Ghostly Deceits Part 3

"And that's my cue to leave," Zander said, moving toward the door. "Just for the record, I will be hopping into bed with the two of you tomorrow morning because it's my last Harper fix for a week. You can't stop me, so don't even try."

"Knock before you enter," Jared ordered.

"Cover your freaky nipples so I don't inadvertently stare," Zander shot back.

"I don't have freaky nipples!"

Harper raised her eyebrows as she got to her feet, chuckling as she watched Jared rub his chest. It appeared she wasn't the only insecure one.

JARED WOKE to the sound of voices, internally sighing when he realized Zander was not only in the room, but also on the opposite side of the bed. He pressed his eyes shut and pretended he was sleeping so he could listen for a few minutes.

"I think you're going to have a marvelous time," Zander said. "You'll be nervous for the first few minutes and then you'll relax and be the charmer we all know and love."

"No one has ever called me charming," Harper countered.

"I call you charming all of the time," Zander said. "Stop stressing yourself out. You're going to be a hit and Jared is going to be thrilled to show you off to his friends. You're very attractive. People will think he paid for the pleasure of your company you're so attractive."

"Are you insinuating I look like a hooker?"

Jared bit his lip to keep from laughing. There was something delightful about the way Harper and Zander interacted. As much as he wished he had her to himself more often, Jared would never try and get between Harper and Zander. They were magical in the way they loved one another.

"You don't look like a hooker," Zander replied. "I still maintain if you acted like a hooker in the bedroom Jared would like it, though."

"You're such a freak," Harper complained.

They were quiet for a few moments.

"You're going to be okay at work, right?" Harper asked. "You can handle Molly and Eric without too much difficulty, I'm sure. They've been fighting a lot lately, though."

"Yes, well, Molly is irritating and Eric has a bad att.i.tude," Zander said, referring to GHI's other two employees. "They'll be fine. I'm actually looking forward to telling Eric you're spending the week with Jared at a sleazy hotel. He's trying to put his crush on you behind him and this will pretty much send him over the edge."

"It's not a sleazy hotel."

"It will be when I get done telling the story," Zander said. "Harp, I promise things are going to be fine. If we need you, we'll call you. You're only twenty minutes away."

"I know. It's just ... I'm going to miss you. When was the last time we were apart this long?"

"I'll call you every day," Zander said. "In fact, since you're going to miss me so much, why don't we Skype in bed every morning? It will be fun. Just cover up Jared's nipples so they don't scare me."

Jared fought the urge to scowl.

"Okay," Harper said. "We'll Skype every morning."

"And if you have a fashion emergency, don't hesitate to call," Zander added. "I'll have my cell phone with me. I'll help you look like the princess you are."

"Thank you," Harper said, her voice low. "You're the best friend a girl could ever ask for."

"And I have beautiful nipples," Zander said. "Unlike your boyfriend who is eavesdropping while he's pretending to be asleep."

Jared forced out an exasperated sigh and rolled so he was facing Harper and Zander. They sat next to each other, their backs propped against the pillows, and studied him. "How did you know I wasn't sleeping?"

"You make little cooing noises when you're asleep," Zander answered. "It's very cute."

"I don't coo when I'm asleep." Jared glanced at Harper for help. "Tell him I don't coo."

"It's more of a whirring sound," Harper said. "It lulls me to sleep now. I love it."

"Well, I guess I can live with that," Jared muttered. "How much longer until we can hop in the shower and get moving?"

"Ten minutes."

"Fine," Jared said. "Wake me when you're done talking about my nipples."

FOUR.

"T his place is beautiful," Jared said a few hours later, slowing his truck so he could take in the breathtaking Stokes Hotel as he coasted onto the driveway. The grandiose estate was four stories high, square in design with gargoyles sitting at each corner, and highlighted by gray stones that allowed the building to cut an imposing figure against the Lake St. Clair backdrop. "I can't believe this place. I had no idea it would be like this."

"Haven't you ever been here before?" Harper asked, smiling as she watched Jared's reaction. He'd taken the entire trip in stride including riding the ferry but he couldn't mask his youthful exuberance. He really was excited. That made Harper happy and determined to make sure he had a good time.

"Josh told me about it when we were at college, but I guess I never understood what he was saying," Jared replied. "He said he grew up in a big house on an island. I was picturing a beach house for some reason. This place is a mansion. Heck, this place is four mansions."

