“Shawn can’t come,” Zander reminded her. “The two months after New Year’s Day are his busiest months. He just opened his gym last year. He can’t rock the boat yet.”
“Is it busy because people make resolutions to lose weight?” Jared asked.
Zander nodded. “Yeah. They make the resolutions, show up to the gym for a couple of weeks, and then go back to their sedentary lives. Shawn makes a lot of money over these two months, though. He can’t just pick up and take off.”
“That’s too bad,” Harper said. “It would’ve been nice to be two couples rather than a threesome, but we will keep his schedule in mind when we go on our next vacation. In fact, there’s this supposedly haunted western town I want to visit at some point. We’ll make sure he comes along on that trip.”
“I’m sure he’ll love that. I will, too. You know how I feel about chaps.”
Harper grinned. “I do. You think they’re underrated.”
“This conversation just took a weird turn,” Jared grumbled, grabbing boxer shorts from the drawer and carrying them toward the suitcase. “Are you packed and ready, Zander? We have to stick to a schedule tomorrow morning, and I’m not opposed to leaving you behind.”
Zander made a hilarious face. “I’m packed. I just have to throw in the last-minute toiletries tomorrow morning.”
“Zander is a master at packing,” Harper explained. “He’s got it down to a science.”
Zander preened under the compliment. “Thank you, Harp. That makes me feel a lot better, especially given the way you two pack. That is honestly on the verge of giving me acid reflux.”
Jared grinned, amused despite himself. “What’s wrong with the way we’re packing?”
“It’s messy and I don’t happen to like messy things.”
“You like me,” Harper argued.
“You’re disheveled, not messy. Jared is messy.”
“Oh, that’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Jared teased, his eyes flashing. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it.”
“You’d better get over it.” Zander squared his shoulders. “Finish your packing. I have all the conference stuff. I figure we can go over it tomorrow morning when we’re waiting for our plane. There’s a lot to get through.”
Jared’s lips twitched as he fought the urge to smile at Zander’s formal tone. “I think that’s a fabulous idea. Let’s plan every single second of our cruise tomorrow morning.”
Zander either missed the sarcasm or opted to ignore it. “Great. I’ll be here at five o’clock in the morning. If you’re late, you’ll be sorry.”
Oddly enough, Jared knew that was true.
WAVES CALMLY ROLLED INTO shore as Rowan Gray sat on the Florida beach and worked on a sandcastle. As the lone photographer on The Bounding Storm, she was expected to be helpful and mature when dealing with guests on the ship. That didn’t extend to her downtime, though, and she was most at home when resting on the sand and collecting her thoughts.
Since a new cruise was leaving the next day, the idea of unwinding held a lot of appeal.
“Hey, Ro.”
She jolted at the new voice, swinging her head quickly. She caught sight of her boyfriend Quinn Davenport despite the limited light and let loose with a shaky sigh as she shook her head. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry.” Quinn, who carried a large folder, kissed her on her head before settling on the sand next to her. “This is a nice castle. I especially like that you found rocks to use for the turrets.”
“Those are tiny shells.”
“They’re still pretty.”
Rowan smiled as she gazed at her masterpiece. “Yeah. I should be a castle designer. I don’t suppose there’s much use for those in these parts, is there?”
Quinn didn’t immediately shoot down the idea. “I don’t know. There might be something to that idea. I’ll have to think on it.”
Rowan snickered at his serious response. “You do that.”
They lapsed into amiable silence, Rowan returning to her castle as Quinn got comfortable. They were dealing with a lot as of late, including the fact that Rowan’s father — a man previously thought dead — was suddenly back in their lives. He was living in Florida, hiding in a house on the beach with his brother Nick, and waiting for Quinn to come up with a plan to unveil his miraculous resurrection.
That was a plan that needed more time to percolate, so Nick and Paul were laying low until an opportunity presented itself.
