Ghostly Despair (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 10)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Jared rested his forehead against hers and smiled. “I think that’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  “That goes for both of us.”

  Eleven

  Jared woke in his favorite position. He was on his back, naked, and Harper was sleeping with her head on his chest. His arm was wrapped snugly around her slim back, and he was of the mind that nothing was better than a morning spent exactly like this.

  Things only got better when Harper stirred.

  “Morning.” She was something of a slow starter, always taking time to stretch and snuggle close rather than immediately hop out of bed. Jared had no complaints, because this was the most relaxed he’d felt since Quinn Jackson turned back up in their lives.

  “Good morning, Heart.” Jared gave her a soft kiss. “How did you sleep?”

  “Hard. How did you sleep?”

  “Good.” It was the truth. Unlike the previous evening, Jared was down for the count the moment his head hit the pillow. “I felt you next to me the entire night, so it was nice.”

  “Aren’t I next to you every night?”

  “Yeah. I like it, though.”

  “I like it, too.” Harper propped herself on an elbow and rested her hand on his bare chest as she studied him. “Are you feeling better about everything else?”

  Thanks to the bright sunshine filtering through the window, Jared’s reddening cheeks were on full display. “I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have let it get to me.”

  “You have a right to be upset. I should’ve taken your feelings into consideration. It’s just ... I love you so much. It never occurred to me that you wouldn’t magically know that.”

  “I did know it. I simply needed to be reminded of it.”

  “Well, consider yourself reminded.” Harper smacked a loud kiss against the corner of his mouth at the same moment his stomach elicited a rather exaggerated growl. “Wow. Someone is hungry.”

  “I worked up an appetite last night.”

  “Who didn’t?” Harper’s grin was bright and lazy. “How does a quick shower — together, of course — sound? I figure, by the time we’re done, Zander will have breakfast ready.”

  “How do you know Zander is cooking breakfast?”

  “He’ll want to make up for our fight last night.”

  “You didn’t really allow him to turn it into a fight. You kind of cut him off at the knees.”

  “That’s because he’s being ridiculous.”

  As much as he didn’t want to fight, Jared felt the need to stand up for Zander. “He’s worried about you. Maybe not for the same reasons I am, but he’s worried all the same. He shouldn’t be penalized for that.”

  Harper widened her eyes to saucer-like proportions. “Since when are you standing up for Zander?”

  “Since I understand a bit of what he’s feeling. I know you want to believe Quinn because the alternative is something you simply don’t want to deal with, but I don’t know that I believe his motivations are as altruistic as he pretends.”

  Instead of snapping, or offering words that would start a fight, Harper merely cocked her head. “I’m assuming you have a reason for thinking this.”

  “Several.”

  “Then I want to hear them.” Harper gave him another kiss before rolling away. “After we’ve showered, though. I’m hungry, too. We’ll talk about it over breakfast. For now, let’s spend a little quality time together in the shower.”

  Jared’s smile was so wide it almost split his entire face. “That’s always the perfect way to start the day in my book.”

  “I happen to wholeheartedly agree.”

  “SO, WAIT ... QUINN HELPED that woman out of her car after she was in a serious accident and then left her by the side of the road to call for help on her own?” Shawn, his hair still mussed from sleep, sipped his coffee as Zander toiled behind the counter island.

  Even though Harper was convinced Zander would want to play nice this morning, she found she was wrong. Her best friend was still holding a grudge, although it wasn’t overtly on display for everyone to uncomfortably absorb.

  “Basically,” Jared confirmed.

  “He told me about that,” Harper protested. “He didn’t hide it. He said he thought Mel would be the one called to the scene and that he wanted to see me before anyone else had the chance to break the news that he was alive. He said he panicked. I don’t think he did a good thing, but it’s hardly the end of the world.”

  “My problem with that is he only told you after I questioned him about it over breakfast,” Jared argued, a mug of coffee clutched tightly in his hands. “I’m betting he didn’t tell you about that.”

  “On the contrary. He did tell me about that. He said you guys had a decent if somewhat stressful conversation.”

  Jared’s eyebrows migrated north. “He told you?”

  “He did.”

  Jared rubbed his chin, considering. “I’m actually surprised he said anything. Maybe I was wrong about him.”

  “I don’t think it’s that you’re wrong,” Harper hedged. “I think it’s that you’re antsy because of the other stuff. You don’t need to worry, though. I told you last night, you’re the only one for me.”

  “You did tell me that,” Jared agreed, lowering his forehead so he could rub his nose against hers. “I appreciate the sentiment and feel the same way.”

  “Oh, welcome to Barfsville,” Zander intoned, rolling his eyes as he flipped hash browns with a spatula. “I’m so glad you guys are gooey and in love again — no, really, I was a little worried Jared would swallow his feelings for so long he would explode, but I’m no longer fearful that will happen — but I think you guys are missing the obvious problem here.”

  “What’s the obvious problem?” Shawn asked.

  “Quinn very clearly wants to play the victim,” Zander replied. “He waited until right after Jared left his hotel to track us down, then he did his ‘woe is me’ whine to tug on Harper’s heartstrings — and of course she can’t turn her back because the dude was technically dead to us forty-eight hours ago — and then he decided to put her in a position where she would ultimately have to choose sides between him and Jared.”

