“He works out, but he loves his chocolate.” Harper gathered graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows. “He’s the sort of guy who is disciplined but also loves cutting loose.”
“Which means he’s doubly perfect.” Becky’s eyes landed on Jared again as she exhaled heavily. “You’re so lucky.”
Harper merely stared at the woman for a long beat and then shook her head. In truth, she felt lucky ... just not for the reasons Becky intimated. Jared was a handsome man, but his looks were low on the list of reasons why Harper loved him. “Thank you for the s’mores stuff. It’s not really camping without s’mores.”
“Right.” Becky offered up an absent wave. “Who doesn’t love s’mores?”
“I SAW YOU TALKING TO BECKY,” Jared noted a few moments later as Harper unloaded her haul. “Did she say anything interesting?”
“She thinks you’re dreamy.”
He scowled. “That’s not really interesting to me.”
“Because you know you’re dreamy?”
“Because the only one I care about calling me dreamy is you, and I’ve never heard you use that word when describing me. Studly? Yes. Hot? Yes. More handsome than George Clooney? That’s a given. Dreamy is a weird word to use, though.”
Harper choked on her laughter as she handed him the bag of marshmallows she’d stolen. “Even better than George Clooney, huh?”
“Totally.” He winked at her and held up two metal sticks with prongs. “Are you ready to roast?”
“Actually, I thought you might handle roasting duties,” Harper admitted. “I want to talk to someone while you’re feeling domestic.”
“I don’t consider roasting marshmallows domestic.”
“If we were home, we could make s’mores naked. It doesn’t get more domestic than that.”
Even though he found the suggestion absurd, Jared couldn’t get the picture out of his mind. “The second Zander and Shawn leave on that trip to meet Shawn’s parents, we’re totally doing that. I know you were kidding, but I think it’s a fabulous idea.”
Harper barked out a laugh. “You’re hilarious. I absolutely love you.”
“What’s not to love?” he agreed, leaning in for a quick kiss.
“I want to talk to that woman over there, though.” She was serious as she inclined her head toward a brunette in a guide uniform. “She was the one who discovered Leslie’s body. She seemed legitimately traumatized by what happened. I want to feel her out to see if she has any information.”
Jared sobered as he opened the marshmallow bag. “You don’t think she has something to do with this, do you?”
“I think it’s unlikely.” Harper tugged on her memory of the woman’s expression from the previous evening. “She seemed like she was in shock. If she’s rattled, though, she’s more likely to let something slip.”
“Like what?” Jared honestly wanted to know where Harper’s head was at. “What do you think she’s hiding?”
“Hiding is the wrong word. I think she might know something without realizing she knows it, though.”
Jared held her gaze for a beat and then shook his head. “Aren’t I the one who is supposed to be questioning people? I am the detective.”
“Yes, and because of that, you make people nervous. Even when people are good, perfect and law-abiding, there’s an irrational fear of police officers. She’s less likely to open up to you ... even if she does think you’re dreamy.”
Jared extended a warning finger. “Stop using that word.”
“What if I admit that I find you dreamy, and we make a date to play a special game later?”
“Then I will be happy to let you play Nancy Drew.”
Harper immediately started shaking her head. “Trixie Belden.”
His forehead wrinkled. “I don’t know who that is?”
“She was pretty much the same as Nancy Drew ... although so much better. She had a contingent of misfit friends just like we do. It’s the perfect comparison.”
“Well, I’ll have to take your word for it.” Jared was amused despite himself. “Don’t wander too far away. I have plans for you once you’ve eaten three s’mores.”
“You just like it when I’m all sugared up.”
“I absolutely like it.” He leaned in and gave her another kiss. “See what you can find out. I’ll serve as your backup over here.”
Her expression warmed. “I hope you know there’s nobody I would prefer to serve as my backup.”
“Right back at you.”
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIRE, ZANDER FOUND himself embroiled in the sort of conversation that could cause migraines if not mitigated quickly.
“I’m not trying to offend her,” Harris pressed. “I get the impression that you guys believe the opposite for some reason, and it couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Zander maintained his placid disposition, although it was a struggle. “Harper isn’t the type of person who gets offended,” he reassured their host. “That’s simply not who she is.”
“And yet she appeared offended over lunch.”
“Not offended.” Zander searched for the right words to snuff out the conversation. He found he disliked Harris on a personal level and that made trying to cozy up to him for business purposes difficult. “She’s simply comfortable with the life she’s already living. She doesn’t want to change anything.”
“So, basically you’re saying she’s one of those people who doesn’t like change,” Harris mused.
“I don’t believe I said anything of the sort.” Zander was firm. “Honestly, I’m the one who doesn’t like change. Harper likes a good adventure here and there.”
Harris’ lips curved. “That means there’s still a chance she’ll reconsider my offer.”
“No.” Zander was adamant as he shook his head. Obviously Harris was the sort of guy who would take ten miles for every given inch. It was time to nip this in the bud. “Our home is in Whisper Cove, and yeah, we both find it boring from time to time. I would never pretend otherwise. It’s still home, though.
“Do you know that we live directly across the road from one another?” he continued, not missing a beat. “Harper and I used to live together in one house. We were roommates and best friends for years. Once Shawn and Jared came along things started changing, though.
“Now I maintain that Jared is the
