Sensing how close to the edge she was cycling, Jared moved his hand to her back and offered up a soft smile. “Have you seen Leslie’s ghost?”
“Yes.”
“In something other than a dream?”
She faltered. “No, but ... why are you giving me a hard time about this?” Frustration bubbled up. “You said you had faith in my abilities.”
“Oh, don’t even think about pulling that,” he chided, shaking his head. “I have faith in everything you do. If you say Leslie is hanging around as a ghost, I believe you. I’m simply asking if you’ve seen her today.”
“No. I just saw the other ghost. Before I could gain her trust, though, Harris and Becky showed up. She took off right away the second they invaded our territory.”
“Because Harris is a blowhard,” Zander noted. “I ... oomph.” His shoulders jerked as he absorbed a blow to his shin and turned an accusatory look toward Jared. “I thought we called a truce.”
Jared shot him a quelling look. “I don’t think we’re capable of calling a truce. I was simply trying to alert you that we have company incoming.”
Zander’s bafflement was obvious. “What company?”
“Hello,” a booming voice called out, causing Zander to shrink lower into his seat.
“Oh, that company.” Zander’s expression was dour as he tilted his chin and regarded Harris. The man seemingly appeared out of nowhere, a tray in his hand, and he looked to be heading in their direction. “This is going to suck.”
Harper couldn’t disagree, but she was ready to deal with their host this time. She’d even prepared a few questions she wanted to ask. She sincerely hoped she got the chance, which was possible only if he opted not to take over the conversation, which seemed like a long shot.
“I almost didn’t see you guys over here,” Harris offered as he sat in the seat next to Shawn. His food portions were more reasonable compared to everybody else. “How was your day today?”
“So far, it was great,” Jared replied, cringing when Becky plopped herself on his end of the bench without invitation. “It was a very nice afternoon.”
“It was,” Becky enthused, happily ripping ketchup packets so she could douse her burger. “I loved watching these guys work together. They seem to have a rhythm or something. It’s great.”
“Do you have a rhythm?” The amusement flitting through Harris’ eyes was palpable. “That must come in handy when solving cases in Whisper Cove. Do you all work together?”
The question made Harper uncomfortable. It was almost as if Harris was digging for specific information, all the while taking the roundabout route to achieve his goals … whatever they may be. “We don’t all work at the same job,” she hedged. “Only Zander and I work together.”
“Yes, but some of the news articles I’ve read seem to insinuate that you help the police on certain matters,” Harris noted. “I remember because I read your name in passing when looking for recruits for this trip, and on a whim, Googled you. I was shocked when I saw how many crime stories you were quoted in.”
Harper shot a worried look toward Jared. “I don’t think I’ve been quoted in all that many stories.”
“Sixteen,” Harris countered. “I believe that’s in two years, too. We’re talking daily and weekly newspapers, of course, but you’re a regular media darling.”
That wasn’t how Harper preferred being known. “Most of those cases were ... flukes.” Even as she said it, she recognized how ridiculous it sounded. “I mean, I was involved but not really involved.” She looked to Jared for help.
“We consider Harper an asset in Whisper Cove,” Jared offered, doing his best to ignore how close Becky had situated herself. Even though the young woman had a plate of food in front of her, Jared seemed to be the only thing she found edible on the menu. Her intense gaze never left his face. “She’s helped us with numerous facets of our investigations.”
“Yes, I figured that out myself,” Harris said. “I don’t have a problem with that. In fact, that was the ultimate reason I wanted to invite her.”
“And here we thought you only invited Harper because Evian’s fee was too steep,” Zander drawled.
Harper’s eyes went wide, but she recovered quickly when Harris looked between the business partners. “I didn’t think that,” she offered hurriedly. “I ... um ... definitely didn’t think that.”
Harris waved off her obvious concern. “We never got to that stage. Evian didn’t believe her chakras could be aligned in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula. We opted to part ways before a contract could even be drawn up.”
“Oh, well ... if her chakras said it, then it must be true.” Zander shot Harper a wink. He was clearly enjoying himself.
“Evian wouldn’t have been a good fit for our outfit,” Harris continued. “She would’ve tried to make herself the focus rather than enhancing the overall package.”
“That sounds like Evian,” Harper agreed.
“When we decided on you, we were thinking outside the box,” Harris said. “I think it was a smart choice, though. After meeting you, I believe you have exactly the sort of appeal our guests would enjoy, a personality that would get people excited and have them talking.”
“I ... um ... that’s possibly very flattering.” Harper glanced at Jared, unsure where the conversation was heading. He looked as confused as she felt.
“The thing is, I’ve been giving it a great deal of thought, and I’ve decided that it makes sense for you to join our team permanently.”
Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. Baffled, Harper’s shoulders jolted. “I ... don’t understand. I already have a job.”
“She does,” Zander agreed. “It’s with me, and she really likes it.”
“Oh, I would want to add you to the payroll, too,” Harris reassured him. “You’re a natural showman. People like you. Besides, Harper