  Harper balked. “He did not.”

  “No? I heard him talking to Eric when you were ordering sandwiches for lunch with Molly,” Zander argued. “He wanted to know what Eric thought about Jared.”

  “I didn’t hear that.”

  “You were busy deciding between roast beef and turkey. He wanted to know what Eric thought about Jared, whether he was good for you or not, and he couched it in a way that he was simply looking out for your best interests.”

  “That’s kind of weird,” Jared admitted after a beat. “He acted differently with me at the hotel. He said he wasn’t interested in driving a wedge between us because he had something going on with a woman back in New York.”

  “He did?” Harper had no idea what to make of that particular tidbit. After a few moments of contemplation, she decided it was a good thing. “That’s probably for the best. He’s not here for me. He’s here to make sure I’m okay and no longer wondering what happened to him. It’s been years. Feelings change.”

  “Yes, but he’s acting like a jealous boyfriend.” Zander, in no mood to cede a fight, was like an angry dog with a bone. “He plays all nice and sweet in front of you, he tries to make Jared think he’s not a threat, and then he acts all coy when questioning Eric. That’s a pattern.”

  “I’m not sure I see the pattern,” Shawn admitted. “To me, he sounds like a guy who is struggling to come to terms with a few things. I mean ... think about it. What if you were in an accident today and disappeared for five years? What if I stayed behind, mourned, and then moved on?

  “Now, you could move to another city and find someone to date because you don’t remember the life you’ve left behind, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t always feel something was missing,” he continued. “Then, when those memories came back, the feelings did, to
o. The thing is, it’s not normal feelings because time hasn’t passed the same way for you.

  “Sure, five years have passed, and you remember those five years, but when the past slaps you upside the head, all those emotions and memories are like a train that you can’t outrun,” he said. “Maybe Quinn is simply trying to come to grips with what he lost — including his mother — and he’s not making the best decisions. I’m not sure any of us could say we would do better in the exact same situation.”

  “I agree with Shawn,” Harper said. “I don’t think Quinn is here to hurt anyone.”

  “There is one other thing I’ve yet to tell you,” Jared noted. “I don’t know if it will change your mind, but it gives me pause.”

  “Do I even want to know?”

  “I want to know,” Zander snapped. “Tell me what that evil freak has done now.”

  Harper bit back a sigh as she rubbed her forehead, earning a sympathetic look from Jared as he ran his hand over her back in a soothing manner.

  “You never asked, so I didn’t volunteer this information sooner, but there was a reason I came looking for you the day Quinn showed up.”

  Harper stilled, surprised. “Huh. I never even thought about that. You didn’t have a reason to be out in the cornfield that day.”

  “Actually, I did.” Jared sucked in a bracing breath. “When we were at the hospital investigating Judy Lange’s death — this was when we still thought her name was Vicky Thompson — we watched video of the front door.

  “The hospital doesn’t have camera footage of every floor, which is too bad, because it would be saving us a lot of grief right about now,” he continued. “They do over the front door, though, and one of the people who entered the building long after visiting hours were over was a man I didn’t recognize ... but Mel did.”

  Zander snapped his fingers in a loud and aggressive manner. “Quinn!”

  Jared nodded. “It was him, and he entered the hospital, stayed for about twenty-five minutes, and then left.”

  Harper was dumbfounded. “What did he say he was doing?”

  “He said he was instructed to check in with the local hospital because his memory issues could cause headaches and stuff,” Jared replied. “He said he was doing that.”

  “In the middle of the night?” Shawn, who had previously been on Quinn’s side, was clearly waffling. “That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

  “It doesn’t make sense to me either,” Jared said. “I mean ... isn’t that something you would do during the day? You know, when a doctor was actually at the hospital and available for a consultation.”

  Harper’s bafflement was on full display. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  “I know what to say to it,” Zander said without hesitation. “Clearly Quinn and Judy Lange were in cahoots.”

  Amused despite himself, Jared grinned over the rim of his coffee mug. “Cahoots? I don’t believe I’ve heard that word in a very long time. I’m pretty sure the last time was during Beverly Hillbillies reruns.”

  “Oh, laugh if you must, but I know what I’m talking about,” Zander drawled. “Quinn miraculously saved her from a car accident in the same place he supposedly died years ago? I don’t believe it. Then he was at the hospital when she died. I bet they were doing something illegal.”

  “What?” Shawn asked, legitimately curious.

  “I have no idea. Maybe they were plotting murders or selling drugs. Oh, maybe Quinn is forming his own prostitution ring.”

  “Yes, that sounds exactly like him,” Harper said dryly.

  “You don’t really know him,” Zander pointed out. “He’s been gone from your life for a very long time. The last time you saw him, you were twenty-two years old. You were an idiot.”

  “Thank you, Zander.”

  “Hey, I was an idiot at that age, too. You were a kid, though. That’s the point. You’re an adult now. You’re much smarter than you used to be. You should recognize he’s up to something.”