"It's amazing," Harper agreed. "Zander and I used to come here from time to time when we were teenagers. He loved the art museum and I loved the water. We always used to stare at this place it wasn't always a hotel like it is now and dream about what it would be like to be rich enough to own a place this big.

"Zander's fantasy involved muscular pool boys and mine involved the world's biggest library," she continued. "We figured the house was big enough for us to live together and still get everything we both wanted."

"When did it become a hotel?" Jared asked, turning his attention back to the road so he didn't inadvertently careen off the cobblestone driveway. "Josh didn't really talk about much of that."

"It was a big deal on the news a few years ago," Harper hedged. "I ... well ... the news reports said that the Stokes family was in financial trouble and the state was going to take the land so they had no choice but to turn it into a hotel.

"I guess they were hit hard by the economic downturn in the early part of the century and they lost a lot of the money they had put away and never fully recovered," she continued. "This is all gossip, mind you, but I believe there was also talk of the Stokes family losing more money in the bank collapse which came a few years after that."

"That's too bad," Jared said, pulling into the parking lot on the east side of the building. "I'll bet it was cool to live in a house that has forty bedrooms. That makes hide and seek fun."

"I think it sounds like overkill," Harper replied. "When Zander and I used to come out here we envisioned ourselves in stocking feet sliding across hardwood and marble floors and never running out of new places to investigate. We were kind of geeks."

"I think you guys are wonderful," Jared said, meaning every word. "Go on."

"Anyway, when we started really talking about it, though, the idea of a house this big seemed lonely," Harper said. "It's very ostentatious and gorgeous, but I think a home should feel cozy. You should feel comfortable in the s.p.a.ce. How could you ever get comfortable in something this big?"

"That's a good point," Jared said. "What does your dream house look like?"

Harper shrugged. "I don't know. I like an older house that has electrical updates. I like the idea of being close to a river. I like the lake, don't get me wrong, but a river is more fun and gives you a more rural feeling. I want a big yard and garden. I just want something ... homey."

"I think that's a good dream," Jared said, killing the engine of his truck and reaching over to snag Harper's hand. "Are you ready for this?"

"I'll be fine," Harper said. "I'm sorry I was so nervous before. I feel a little silly about it now, but ... I don't want to embarra.s.s you."

"Harper, you could never embarra.s.s me," Jared said. "I like you just the way you are. That's why I couldn't stay away from you, if you remember correctly. People here are going to see exactly what I see: A beautiful woman they want to get close to. If someone tries to hit on you, though, I'm going to pop them. That includes Josh. They may want to get close to you, but I'm the only one allowed to get close to you."

Harper giggled. "Is Josh a ladies' man?"

"I think we all fancied ourselves ladies' men back in the day," Jared replied. "I'm not sure we realized how ridiculous we were, but he's a good guy. He'll hit on you to irritate me, however. Trust me. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. It's all an act."

"Well, let's do this," Harper said, slapping her hands against her knees to motivate herself. "We're going to a murder mystery event and I have new clothes. This has disaster written all over it."

"You're so stinking cute," Jared said, cupping the back of Harper's head and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Stick with me," he whispered. "I'm going to give you the time of your life."

"JARED!".

Harper snapped her head to the top of the circular stairway and smiled when she saw the handsome man descending. His face was flushed with excitement as he approached Jared, and Harper took a step back to let the men greet each other on their own terms.

"I can't believe you're actually here," Josh said, giving Jared a one-armed man hug and grinning. "I never thought I would see the day. I missed you, man."

"I can't believe you live in this place," Jared said. "I thought you were exaggerating when you described it. Apparently not."

"I don't exaggerate," Josh said. "You're the one who exaggerates."

"That is such c.r.a.p," Jared chuckled, smiling fondly at his friend. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I missed you, too."

Josh Stokes was pretty much what Harper envisioned. He was tall like Jared, although his hair was blond instead of dark. He was well built and muscular, his jeans hugging his hips as he amiably chatted with his friend. Unlike the staff at the hotel, who were dressed in uniforms and stiff when greeting guests, Josh was friendly and welcoming. Harper instantly liked him.

"And who is this?" Josh asked, shifting his attention to Harper. "This can't be the girlfriend you were going on and on about over the phone, could it?"

"No," Jared deadpanned. "I picked her up on the street during the drive."

"Always the comedian," Josh said, shaking his head. "I'm Josh Stokes. You must be the famous Harper Harlow."

