yes, I liked it better that way,” Eric deadpanned. “Personally, I’m not a big fan of public petting and nonstop kissing.”

“That’s because no one is kissing or petting you,” Molly shot back. “I thought it was cute, but I like it better when Jared comes to visit. He’s really handsome.”

“He
is
handsome,” Harper agreed. “Still, this way he was able to get caught up on his work without distractions.”

“Did he call you a distraction?” Eric was incensed. “That’s rude.”

“I think he meant it as a compliment,” Zander countered.

“How is that a compliment?”

“Well, for one, I’m pretty sure he was saying he’d rather burn the files than focus on them if Harper was in the same room with him,” Zander replied, smirking. “His hands have a mind of their own when she’s around … and his mind is literally muddled the moment he smells her body spray.”

“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Molly said, her eyes taking on a far-off quality. She was desperate for a boyfriend of her own. A recent scare a few months before frightened her into laying low for a short amount of time, but she was officially ready to get back on the market. If Eric would look in her direction and join her at the market, well, that would be all the better. He wasn’t in the mood to shop, though.

“I think it’s sickening,” Eric said. “Do we have to spend all of our time talking about dating? We’re intelligent adults, for crying out loud.”

Zander rolled his eyes until they landed on Harper. He couldn’t take another diatribe from the technology guru. After the day he’d already had, a treat sounded nice. “Let’s get ice cream, Harp. It’s a sweltering day and nothing is better than Blue Moon when you’re trying to beat the heat.”

“Sold.” Harper hopped to her feet. “I knew there was a reason you were my best friend.”

Zander cocked an eyebrow. “Our mutual love of ice cream and shirking work?”

“Exactly.”

“
I
T IS
freaking hot
,” Zander said, licking his ice cream as he followed Harper toward the lake. Whisper Cove wasn’t known for being a hotbed of daily activity, but it was positively dead today. The small hamlet was located about thirty miles north of Detroit, so the big box stores were close enough to drive to and yet the town retained its kitschy charm – which was exactly how Zander and Harper liked it. “We need a pool.”

“We have a lake,” Harper reminded him, pointing. “That’s better than a pool.”

“Yes, but it’s not in our back yard,” Zander said. “We can’t skinny dip in the lake.”

“I love you dearly, but I think skinny dipping together would be … weird.”

“Not you and me together,” Zander corrected. “You and me and our significant others. That’s who I was talking about.”

“I think a foursome would be even weirder,” Harper said.

“Not all four of us at the same time. I … I can’t even look at you now,” Zander lamented. “You have a filthy mind.”

“I know,” Harper said, smirking as she licked her ice cream cone. She opted for bubblegum but was starting to wish she’d gone the Blue Moon route with Zander. His tongue was blue, but the ice cream looked heavenly. “Give me a lick.”

“I can’t give you a lick after the skinny-dipping confusion,” Zander countered. “It will give me nightmares.”

“You’re just paying me back because of the whole ghost thing this afternoon,” Harper complained. “I don’t see how you can blame that on me. I had no way of knowing that would happen.”

“I’m not convinced of that,” Zander said, his voice airy. “Maybe you developed psychic abilities when I wasn’t looking. It would be just like you to go all X-Men and not tell me. Oh, the horror.”

Harper didn’t want to laugh and encourage him, but she couldn’t help herself. “You know darned well I would tell you if I developed super powers.”

“Okay, you would tell me,” Zander conceded, hopping up on one of the large rocks that littered the area between the town’s main drag and the beach area. “Would you tell me before or after you told Jared, though? That’s the question of the day.”

“Are you asking where you are in the pecking order of my life?”

“Yes.”

Harper tilted her head to the side, the sun glinting off her blond highlights as she considered the question. “I would tell you first,” she said finally.

“You took an awfully long time to think about that,” Zander groused.

“I wanted to be sure.”

“And what, pray tell, tipped me over the edge?” Zander extended one arm to balance himself on the rock as he licked his ice cream cone.

“Well, if you want to know the truth, I figured telling you first was in my best interests because I’m going to need help hiding Jared’s body if he doesn’t take the news well and breaks up with me,” Harper said, causing Zander to grin. “I’m always thinking ahead.”

“Yes, you’re a regular genius,” Zander said, hopping down from the rock.

The duo lapsed into comfortable silence as they plodded down the beach. Zander had no idea where Harper was going, but he hoped she would stop at the water’s edge so they could do some wading. That was one of their favorite childhood activities and neither one of them outgrew it.

