Ghostly Camping (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 16) Read online

  Harper pulled back far enough to study his face. “I’ve never been a big fan of camping,” she admitted ruefully. “I’m kind of an indoor girl.”

  “I don’t know that I believe that.” His fingers were gentle as he brushed her hair away from her face. “You like to hike ... and hammock ... and drink cocktails by the river with me.”

  That earned a snort. “That’s not really camping.”

  “No, but I’m an excellent camper.” He beamed at her. “I haven’t had a chance to sleep under the stars since I moved to Whisper Cove. I’m looking forward to this entire thing. You can trust in me to handle the heavy lifting.”

  Harper’s lips curved in amusement. “Does that mean you’re going to put up the tent ... and do all the cooking ... and gag Zander when he gets out of hand?”

  “Yes, and I especially like that last part. I’m totally going to gag him twenty-four seven.”

  “I guess it sounds fun.” She pressed her head to his chest for a brief moment, letting the steady beat lull her. “You know Zander is going to be ten times worse than me, right? He bought flannels and stuff, but he’s definitely an inside boy.”

  “Oh, I know he’s going to be an absolute pain. I figure he’s Shawn’s problem, though.”

  “What if Shawn gets fed up and runs into the woods to hide?”

  “Then we’ll track him down and drag him back.”

  “What if Zander annoys all the other campers to the point where they want to ostracize us because of his mouth?”

  “Oh, don’t tease me. That’s exactly what I want. It means more alone time with you.”

  Harper chuckled as she held tight for one moment longer. “What if I somehow screw this up? This is the sort of thing we’ve been looking for to take GHI to the next level. I mean ... it’s a celebrity endorsement. What happens if I don’t do it correctly?”

  Jared ran his hands up and down her back, considering. He didn’t want to brush her off with a handy lie, so it felt important to answer as honestly as possible. “You can only do the best that you can do. I happen to believe you were born for this. You don’t have to push things, though. You simply have to be calm and think about things before you react. You have great instincts. Those are going to be on display for the next few days.”

  She rested her chin on his chest and gazed into his adoring eyes. “You think I’m overreacting, don’t you?”

  “I think ... .” He hesitated, considering. “I think you’re worked up about this because you know how important it is. I also think you’re going to relax once we get there. You’re keyed up right now because it’s a new environment and you’re not sure what to expect. Once those questions are answered, you’ll settle quickly.”

  That was exactly the answer Harper wanted to hear. “And you’re going to make me s’mores at night, right? I happen to remember a promise revolving around s’mores.”

  He chuckled and buried his face in her hair. “I’m totally going to make you a hundred s’mores. It’s not really camping without s’mores.”

  “Right.” She sucked in a breath and then pulled back, her gaze going to the bed. “Zander says he’s taking like five extra bags, including one full of wedding magazines. Do you think we’re packing enough?”

  “I think we’re packing just enough, and if Zander thinks we’re carrying any of his bags, he’s got a rude awakening coming.”

  “Yeah. It’s going to be a long couple of days no matter how much fun we have because he’s never going to stop complaining.”

  “Most definitely.”

  “We’ll have each other, though.”

  He winked at her. “Forever and always, until death do us part.”

  2

  Two

  Zander was indeed late to the pickup. He was also a pouty mess. Since the drive to the campground was six hours, Harper had plenty of time to listen to his disgruntled complaints regarding the amount of items Shawn unpacked while Zander was visiting with his friend.

  “He wouldn’t let me bring my hair dryer,” Zander hissed from his spot in the back seat with Harper. Jared and Shawn were in the front, clearly within hearing distance, and yet he didn’t lower his voice. “I mean ... is that not the most barbaric thing you’ve ever heard of?”

  Harper had to hide her amusement lest a full-fledged fight descend, so she merely shrugged as she turned her attention to the magnificent foliage on the other side of the window. “It’s not as if you can plug it in, Zander.”

  “Um ... yes I can. Or … could.”

  “You have a tent with electricity, do you?” Jared challenged as he checked his GPS.

  “No, Mr. Downer,” Zander shot back. “The bathrooms have electricity. They’re communal, which is truly frightening, but I could’ve used it there.”

  “I didn’t consider that.” Harper pressed her nose against the window to get a better look. “We’re like ... in the middle of nowhere. Did everyone know we would be camping in the middle of nowhere?”

  “That’s how camping is best,” Jared offered. “Honestly, I would be happier if we weren’t staying at a state-run campground with bathrooms. We’re not exactly roughing it. I guess this is the next best thing, though.”

  Harper straightened in her seat. This was a new facet of Jared’s personality that she didn’t have any insight into. “I didn’t realize you were such an outdoorsy guy.”

  He shrugged and hit the blinker. “I happen to love camping. My father took me all the time when I was a kid.”

  “Oh.” Harper’s heart went out to him. He didn’t often talk about his father. She’d met his mother, of course, and found her to be a lovely woman. Jared’s father died long before they could be introduced, though. “I guess I never thought of that.”

  “My father took me camping a lot when I was a kid, too,” Shawn offered. He was the easygoing sort so he hadn’t complained a single time over the course of the drive ... even when Zander insisted on stopping at three rest areas in a single hour. “He loved teaching me how to build fires, and there’s nothing better than sleeping under the stars.”

  “I can think of a few things,” Zander grumbled, adjusting in his seat. “Like having a hair dryer, for one.”

  “You’ll live,” Jared shot back. “This is an important business opportunity for you guys. If people start eliciting reviews of their services from you then you can say you’ve officially arrived.”

  “I officially arrived the day I was born,” Zander shot back. “I don’t need to go without a hair dryer to prove it.”

