Ghostly Issues (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 2) (2 page)

“Do you remember when I said that we were going to rule the retirement center when we were old and gray?” Zander asked three hours later, leaning over Harper’s desk at their office in Whisper Cove with a disgusted look on his face.

Harper grimaced as she lifted her leg and studied the torn knee of her blue jeans. The takedown was a little rougher than she imagined. Still, at the end of the day, they accomplished their task and secured payment. She had no idea why Zander was so irritated. “Yes. It was a beautiful sentiment.”

“I take it back,” Zander hissed. “I don’t want to be friends with you when I’m old. You’re going to make all of my hair fall out if you keep up with your current attitude – and no one wants that!”

“I think you would look hot with a bald head,” Molly offered, settling in the chair across from Harper’s desk. “You would look like Lex Luthor … only hot.”

Zander couldn’t decide if he wanted to preen under the compliment or continue yelling. He opted to do both. “Of course I would be sexy with a bald head,” he said. “No one is disputing that. My head is very smooth and being bald would make me look distinguished. I still don’t want to be bald. All that scalp moisturizing would be way too much upkeep.”

“Says the guy who waxes his chest,” Harper muttered.

“Don’t push me, Harp,” Zander warned, swiveling so he was facing his best friend again. “Why did you do it?”

Harper pretended she didn’t understand the question. “Do what?”

“Don’t act innocent with me. You know darned well what I’m talking about.”

“I’m afraid I can’t recall doing anything that would upset you,” Harper said, gritting her teeth as she tenderly touched the skin around her scraped knee. “Molly, could you get me the first aid kit?”

Molly obediently nodded, her bright blue hair bobbing. Molly changed her hair color – and style – on a regular basis. She was threatening a Mohawk – which Zander vetoed because he thought it was an affront to hairstyles of the past, present, and future – but the blue color was a recent change. Harper thought it washed her skin out, but it wasn’t her place to voice that. Molly wanted to feel in control of something – after being drugged, locked in a car trunk, and left for dead caused her to feel control over nothing – so she was being bolder with her look. Harper thought it was a healthy way to rebel.

“I’m not joking with you, Harper,” Zander said, pounding his fist against the top of the desk. “You ran out into that hallway and the ghost avoided the dreamcatcher trap after I threw it – like I told you would happen – and then you were left exposed.”

The dreamcatchers were an invention that allowed Harper to expend her limited mental energies – she only had special power where ghosts were concerned – and direct them to the other side. She had no idea how she did it, learning the first time via a happy accident, but now it was a regular offering at GHI. She enjoyed doing it because, however fleeting, the glimpse at a better place always warmed her. Zander didn’t understand because he couldn’t see the other world.

“I’m fine,” Harper said. “You can see me here, can’t you? I’m not dead.”

“You got slammed into a wall and the only reason you’re still here and not buried under a mountain of terribly tacky 1970s decorations is because I ran out into the hallway and threw the dreamcatcher directly on top of you,” Zander argued. “If we stuck to your plan you’d probably be dead.”

“I’m fine. You’re fine. Everyone is fine.”

Zander threw up his hands in frustration. “I know why you’re doing this,” he said. “You’re feeling reckless because you think Jared dumped you and walked away. That’s not what happened. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get over it!”

“I told you not to bring up
his
name,” Harper hissed. “I don’t want to talk about Jared Monroe.”

“Oh, Harp, the only thing you want to do is fixate on Jared,” Zander said. “I can’t wait until he gets back to town and you realize just how much you’ve been acting like a lunatic. It’s so … annoying.”

“You’re annoying!”

“I’m rubber and you’re glue … .”

“Okay,” Molly said, holding up her hands to still the argument and stepping between Zander and the desk. “Why don’t you go and … help Eric with the tech from today’s job, Zander?”

Zander frowned. “I’m nowhere near done yelling at Harper yet.”

