Read Online Ghostly Issues (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 2) by Lily Harper Hart - Free Book Online
Authors: Lily Harper Hart
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face pulled him back to reality. Now wasn’t the time to play games. He forced himself to take a step back. “Can you see Derek?”
Harper shot Jared a dirty look. “You did that on purpose.”
“What?”
“You know what,” Harper snapped, although she turned her attention to the quiet park. “He was over here earlier,” she said, picking her way to a spot close to the tree line.
“What was he doing?” Jared asked, focusing on the seriousness of the case.
“He was just standing here and watching everyone group around his body,” Harper answered. “He looked … confused.”
“Is that normal?” Jared asked, leaning over to study the ground where Harper pointed. “I mean … do ghosts realize what has happened to them?”
“Most of them understand that they’re not still alive,” Harper replied. “A lot of them think they’re trapped in a dream. Others are … confused … by their new reality.”
“So you’re basically saying you have no idea what Derek is feeling,” Jared surmised.
Harper scowled. “You’re an ass.”
“That wasn’t a dig,” Jared argued. “You can take it however you want, but it was not a dig. I know you’re angry with me for not calling … .”
Harper crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t care about you not calling. Why would I? It’s not like we made some sort of … promise to one another before you left. We shared one kiss. You said maybe we would go out on a date. I’m not the sort of woman who gets pathetic and clingy so … .”
Jared tugged on his ear as he studied her. She was a mystery. He couldn’t wrap his head around what she was feeling from one moment to the next. “Are you saying you don’t want to date me?”
“No. Yes. No. I … what was the question?” Harper was beyond flustered.
Jared smirked. She was just as worked up as he was. “Do you know what I think?”
“That you wish you’d never bought me flowers?”
Jared shook his head. “I think you’re amped up,” he said. “I think you thought I was going to call and when I didn’t you couldn’t help feeling hurt. Don’t bother arguing with me. There’s nothing embarrassing about that.
“I should have called you,” he continued. “The truth is … I was embarrassed myself. I didn’t want to look needy. The first thought that occurred to me once I checked on my mother was calling you. Do you know what I told myself?”
Harper bit her lip and shook her head.
“I told myself you and Zander would make fun of me for calling you so soon,” Jared explained. “So I didn’t call. I had dinner alone in front of the television after my mother went to sleep. I sat there and wondered what you were doing. I pictured you and Zander getting in your pajamas and watching some … chick flick or something. Don’t ever tell him I said that, by the way. He’ll accuse me of stereotyping him and that’s the last thing I want because I’m going to need him on my side.
“So then I woke up the next morning and I was going to call you before I even got out of bed,” he continued. “I worried it was too early, so I had breakfast. Then I told myself you were probably working a job and I would call you after dinner. I didn’t do that, though, because then I started wondering why you hadn’t called me.
“I spent the next three hours obsessing about what you were doing and why you hadn’t called me,” Jared said. “By the time I went to bed I was ticked off because you hadn’t bothered to check in and see how my mother was doing. When I woke up the next morning the whole thing started all over again. The truth is … well … I didn’t call you because I flipped myself out. Are you happy?”
Despite herself, Harper couldn’t help the feeling of warmth that rolled over her. “I am. Thank you.”
Jared scowled. “Is that it? Does that mean we’ve made up?”
Harper shook her head, her blond hair glinting as the descending sun bounced off it. “I’m not ready to
Harper shot Jared a dirty look. “You did that on purpose.”
“What?”
“You know what,” Harper snapped, although she turned her attention to the quiet park. “He was over here earlier,” she said, picking her way to a spot close to the tree line.
“What was he doing?” Jared asked, focusing on the seriousness of the case.
“He was just standing here and watching everyone group around his body,” Harper answered. “He looked … confused.”
“Is that normal?” Jared asked, leaning over to study the ground where Harper pointed. “I mean … do ghosts realize what has happened to them?”
“Most of them understand that they’re not still alive,” Harper replied. “A lot of them think they’re trapped in a dream. Others are … confused … by their new reality.”
“So you’re basically saying you have no idea what Derek is feeling,” Jared surmised.
Harper scowled. “You’re an ass.”
“That wasn’t a dig,” Jared argued. “You can take it however you want, but it was not a dig. I know you’re angry with me for not calling … .”
Harper crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t care about you not calling. Why would I? It’s not like we made some sort of … promise to one another before you left. We shared one kiss. You said maybe we would go out on a date. I’m not the sort of woman who gets pathetic and clingy so … .”
Jared tugged on his ear as he studied her. She was a mystery. He couldn’t wrap his head around what she was feeling from one moment to the next. “Are you saying you don’t want to date me?”
“No. Yes. No. I … what was the question?” Harper was beyond flustered.
Jared smirked. She was just as worked up as he was. “Do you know what I think?”
“That you wish you’d never bought me flowers?”
Jared shook his head. “I think you’re amped up,” he said. “I think you thought I was going to call and when I didn’t you couldn’t help feeling hurt. Don’t bother arguing with me. There’s nothing embarrassing about that.
“I should have called you,” he continued. “The truth is … I was embarrassed myself. I didn’t want to look needy. The first thought that occurred to me once I checked on my mother was calling you. Do you know what I told myself?”
Harper bit her lip and shook her head.
“I told myself you and Zander would make fun of me for calling you so soon,” Jared explained. “So I didn’t call. I had dinner alone in front of the television after my mother went to sleep. I sat there and wondered what you were doing. I pictured you and Zander getting in your pajamas and watching some … chick flick or something. Don’t ever tell him I said that, by the way. He’ll accuse me of stereotyping him and that’s the last thing I want because I’m going to need him on my side.
“So then I woke up the next morning and I was going to call you before I even got out of bed,” he continued. “I worried it was too early, so I had breakfast. Then I told myself you were probably working a job and I would call you after dinner. I didn’t do that, though, because then I started wondering why you hadn’t called me.
“I spent the next three hours obsessing about what you were doing and why you hadn’t called me,” Jared said. “By the time I went to bed I was ticked off because you hadn’t bothered to check in and see how my mother was doing. When I woke up the next morning the whole thing started all over again. The truth is … well … I didn’t call you because I flipped myself out. Are you happy?”
Despite herself, Harper couldn’t help the feeling of warmth that rolled over her. “I am. Thank you.”
Jared scowled. “Is that it? Does that mean we’ve made up?”
Harper shook her head, her blond hair glinting as the descending sun bounced off it. “I’m not ready to
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