Ghostly Deceits Part 4

"Okay," Jared conceded, linking his fingers with hers and letting her lead him to the ornate French doors on the far side of the room. "Let's check out the balcony."

Harper threw open the doors, her excitement contagious as she stepped through them. She gasped when the lake sprang into view and then sighed as she took in the rest of the surroundings. "Look at this."

Despite himself, Jared was impressed. "This is ... wow. I didn't know Michigan had views like this so far south."

"Can we hang out on the balcony after dark?" Harper asked, her eyes twinkling. "No one will be able to see us because we're isolated on the corner and ... well ... I've had specific fantasies about these balconies since I was old enough to have those kind of fantasies."

"Heart, you had me at fantasies," Jared teased, kissing the tip of her nose. "It's too bright to do that out here right now, though. I'm a cop. I would hate to have to arrest myself for lewd behavior."

"I know," Harper said.

"Does that mean we can check out the bed?" Jared was hopeful.

"That means we can check out that awesome claw foot tub that's big enough to swim in and take a bath," Harper countered. "Then we can check out the bed."

"Hey, there's nudity involved in both of those options," Jared said. "I'm up for whatever you want to do."

"Does that include bubbles?"

Jared grinned. "What's a bath without bubbles?"

"Boring," Harper said, shuffling excitedly toward the bathroom. "This is already the best vacation ever."

"It really is," Jared said, following her. "Let's take a bath. Bubble me up, baby."

FIVE.

"I don't know if I should wear this."

Harper stood in front of the mirror and studied her black dress. It was a simple frock, boasting thin spaghetti straps, a modest neckline, and a skirt that ended three inches above her knees, but she still felt overdressed.

Jared shifted his tie knot into place as he looked her up and down. "You look amazing."

Harper lifted her blue eyes to Jared's and bit her lip. He'd never seen her unsure of herself in any situation. Her reticence now was cute. "I have an idea," Jared said, grabbing his cell phone off the table and punching in Zander's number.

Zander didn't bother with small talk. "Is she freaking out?"

Jared chuckled. "She looks like a dream and yet she doesn't think the dress looks good on her," he said. "I thought you could handle this situation."

"Absolutely," Zander said. "Put her on the phone."

Harper knit her eyebrows together and scowled as she took the phone from Jared. "He's exaggerating."

Jared smirked as he watched Harper talk to Zander, enjoying the way she fidgeted and twirled in front of the mirror. She had no idea how beautiful she looked, which was one of the things he liked best about her.

"I'm not being a pill, Zander," Harper snapped. "I just ... you know I have issues with dresses. Do you remember what happened at the senior dance when I wore that pink dress I found at the mall?"

Jared crossed his arms over his chest and patiently waited while Harper listened to whatever diatribe Zander launched into on the other end of the call.

"Oh, that's not true," Harper said. "That dress was beautiful. It wasn't doing me a favor when you stepped on it and it ripped resulting in no one seeing it. You're crazy."

After a few more minutes of sparring, Harper ended the call and handed Jared his phone.

"Better?" Jared asked.

"I guess," Harper hedged. "I'm not a big fan of you turning Zander into your ally and my enemy, though. He's my best friend."

"Which means you trust him to tell you the truth when you're still wondering if I'm schmoozing you to boost your ego," Jared said. "It's okay. That's how a relationship works. You look beautiful, though, and I don't want you thinking otherwise."

"And it's just dinner first, right?" Harper pressed. "We don't start the game right away, do we?"

"My understanding is that the game doesn't start right away," Jared replied. "That means you can enjoy your food and get to know everyone without your compet.i.tive side taking over."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You like to win," Jared said. "You can say whatever you want about playing the game because we're guests, but you want to win. I know you."

Harper frowned. "I hardly think ... ."

Jared held up his hand to cut her off. "I want to win, too," he said. "At first I thought the game was going to be a distraction that I didn't want when I could be holed up with you. Now I realize we can do both. With us working as a team, no one is going to be able to touch us."

Harper fought the urge to smile ... and lost. "You know there aren't going to be any real ghosts here to help us win the game, right?"

Jared shrugged. "I know there's a really beautiful woman here to entertain me no matter what, so I think we're going to be okay."

"You're full of charm," Harper said, taking a step toward Jared so she could kiss his cheek. She wiped away her lipstick remains and smiled. "Thank you for being you."

"Oh, no," Jared countered. "Thank you for being you. Now, come on. I could use some appetizers. We worked up an appet.i.te this afternoon."

"That was you," Harper said, laughing as Jared ushered her toward the door. "I've never seen anyone that excited to take a bath before."

"Just wait until it's time to take another one," Jared said. "I'm going to add more bubbles and see where the night takes us. I have a feeling it's going to be soapy Heaven."

"I can live with that."

"WOW," Harper said, exhaling heavily when she got a gander at the busy foyer. "Did you know they were going to invite so many people?"

Jared shrugged as he glanced around the room. "No, but it doesn't surprise me. They have forty rooms, right? This is supposed to be a charity event, so why not fill every room? Josh said that a lot of the people visiting go to murder mystery events all over the place. They treat it like a sport."

"I don't think murder mysteries are a sport," Harper said. "Of course, I don't think NASCAR is a sport either."