“You guys live together, though,” Molly pointed out. “Wouldn’t it be more fun to yell at her when you’re home? I know it would be more fun for me.”

“How? You don’t live with us. You wouldn’t be able to hear it.”

“Exactly,” Molly said. “Just … leave me alone with Harper for a few minutes. I’ll bandage up her knee while you two cool down. In a half hour you won’t even remember why you were sniping at each other.”

“I’ll remember,” Zander announced, moving toward the back of the office. “I’ll remember forever the day that I saved Harper from certain death and she didn’t even thank me for it.”

“Thank you, Zander!” Harper screeched at his back.

“You’re welcome!”

“THAT
was … interesting,” Molly said a few minutes later, wisely opting to give Harper space to collect her breath – and rein in her anger – before treating her knee. “Are you going to kick me if I try to help you?”

Harper frowned. “Of course not.”

Molly arched a challenging eyebrow. “Are you sure? You just kicked Zander and he was trying to help you. I’m not in the mood to be kicked.”

Harper sighed, resigned, and leaned back in her chair so she could study the ceiling. “I’m sorry if you and Eric are tired of listening to Zander and me fight. It’s just … we’re going through a rough patch right now.”

“I don’t think Zander is the one having a rough patch,” Molly pointed out. “I think you’re the one having a rough patch because of the whole Jared thing.”

“I don’t want to hear his name!”

“Well, I’m not in middle school so I don’t play that game,” Molly countered, dabbing some peroxide on a cotton ball and gingerly pressing it to Harper’s torn skin. “When was the last time you had a tetanus shot? I don’t want you to get lockjaw and die. Well … the lockjaw actually wouldn’t be so bad right about now.”

“I had one six months ago. I’m fine.”

“You keep saying that you’re fine, but I’m not sure you really are,” Molly said. “In fact, if I had to put a name to what you’re feeling, I think the correct one would be hurt.”

“That’s preposterous.”

Molly pursed her lips and continued cleaning Harper’s wound. “Zander loves you more than anything and he’s really upset,” she said. “What you did today was stupid. We all saw it. I have no idea why you’re denying it.”

“I … something had to be done.” Harper was flustered. “What should we have done?”

“Figured out another way to draw Dennis into the dreamcatcher,” Molly replied, not missing a beat. “There were several other options. You could’ve tossed the dreamcatcher out into the middle of the hallway and then raced back to be with Zander, for one. Instead you decided to take on an angry ghost by yourself, and the only rationale I can come up with is that you wanted to … feel … something.”

“Are you taking psychology classes again this semester?”

Now it was Molly’s turn to frown. “You’ve been lashing out at people for days now,” she said. “You can say it’s not because of Jared, but we all know it is. Maybe if you talk about it … .”

Harper cut Molly off. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. “We shared exactly one kiss and two flirty calls and then he left town. It’s not like he was my boyfriend. I have absolutely no reason to be angry with him. He didn’t promise me anything.”

“That doesn’t mean that cutting off contact between the two of you didn’t hurt your feelings,” Molly chided. “It’s okay to have feelings. It’s okay to be upset. You’re entitled to feel how you feel. Jared made a stupid decision. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you.”

“I know exactly what it means,” Harper said. “It means he’s changed his mind.”

Molly knit her eyebrows together. “How do you figure that?”

“Once he spent a few days away he realized I was too much work and he doesn’t want to date the freak who can see ghosts. It’s pretty obvious what happened.”

“I think you’re making a very broad leap there,” Molly said. “Maybe he was just busy taking care of his mother. Did you ever think of that?”

“Yes. That’s what got me through the first five days. The second five days were different. I couldn’t keep lying to myself that he was too busy to send a ten-second text.”

“I … .” Molly didn’t know what to say. “Harper, you know that I saw you and Jared together the day it … happened, right?” She didn’t want to talk about her ordeal so she cleared her throat and moved on. “He didn’t seem like a guy who was going to change his mind. In fact, he seemed thrilled to be around you. He was excited. I think you should wait to talk to him before you convince yourself of the worst possible scenario.”

