“And what observation is that?” Jared queried, his hackles raised. If Harris was going to suddenly start attacking his fiancée, then he didn’t care how badly he wanted answers regarding Leslie. He would pack up everyone and everything and skedaddle without a backwards glance.
“That Harper here has a tremendous reputation. Everyone who has ever worked with her raves about her.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Harper muttered, her cheeks coloring. “There are plenty of people who wouldn’t want to cross paths with me a second time.”
Harris continued as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “I almost didn’t find her because I was looking for big names. She needs to get out there more, participate in more events. It will be good for business.”
“We’re pretty happy with our business,” Zander countered. “As for putting herself out there more, Harper prefers being authentic. She’s not going to fake anything, unlike Evian and most of the others. Those who truly have the gift rarely advertise it.”
“If you say so.” Harris squared his shoulders and glanced around the deserted cemetery. “I have a few things to attend to. I’ll leave Becky with you should any questions arise.”
Jared made a low groaning sound that had Harper’s lips quirking.
“If you need anything, I’ll be back at the campground,” Harris called out, waving. “Remember, the name of the game is fun. Make sure you have it.”
“We’ll do our best,” Zander called out sweetly, making a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “What a—”
Shawn slapped his hand over Zander’s mouth before he could finish uttering the statement, earning a dark glare from his fiancé.
“He’s just a little overzealous,” Becky offered nervously, her gaze bouncing between faces. Nobody was surprised she ultimately decided to focus on Jared. “He’s really a very smart man, like ... a total genius. He’s just really nervous about everything that’s going on because he has all of his assets tied up in this business.”
“We’re not judging him,” Jared reassured her. “We’re just ... it’s been a very long twenty-four hours. Between the drive and what happened yesterday, it’s been an emotional roller-coaster.”
“The ride was a roller-coaster?” Becky looked puzzled. “I would think that would be the relaxing part.”
“I would think so, too,” Jared agreed. “I happen to enjoy a good road trip. Two members of my team feel differently.” He shot pointed looks toward Harper and Zander.
“Hey, don’t blame that on me.” Harper extended a finger. “I’m not the one with the teeny-tiny bladder. That’s all on Zander.”
“Yes, but you encourage him.” Jared refused to back down. “You get him all excited for lattes ... and Slurpees ... and fountain soda. I’m surprised he wasn’t floating before we even left the tri-county area.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “I think you’re exaggerating.” She went back to searching the woods for the ghost. She was convinced, had Harris and Becky not joined their crew, she would’ve been able to finally garner the specter’s trust ... at least enough to cajole her into talking. The fact that they arrived at the exact wrong time was a bitter pill to swallow. “We didn’t stop that many times.”
“Seven times in six hours,” Jared shot back. “Seven times.”
“You kept count?” Zander’s annoyance was on full display. “Who keeps count of stuff like that?”
“The guy behind the wheel,” Jared fired back. “That’s not even including the time we had to stop for gas, and you two spent ten minutes trying on sunglasses in the convenience store.”
“It’s not much of a road trip without sunglasses,” Zander fired back, his attention landing on Becky, who appeared to be completely enamored with Jared, to the point where she hung on his every word. He couldn’t help wondering if he could use that to his advantage. “So, Becky, tell me about yourself.”
Becky was caught off guard at being included in the conversation. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t want to hear about us,” he prodded. “We’re old, boring, and talk about the same things over and over again. Nobody cares how many times we had to stop to use the restroom during the drive up here.”
“Seven,” Jared muttered bitterly.
“We want to know about you.” Zander was smooth when it came to eliciting information. He wasn’t always the guy you wanted with you in a crisis, but when trying to charm someone — male or female, gay or straight — he was almost always the guy you wanted on your team. “You seem young. Did you go to college?”
“Oh, well ... .” Becky darted her eyes to Jared as if gauging his reaction. “I’m not all that young. I mean ... I’m a woman. I’m not a kid or anything.”
Harper hid a smile as she bent over to pick up a stick. She wasn’t the type of woman to feel threatened when someone else showed interest in her fiancé. In fact, in this particular instance, she was amused more than anything else.
“You’re a lovely woman,” Zander agreed in his smoothest voice. “Don’t you think she’s a lovely woman, Jared?”
Jared scowled at Zander but managed a stiff nod. “She’s very lovely. I can’t help thinking that whenever I see her.”
Becky preened at the compliment. “Oh, you guys are so awesome. I just love you guys.”
“And we love you,” Zander offered. “You still haven’t told us about your background, though, and we’re dying to know.”
“I’m not sure what to tell you.”
“Start with where you grew up,” Zander suggested. “Was it up here?”
“Oh, no.” Becky was solemn as she shook her head. “I find this area fascinating, but I would’ve gone crazy here as a teenager. They don’t even have a movie theater in this town. You have to drive almost an hour to get to one.”
“I’m fairly certain that’s normal for these parts,” Shawn offered. “The population can’t sustain a theater or even a big box store. I think that’s