"Why not?" Jared asked. "I'm not a big NASCAR fan, but why don't you like it?"

"I don't care about it either way," Harper replied. "It's not a sport, though. It's a hobby. Basketball is a sport. Hockey and tennis are sports. NASCAR is driving. That's not a sport."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jared said, chuckling as he slipped his arm around Harper's waist. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure," Harper said. "I don't want to get drunk in case you try and take advantage of me, but a drink sounds nice."

"I don't need to get you drunk to take advantage of you," Jared scoffed. "I'm hot and manly. You want me to take advantage of you whether alcohol is involved or not."

"Now you sound like Zander," Harper said, smiling at the waiter as he stopped in front of the couple with a tray full of drink choices. "Um ... I just want a simple gla.s.s of wine. Is that what this is?"

The waiter nodded.

Harper took the drink while Jared opted for a whiskey sour. The couple made their way to the far side of the room so they could watch the crowd without feeling overwhelmed. They stood that way for almost ten minutes before Josh approached.

"You guys aren't fighting, are you?"

Jared was surprised. "Why would we be fighting?"

"I don't know," Josh said, his gaze bouncing between Harper and Jared. "I've been watching you. You haven't been talking and you've been paying attention to everyone else."

Jared chuckled. "That's strategy, man," he said. "We're trying to get a feeling for our opponents so we can win. Isn't first prize a weeklong stay in one of the corner suites? Harper loves the tub, by the way. You went above and beyond when giving us a room."

"I'm glad you like it," Josh said, breaking into a wide grin. "I wasn't sure if it would be your thing, but I wanted to give you a fair shot because most women love those rooms."

"It's beautiful," Harper said. "I used to come out here with my friend Zander when I was a teenager. We'd always stare at your house. It sounds weird to say now, but we absolutely loved it."

"Was Zander your boyfriend?" Josh asked.

"He's my best friend," Harper clarified. "We've never dated. We still live together, though."

Josh arched an eyebrow. "Your girlfriend lives with another man and you don't have a problem with it?"

"I don't have a problem with it," Jared said, knowing exactly what Josh was getting at. "He's gay, but that's beside the point. He and Harper are ridiculously close. He's a fun guy except when he's picking on my nipples."

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

"Your nipples?" Josh was puzzled. "Why does he care about your nipples?"

"You would have to meet him to understand," Jared explained. "Now that I know we're so close, hopefully we'll be able to meet up more often. I can come out here and you can come to Whisper Cove and meet Zander."

"Do all of the women in Whisper Cove look like Harper?" Josh looked hopeful.

"Oh, they broke the mold with her," Jared said, sympathetically patting Josh's shoulder. "You're fresh out."

"You are a cold man," Josh said, although his mischievous smile told Harper he was joking. "So, what are you guys doing over here? You know you can mingle with the other guests, right?"

"We're honestly happy watching everyone for right now," Jared replied. "You can learn a lot about a person from seeing how they interact when they think no one is looking."

"That's that cop thing you do," Josh said. "I've never liked it."

"I think it's cute," Harper said, slipping her arm around Jared's waist.

"She thinks it's cute," Jared said, beaming. "I'm going with her take on this, not your take."

"Whatever," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "Did you grow up in Whisper Cove, Harper?"

Harper nodded. "I was born there."

"Did you go to college?"

"I did," Harper confirmed, nodding. "Zander and I went to Central Michigan University together."

"So how did you end up back in Whisper Cove running ghost tours?"

"Oh, um ... ." Harper had no idea how to answer. She didn't want to admit her gift even though she liked Josh because it often made people uncomfortable. She also wasn't keen on lying. "It's one of those things that just happened."

Jared studied her for a moment, his face conflicted. "She's very good at what she does," he said finally. "She and Zander turn it into outright entertainment several times a week."

"So you work and live with Zander?" Josh asked. "That seems a bit ... intense."

"You have no idea," Jared said. "They're extremely loud when they're around one another. I haven't seen them at work often, but I can imagine it gets ... rowdy."

"I'll have you know that Zander and I are professionals," Harper said, making a face. "We don't get rowdy."

"Two nights ago you two came home covered in mud and arguing about nipples," Jared pointed out.

"Your nipples!" Harper's voice carried and a few people shifted their attention, causing Josh and Jared to snicker while Harper's cheeks turned crimson.

"Way to make a scene, Heart," Jared said, squeezing her hip. "If you were trying to go under the radar, I think you just lost your edge."

"Thanks to you," Harper muttered.

"Oh, my poor girl," Jared said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead.

Josh watched, dumbfounded. "You really are off the market, aren't you?"

"I really am," Jared said, guileless. "That's what happens when you find a ... magical ... woman."

"Ugh. You've turned into a schmaltzy schmuck," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "I'm glad you're happy, but come on. What happened to the Jared I used to know? No offense, Harper, but Jared Monroe was quite the lothario back in the day."

"I'll bet," Harper said, smirking. "I could tell the minute I met him that he thought he was something special. He thought I should fall at his feet and worship."

"I didn't think that ... and you kind of did do that all on your own," Jared said.

"Oh, whatever," Harper scoffed.

"Hey, I know what you were thinking the first time you saw me," Jared said. "It was written all over your face."

"I thought you were kind of full of yourself," Harper said.