“Whatever,” Harper said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I know the truth. You don’t want to hurt my feelings so you’re telling me what you think I want to hear. I’m over Jared Monroe. I barely liked him anyway.”

Molly didn’t believe that for a second. She’d never seen her boss show interest in a man until Jared walked into her life. She didn’t think now was the time to press the issue, though. “Well, if that’s your decision, then I’m not going to try and change your mind,” she said.

“That’s good. It can’t be changed.”

“Do you want to hear about me?” Molly asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Always,” Harper said. “What’s new with you?”

“I’ve finally decided to ask Eric out,” Molly replied. “I’m going to do it today … or maybe tomorrow if I can’t get my courage up.”

Harper’s blue eyes widened. “Seriously? I thought you were going to let him come to you. That’s a big change in strategy.” Molly had boasted a crush on Eric since the first day she was hired as an intern. Eric, in turn, had a crush on Harper and barely knew Molly was alive – except when she irritated him. Everyone ignored the dueling crush situation and pretended it wasn’t happening … until now apparently.

“If I’ve learned anything from what happened to me it’s that I don’t want to wait for Eric to come to me,” Molly replied. “I’m going to ask him out. If he doesn’t want to do it, well, at least I’ll know and I can move on. I don’t want to live in limbo. I want to try to find someone who will make me happy.”

“Good for you.”

“WHY
is Harper being such a pill?” Eric asked, moving to Zander’s side and watching Harper and Molly chat in the next room. “She’s been extremely crabby the past few days.”

“I would say it’s PMS, but that was last week,” Zander answered, causing Eric to grimace and squirm. “She’s upset and taking it out on me because she knows I’ll always forgive her.”

“You don’t look like you want to forgive her.”

“It’s not on top of my to-do list right now,” Zander admitted. “I know she’s hurt and upset, but … she’s being a real B-I-T-C-H.”

“Why are you spelling?” Eric asked, glancing around.

“Harper doesn’t like it when I say that word in conjunction with her attitude,” Zander explained. “I started spelling it when we were in high school sometimes to make her laugh. Now I kind of want to punch her with it.”

Eric raised his eyebrows. “This must be serious. You two never fight for more than a few hours.”

“That’s because she’s turning into the Devil.”

“Do you really think it’s about that cop dumping her?” Eric asked, his eyes trained on Harper as she and Molly whispered to one another. “Do you think she’s … vulnerable?”

Zander flicked Eric’s ear. “I think you’re barking up the wrong tree,” he said. “I know that look on your face. Harper and Jared didn’t break up. Jared had to leave town to take care of his mother. Harper is making a mountain out of a molehill. She always does. The second she sees Jared again they’re going to be smacking lips and rattling headboards. Mark my words.”

“So maybe I should ask her out before Jared gets back to town,” Eric mused. “Now could be the perfect time for me to slide in and charm her.”

“You’re an idiot,” Zander said. “No offense, man, but you don’t have a shot.”

“Why not?” Eric looked pained.

“Because Harper has a thing for Jared,” Zander answered. “I haven’t seen her react to a man in that manner in … years. In fact, everything else I’ve ever seen her do regarding a man has been lame in comparison to Jared.”

“Yes, but … if we go out she might realize Jared is all wrong for her,” Eric suggested. “She’ll realize I’m the one for her and forget all about him.”

“I like you, Eric,” Zander said, choosing his words carefully. “You’re not right for Harper, though. Jared is right for her. She’s going to realize that the second he comes back to town.”

“Not if I go out with her first.”

“She won’t go out with you,” Zander said. “She’ll find a nice way to let you down easy and then everyone will be uncomfortable around the office for weeks after you do it. I’m begging you, man, just … don’t.”

“You don’t know,” Eric protested. “She could have a secret thing for me.”