“What do you have there?” Rowan asked, noticing the folder resting on Quinn’s legs. “Is something wrong?”
“This?” Quinn arched an eyebrow. “This is your performance review. I have to fill it out. I thought you might want to take the opportunity to bribe me with kisses and some heavy breathing before I started coloring in rating bubbles.”
Rowan stilled, surprised. “I get performance reviews?” She looked horrified by the prospect. “I didn’t know that. Geez. I’ve been so distracted lately that I’ll probably lose my job.”
Quinn instantly regretted making the joke. “You don’t get performance reviews. I was trying to manipulate you into making out with me. It was a joke.”
“Oh.” Rowan was momentarily placated. “Sorry I ruined your joke.”
“Yes, well, it was a lame joke.” His lips curved as he patted the sand next to him. “Come on. I do actually have something to talk to you about.”
Rowan’s worry kicked into overdrive again. He sounded serious. “Is this bad? Wait ... did you hear from my father? He didn’t leave again, did he?”
Quinn internally cursed his stupidity. “No, Ro. This is about tomorrow’s cruise. I want to talk to you about work stuff.”
“Oh.” Rowan was sheepish. “I probably should’ve expected that, huh? I mean ... we do work together.”
“We also play together.” Quinn slid his arm around her slim back and tucked her in at his side. “It’s just ... this cruise is different from most of the others. I think it’s going to affect you more than everyone else on the ship.”
The remark caught Rowan off guard. “How?”
“Well, for starters, it’s a paranormal conference.”
Rowan had no idea what to make of that. “Meaning?”
“Ghost hunters. Clairvoyants. Psychics. Fortune tellers. It’s all people who work in the paranormal business.”
“Oh.” Instead of letting the worry Quinn was convinced would overtake her get a foothold, Rowan brightened considerably. “It’s all people like me.”
“There is no one like you,” Quinn countered. “For starters, I think the bulk of the people on this cruise are going to be shysters. We’re talking fakes here, Ro. These are people who scam money out of other people by saying they have magical powers.”
Since Rowan saw omens in her camera, she wasn’t as ready as Quinn to dismiss the possibility of other people boasting legitimate magical abilities. “You don’t know. There could be people with legitimate gifts coming, too.”
“There could,” he conceded. “The thing is, everyone is going to be claiming they can do something. If all the people who claim it could actually do it, we would live in a very different world.
“It’s been my experience that those who really have abilities try to hide them,” he continued. “If someone volunteers that they’re magical to you, I don’t want you saying ‘I’m magical, too’ right back. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Rowan snickered at his serious expression. “Oh, so you don’t want me to wear my big ‘I can predict your death with my camera’ sign. That’s probably a good idea.”
“Ha, ha.” Quinn poked her side. “I’m serious. I don’t want you volunteering your secret to just anybody. You’re safe right now, despite what’s going on with your father. I want things to stay that way. That means you keep your secret to yourself, especially on this trip.”
“Because you believe these people are all charlatans,” Rowan mused.
“Because I believe that
you’re the most important thing in the world to me and I want to cover our bases,” he corrected. “It’s not that I think you’ll recklessly spread your secret. It’s just ... it’s going to seem like you have something in common with all these people. That’s simply not the truth.”
“Because you think they’re all liars.”
“Maybe not all of them,” he hedged. “The bulk of them, though, I think are unlikely to be telling the truth.”
Rowan wanted to argue the point with him, but she understood what he was saying. He was approaching her from a position of worry. He loved her enough that her safety was his primary concern. That was a miraculous thing to her even months after they professed their love.
“I’ll be careful,” she promised, making up her mind on the spot. She spent years hiding her secret. That wasn’t suddenly going to change because The Bounding Storm was hosting a paranormal cruise. She wasn’t that stupid. “No one will figure out what I can do. You have my word.”
“Good.” He pressed his lips to her neck. “Now, let’s go back to talking about the castles. What kind of castle would you want us to live in?”