  “I’m not sure I believe that,” Harper hedged, risking a glance at Jared. “I’m willing to consider it, though. I promise I’ll be careful. Heck, I’ll even try to get some information out of him if he stops by again.”

  “Are you going to seek him out?” Jared asked. It was a pointed question, but he had to know.

  “No.” Harper shook her head, firm. “I don’t want to hurt his feelings or anything, but now that I know the truth, I’m okay if he wants to leave and head back to his life in New York. We can email occasionally, keep up on each other’s lives. I don’t see our day-to-day activities overlapping, though.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.”

  “I figured you would be.” Harper gave Jared a loud kiss before turning her head to the front door as the bell chimed. “Who would be visiting this early in the morning on a work day?”

  “It’s probably Quinn stopping by to be a total gentleman,” Zander drawled.

  “Or it’s my mother coming by with more turkey directions,” Harper shot back, slowly getting to her feet. “I’ll get the door. You’d better have my breakfast ready when I get back. I can’t hold out much longer.”

  “I’m not your slave,” Zander called to her back.

  “You’re going to be the guy I wrestle down and tickle until he gives in and apologizes once Shawn and Jared leave for the day,” Harper supplied. “You have that to look forward to.”

  Amused by the interaction, Jared pursed his lips as Zander stewed next to the stove. Equally delighted, Shawn watched his boyfriend mutter under his breath and curse a bevy of different people. The situation was so funny, Jared barely glanced at the door when Harper returned. He did a huge double take, though, when he realized she wasn’t alone.

  “Quinn,” Jared said quickly, the knots between his shoulder blades immediately returning. “I didn’t know you were stopping by this morning.”

  “I didn’t know you were going to be here either,” Quinn said, an air of innocence swirling around him. “I don’t want to interrupt or anything, but I was up and saw the lights. I figured Harper wouldn’t mind catching up a bit.”

  “You were up and noticed the lights on a street that only has two houses?” Zander challenged. “That sounds completely plausible.”

  Harper shot him a warning look. “It’s perfectly fine,” she said. “We’re just hanging around this morning. I don’t think we’re going into the office. Jared and Shawn have to leave for work in a little bit, but Zander and I are going to be lazy.”

  “I’m not going to be lazy,” Zander argued. “We have shopping to do for Thanksgiving. You can’t be lazy when there’s shopping to do.”

  Harper made a face. “We already did our shopping.”

  “We’re not done. I told you we wouldn’t be able to escape with only one trip.”

  “But ... what do we need? I double and triple checked our list.”

  “We need oysters, fresh bread chunks for stuffing, filling for blueberry pie ... and other stuff.”

  Harper was instantly suspicious. “Since when do we have blueberry pie for Thanksgiving?”

  “Since Jared made a special request,” Zander replied, not missing a beat.

  Harper slowly slid her eyes to her boyfriend. “You made a special request for a blueberry pie, huh?”

  He hadn’t. Jared was a big fan of Zander’s blueberry pie, but he was fine with pumpkin for the holiday. Still, since Zander was a master at irritating people and Quinn was high on his current list of enemies, Jared didn’t want to alienate the man. “I did.”

  “See?” Zander sneered.

  “Well, you don’t need me for shopping,” Harper said. “I can stay here with Quinn while you’re handling the pre-holiday hordes.”

  Jared inserted himself into the conversation before he thought better about doing it. “I’m actually going to take the day off work, so we can all hang together.”

  Harper was beyond confused. “I’m sorry but ... what?”

  “I’m hanging
around the house,” Jared repeated. “We have stuff to talk about for the move and I would love to spend quality time with Quinn so ... yeah, I’m hanging here for the day.”

  Quinn, clearly uncomfortable, shuffled from one foot to the other. “I feel as if I’ve interrupted something.”

  “You have,” Zander said pointedly. “You should probably leave while we sort it out.”

  “Zander!” Harper was horrified by her friend’s manners. “Don’t talk to him that way.”

  “I’m not talking to him any particular way,” Zander sniffed. “I’m merely stating a fact. We have a lot going on here. Now is not the best time for him to stop in unannounced.”

  Quinn read the obvious signals. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have stopped without calling first.”

  “I’m always right,” Zander grumbled.

  “I’ll run out and handle my own errands for a bit, leave you guys to ... whatever it is you have planned for the day. I’ll call you later, Harper. Maybe we can meet up for coffee or something.”

  Harper nodded, resigned. “That would be nice. I’m sorry about all of this.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Quinn appeared eager to escape the house. “I’ll … um ... be in touch.”

  Harper waited for the sound of the front door closing before exploding. “What the heck was that?”

  Jared and Zander adopted twin looks of innocence.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jared offered. “I was simply making plans for my day. Now, where is that breakfast? I don’t have a lot of time before I have to get to work.”

  Harper wrinkled her forehead as she absorbed the change of plans. If she thought Jared was simply over the possibility of being displaced by Quinn — something that was absolutely ludicrous — she was sadly mistaken. Things were nowhere near being fixed, and wouldn’t be as long as Quinn was a force in their lives.

  “I’m hungry, too,” she said finally. “I’m going to need my strength if I plan on surviving the grocery store this time of year.”