"I'm not sure I'm famous," Harper hedged, extending her hand in greeting. "The Harper Harlow part is correct, though."

"You are ... freaking hot," Josh said, grinning as he looked Harper up and down. "Jared always did like them beautiful."

"Um ... okay," Harper said, her cheeks burning.

"Leave her alone," Jared instructed, slipping his arm around Harper's waist. "She's mine. Keep your filthy hands to yourself."

"I can see why you're claiming her like a Neanderthal," Josh teased, beaming at Harper. "I can't believe you managed to get him to settle down. I thought for sure he would be a bachelor for life."

"I'm not sure he's settled down," Harper hedged.

"I am," Jared interjected. "I'm happily settled to boot. What about you? Do you have a lady love here this weekend?"

"I'm keeping my options open," Josh replied. "You know me. I can't settle down until I'm sure I've found the perfect woman. Since you've already locked the perfect woman up, I'll probably end up being a bachelor for life. It's a hard job, but somebody has to do it."

"Ha, ha," Jared intoned, rolling his eyes. "What are you doing these days?"

"Working for the family," Josh replied. "I do charity events and occasional business meetings. Most of the time I handle the hotel and put out employee fires and listen to complaining guests. It's all very boring.

"What about you, though?" he continued. "Is being a police detective everything you thought it would be? Whisper Cove can't be much of a hotbed of activity."

"You'd be surprised," Jared countered. "I've been in town two months and already solved two murders. I also met a certain blonde ... so I guess you could say life in Whisper Cove is better than I ever envisioned."

"Good for you," Josh said, slapping Jared's shoulder and laughing. "What about you, Harper? What do you do?"

"Oh, my life is pretty boring," Harper replied. "I basically run haunted tours with my best friend. We do those cemetery visits and stuff. It's not much, but it pays the bills."

Jared's eyes momentarily flashed and Harper felt a ball of guilt land in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't really a lie and yet it felt dishonest. She didn't know why she was being so evasive, but she couldn't help herself.

"That sounds fun," Josh said, his eyes lighting up. "You'll be great for the game."

"Yeah, about the game, I'm not sure we want to play," Jared said. "I'm a cop. That gives me an unfair advantage."

Josh derisively snorted. "I think you don't want to play because you don't want anyone else showing you up," he said. "The people coming this week take these murder mysteries very seriously. They have a club and they travel all over the U.S. attending these events. I'll bet they solve it before you even realize what's happening."

"I'll take that bet," Jared said, narrowing his eyes.

"I take it you guys are compet.i.tive," Harper said, smirking. "Does this mean I get to watch you thump your chests and secrete testosterone all week?"

"I'm not comfortable with that secreting testosterone thing," Jared answered. "I will be thumping my chest ... but I'm waiting until we're alone in our room to do that."

Harper pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes, horrified by the mirthful expression on Josh's face. "Jared," she hissed, shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh, she's shy," Josh said, laughing. "I love her already. I'm going to steal her from you. I can't believe she's been so close and I didn't stumble across her first. I think it's a sign."

"It's definitely a sign," Jared said. "That sign reads closed.' She's mine. Don't go hitting on my girl. I'll have to beat you."

"Promises, promises," Josh said. "Well, come on. We'll get you two checked in and let you get settled. I have a surprise waiting for you upstairs that I think Harper is going to love."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS," Harper said, exhaling heavily as she glanced around the humongous suite. "I ... Jared, did you know they were going to give us one of the four corner rooms?"

Jared lifted his eyebrows and smirked as he watched Harper flit from one end of the suite to the other. She was enamored with the room and everything in it, including the antique furniture.

"I didn't know that corner rooms existed," Jared admitted. "I asked for a beautiful room because I wanted to impress you, but I was not expecting this. It's pretty nice, huh?"

"Nice?" Harper widened her eyes to almost comical proportions. "Nice? I feel like a princess."

"You're my princess," Jared said, snagging Harper around the waist and twirling her. He pressed her body against his and kissed her, loving the way she melted against him. When they finally separated, they were both out of breath. "Well, princess, what do you want to do first?" Jared had specific ideas, and he hoped Harper was up to the challenge.

"I want to check out the balcony."

Jared frowned. "I thought we would check out the bed first."

"Oh, we're going to do that," Harper said. "I want to check out the balcony first, though. Once we're in that bed, I know we're not coming up for hours."