Rowan giggled at the silly conversation. “I’m thinking Scottish instead of Disney. That’s just me, though. I prefer ambiance over cartoons.”
“I’m right there with you, sweetie. A Scottish castle it is.”
Two
“Wow.”
Harper’s succinct reaction to boarding The Bounding Storm made Jared smile as he put his hand on the small of her back and prodded her toward guest check-in the next afternoon.
“Come on,” he said, his lips curving. “Once we find our room and get settled, I’m thinking there has to be a coconut drink in your future.”
Harper’s grin only widened. “Yeah. I just ... this ship is amazing.” She spun around so she could take it all in. “I mean ... really, really amazing.”
“You’re amazing.” Lust stole over Jared’s handsome face as he leaned closer to her and pressed a kiss to her mouth.
Zander, who had been trailing behind them, took the opportunity to push between them. “None of that.” He wrinkled his nose at the annoyed look on Jared’s face. “I’m not spending this entire trip watching you two fawn over each other. It’s not going to happen.”
Jared groaned. “Then I’ll get you a blindfold.”
“Or you could simply stop being romantic idiots.”
“No way.” Jared, who was used to arguing with Zander on a daily basis, refused to back down. “This is our first vacation together.”
Zander was having none of it. “It is not. You went to that hotel where your friend’s stepmother was killing people. You went to that asylum island together. Oh, and we went up to Shadow Lake and picked mushrooms. Those were all technically vacations.”
The look Jared shot Zander was withering. “None of those count as vacations.”
“Especially the asylum,” Harper interjected. “We almost died there.”
“And it was creepy and there was nothing romantic about it,” Jared added. “I might be willing to give you Shadow Lake, but that turned into a murder investigation, too. As for the trip to the Harsens Island hotel ... that was kind of a mixed bag.”
“It was a vacation,” Zander insisted.
“We ended up fighting for our lives.”
“It was still a vacation.” Zander wasn’t the type to cede an argument ... ever. “You had breakfast in bed. I know because Harper Skyped me from bed and I saw the trays.”
“And we’re done talking about this,” Harper muttered when Jared’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Come on.” She tugged on her fiancé’s arm. “Let’s check in and get our room. After that, I want to explore.”
Jared looked torn, as if he was having a hard time deciding if he wanted to rip Zander apart or return to being romantic. Finally, he slipped an arm around Harper’s shoulders and smiled indulgently at her. “Room and then exploring. Whatever you want.”
“Ugh.” Zander made a face. “What about what I want?”
Jared glowered at him. “I knew it was going to be a mistake for us to make this trip together without Shawn. You’re going to be a pain the entire time, aren’t you?”
Zander’s lip curled into a sneer. “Oh, you have no idea. You’d better prepare yourself.”
That was exactly what Jared was afraid of.
THE BACKDROP IN THE Bounding Storm’s lobby featured the inside of a haunted ghost ship. It was dark, dreary, and atmospheric ... and Rowan absolutely loved it. She was having a field day taking photos of the paranormal enthusiasts serving as guests this trip.
She loved their energy and the fact that they weren’t apologetic for believing in “out there” things. People asked her how many ghosts she’d seen on the ship, which part of the ship was supposed to be the most haunted, and whether or not she’d ever seen haunted mermaids reaching up from the water at night.
She absolutely loved the cruise and they hadn’t even set sail yet.
Quinn found her there after completing his initial sweep of the deck. He thought she might be bored of taking posed photos, but he was proven wrong when he heard her laughter from across the room. She sounded absolutely delighted, so he leaned against a wall and watched her for a bit.
He had no idea who the man standing in front of the backdrop was. He wore dark blue chinos and a polo shirt. He had a mask in his hand — if Quinn had to guess, it was the one from the Halloween movies, but he couldn’t be sure — and he was making exaggerated hand movements so he looked menacing in the photo. Quinn could do nothing but shake his head as he watched his girlfriend work her magic.