Instead of heading toward the water, though, Harper adjusted her trajectory and aimed herself in the direction of a building down the way. Zander watched her for a moment to see if she was meandering, but then he realized exactly where she was heading.

“I knew it!” His bellow was loud enough to cause Harper to jolt.

“You knew what?” Harper asked, her cheeks flushing with color.

“I knew you had an ulterior motive when you talked me into coming down here,” Zander said. “You tried to seduce me with those big blue eyes … and the big blue ice cream cone … but I knew you were up to something.”

“And what am I up to?” Harper asked, shifting her eyes so they didn’t meet Zander’s intense stare. “It’s a beautiful day. We’re taking a walk on the beach. What do you possibly have to complain about?”

“That.” Zander pointed at the building.

“What’s that?” Harper asked, faux innocence practically dripping off of her tongue.

“That is The Landing,” Zander answered. “That is Jason Thurman’s restaurant. That is … deceitful!” He pointed at Harper in such a manner she had to glance down and check to make sure she wasn’t wearing a scarlet A on her shirt.

“Oh, fine,” Harper conceded, irritation taking the place of embarrassment. “I was curious about the restaurant. Sue me.”

“I’m considering it,” Zander said, making a face as he fell into step next to Harper. “I can’t believe you lied to me. I really can’t believe you used ice cream as a cover to do it.”

“I didn’t lie,” Harper hedged. “I just … aren’t you curious? This restaurant has sat empty all season and it had terrible food the last two years it was in operation. It’s a great location. If Jason fixes it up … .”

“The only thing Jason can fix up is my annoyance level,” Zander said.

“What is it with you and him?”

“I don’t like him,” Zander replied, not missing a beat.

“Is this because he took off without giving me notice when I was seventeen years old?” Harper asked, amused and touched at the same time. “I was crushed back then, but I got over it.”

“Yes, I remember,” Zander said. “You cried in my lap for weeks.”

“That’s what you do when you’re a teenager,” Harper pointed out. “I can’t believe you’re still holding a grudge over this. You can’t hang on to high school forever.”

“It’s not just what he did to you,” Zander sniffed. “It’s what he did to me, too.”

Harper stilled. “What did he do to you? Did he make fun of you for being gay?” Her eyes flashed as the possibility flitted through her mind. She was as loyal to Zander as he was to her. She’d taken on more than one bully during their teenage years and she wasn’t opposed to going after another even though high school was long since behind them.

Zander considered lying but thought better of it. “No, he never did anything like that,” he said. “He didn’t seem to care that I was gay. If that’s going to rile you up just … step off, missy.”

“Then why don’t you like him?” Harper asked, confused. “He was a nice guy. We dated for like two months when we were teenagers. There’s no reason to dislike him.”

“Do you really want to know why I dislike him?”

Harper nodded.

“Do you really want to know?” Zander repeated, taking on a dramatic tone.

“Yes,” Harper said, fighting the urge to laugh at the serious look on his face.

“It’s because he stole my thunder.”

Harper opened her mouth, but she had no idea how to respond to that so she let it fall shut.

“Go ahead and make fun of me, but he always swooped in and stole attention from me whenever he got the chance,” Zander said. “When I wanted to play the guitar in elementary school for Show and Tell, what happened?”

“He played the guitar.”

“That’s right.” Zander made a disgusted face. “The problem was he could actually play the guitar. Who can play the guitar when they’re eight?”

“Well … .”

“Don’t answer that,” Zander warned, extending a finger. “It wasn’t just the guitar. In fifth grade he won the spelling bee and I really wanted that ribbon. It matched my new tie. In middle school he made the football team.”

“You didn’t want to be on the football team,” Harper argued. “You said the helmets made your hair look bad.”

“That’s not the point,” Zander snapped. “I wanted to be the mascot, but he voted against changing it. I couldn’t be a seahorse. The costume made my hips look wide.”

“Oh.” Harper bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

“It only got worse in high school,” Zander said. “He went out of his way to pretend he was my friend and all the while he was trying to steal you from me.”

“Is there a chance he really wanted to be your friend because he found you interesting?”

“Of course not,” Zander replied. “Wait … that came out wrong.”

“Zander, it doesn’t matter,” Harper said, hoping she could cut him off before he got a full head of steam. “Jason can’t steal your thunder because you’re the ultimate … thunderstorm. It’s impossible to steal your thunder.”