He was so lost in thought — and love, for that matter — he almost didn’t notice the trio of people leaving the desk until they were almost on top of him. The tall blonde between the two men looked exasperated, but it was nothing compared to the dark looks on the two men’s faces as they headed toward the elevator together.
“I don’t see why you insisted on rooms at the opposite end of the hallway, Jared,” the darker of the two men complained, his tone whiny. “Now I’m going to have to walk a mile if I want to see Harper.”
“That’s why I insisted on the distance,” the other man said, his hand on the blonde’s back. “There’s no need for you to constantly be in our room, Zander. If you and Harper want to run all over the ship together, that’s fine. I think there should be rules about who is allowed in whose room while we’re here, though.”
“Oh, I do, too,” the first man said, annoyance evident. “For example, you’re not allowed in my room at all because I don’t want to catch your killjoy cooties.”
“I’m fine with that,” the man referred to as Jared drawled. “You’re banned from our room, too.”
“Ugh.” The blonde slapped her hand to her head. “This is going to be a really long trip, isn’t it? Here I thought we were going to have sun and fun. Now I think it’s going to be all drama and theatrics.”
“It’s going to be fine.” Jared was calm as he slowed his pace in front of the backdrop. “In fact ... let’s get our photo taken.”
The woman followed his gaze, surprised. “You want to get your photo taken with me?”
Jared nodded. “Yeah. I think it will be fun.”
“And me, too, right?” Zander pressed. “You want me to be in the photo with you, don’t you, Jared?”
Quinn’s lips curved at the scowl on Jared’s face. That was obviously the last thing Jared wanted.
“If we get a group photo, will you give us a full hour in our room before you go all Zander and bother us?” Jared challenged.
“I don’t know what ‘going all Zander’ is, but one would think you’d want to embrace something like that because I’m a delightful person.”
Jared didn’t back down. “One hour.”
“Fine.” Zander’s eyes flashed. “I want to be the center of attention in the photo, though.”
“Of course you do.”
THE SHIP SET SAIL AT
THE scheduled time, which to Quinn’s way of thinking was a modern miracle. The guests for this particular cruise weren’t exactly the timely sort. Of course, he felt bad for thinking something so judgmental after the fact. Just because the entire ship was filled with ghost hunters and those who believed in paranormal phenomena didn’t mean they were crazy. Of all people, he should realize that the world wasn’t always black and white ... especially since his girlfriend saw death omens in photographs.
Speaking of the woman in question, Quinn tracked her down once they were safely at sea. He wasn’t surprised to find her at the tiki bar on the deck. She was safely tucked away in the corner, enjoying the shade and an iced tea as she connected her camera to her laptop.
“Hey, Ro.” Quinn dropped a kiss on the top of her head before sliding into the chair across from her. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“You can’t have been looking too hard,” she teased, amused despite herself. “I’ve been in the lobby and on the deck. I haven’t wandered anywhere else.”
“I saw you in the lobby.”
“I know you saw me in the lobby.” Her smile didn’t fade. “You watched me for a good thirty minutes. It was a little intense.”
“Maybe I just like watching the way you work,” Quinn suggested. “Have you ever considered that?”
“I think you stopped by because you were worried that the ghost hunters would get me to spill the beans about a certain secret.”
“You told me you have no intention of spilling the beans. I believe you.”
Rowan chuckled, the sound low and throaty. “I meant it. I’m not going to say a word about what I can do. I don’t think it would be appropriate ... or smart. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I’m glad.” He pursed his lips as he regarded her. “I’m not trying to be bossy, by the way. I’m simply trying to protect you.”
“I know that.” Rowan sincerely meant it. “You don’t have to worry about me on this one. I’m having a good time because the guests are fun. That doesn’t mean I’m going to lose my head and blurt out random and interesting facts about my life.”
Wicked Ghostly Seas: A Rowan Gray, Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery Omnibus Page 41