  Sensing trouble, Harper smoothly stepped in, shooting her best friend a quelling look. “It’s going to be an adventure for all of us,” she insisted, looking toward the bright side. “We’ll get to spend quality time together as couples, relax, and not have to worry about our parents just walking in without knocking ... or maybe it’s just me who is looking forward to that.”

  Jared chuckled. Ever since Harper’s parents had decided to give their marriage another shot and had put the pause on their divorce, they’d been regular visitors. Harper was convinced it was an elaborate way to torture her, but Jared saw it for what it was: parents trying to do the right thing for their daughter ... for a change.

  “We definitely don’t have to worry about your parents stopping in,” he enthused, amused despite himself. “I do think we should talk about a few rules for best friends, though.”

  Harper’s eyebrows knitted. “I don’t understand.”

  “He’s talking about me,” Zander offered. “He’s about to lay down the law and say I’m not allowed in your tent.”

  “Oh.” Harper pressed her lips together, uncertain. Was she supposed to take Jared’s side on this? If she did, Zander would never stop complaining. On the flip side, she understood what Jared was worried about. Tents were much smaller than bedrooms. Big personalities would suck the oxygen out of a tent mighty fast. “Why don’t we play that by ear, huh?”

  “No.” Jared shook his head, firm, and made another turn. “E
veryone needs to stick to his or her own tent.”

  “Oh, that sounds depressing,” Shawn lamented. “What happens when I want to crawl into a sleeping bag with you and Harper and complain about Zander?”

  “That’s allowed,” Jared replied, not missing a beat.

  “Hey!” Zander sat straighter in his seat. “You can’t have one set of rules for me and one for him. If one of us is allowed in your tent then the other has to be allowed, too.”

  “It was a joke,” Jared countered. “Neither one of you is allowed in our tent.”

  “We’ll see,” Zander muttered under his breath, shifting again. “How long until we get there? I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Again?” Jared’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “How much coffee did you drink this morning?”

  “I can’t help it.” Zander turned petulant. “I have a delicate bladder.”

  “Delicate?”

  “He means he has the bladder of an infant,” Shawn offered helpfully. “Why do you think we refrain from road trips?”

  “Because he’s impossible to deal with in an enclosed environment,” Jared answered. “There’s no need to worry this time, though, because we’re here.”

  “Really?” Harper leaned forward in her seat, excitement and nerves colliding. She wasn’t certain what to expect, but the campground they were coasting into looked almost homey compared to the horror scenarios that had been running through her mind over the days leading up to the trip. “Oh, well, this is kind of sweet, huh?”

  “It’s a little more built up than I would’ve liked,” Jared admitted. “There’s a lake over there, though, and everything looks clean.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about junkies taking over the parks up here like you do back at home,” Shawn said. “People don’t just wander into these camps.”

  “That’s something to look forward to, huh?” Jared was all smiles as he followed the sign to their designated spot. “Here we are.”

  Harper was happy to hop out of the truck and stretch her legs. Six hours hadn’t sounded all that terrible when they first signed up for the trip. In hindsight, though, they might’ve been better renting a camper so she and Zander could stretch out for the ride.

  “I thought we had to hike with our things from the parking lot to the campsites,” Harper said as Jared joined her next to the vehicle. “You said you read the brochure and we would have to hike.”

  Jared turned sheepish. “How angry are you going to be if I tell you I only said that to keep you from overpacking?”

  Harper wasn’t sure how to answer so she took a moment to consider the statement. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “I might be a little mad. I need to think on it.”

  Jared shot her a small smile. “If you need to think about it, then you’re not really angry.”

  “I could be angry.”

  “I’m definitely angry,” Zander groused, planting his hands on his hips and glaring at Jared. “I could’ve definitely brought my hair dryer. The only reason it got left behind is because Shawn swore he wasn’t hiking with more than two bags, and he insisted I would have to walk back to the truck by myself if I wanted to bring my dryer.”

  Jared’s expression never shifted. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. You’re going to have to suck it up and put up with letting your hair dry naturally like the rest of us.”

  “That is barbaric!”

  “I believe you’ve mentioned that a few times now.”

  “Ten,” Shawn volunteered. “He’s mentioned it at least ten times.”

  “That’s it.” Zander threw up his hands. “You’re all on my list.”

  “Oh, well, it took longer than I thought it would,” Jared noted, digging in his pocket for his wallet and pulling out a twenty, which he proceeded to hand to Shawn. “You held out a whole three hours longer than I expected, Zander. Congratulations.”

  Zander’s eyes filled with fury. “Yes, you’re definitely all on my list.”

  “That anger will motivate you,” Shawn offered, tucking the money into his wallet. “We’re going to need that motivation to get our camp set up before nightfall.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to help,” Zander shot back. “Maybe I think this whole thing was a stupid idea and I hate all of you.”

  “You can hate us while putting up tents,” Jared replied, moving toward the back of the truck. “I think it’s best if we put the tents on either side of the campground so we’re not on top of each other. That will leave the firepit at the center and still give us a bit of privacy.”

  “I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Shawn agreed, yanking the red tent out from the bottom of the pile. “Do you guys want to help with the tents or unpack the rest of the stuff?”

  Harper was caught off guard. She eyed the tents for a bit, as if they were strange items from another time and place, and then shook her head. “Um ... I think we’ll take the rest of the stuff.”

  “That sounds good,” Jared enthused. “Let’s all get to work, shall we?”

  HARPER AND ZANDER LASTED EXACTLY THIRTY minutes before they lost interest in campsite prep with their significant others. Since Shawn and Jared seemed to be having such a good time playing master and commander of their tiny slice of land, Harper and Zander were more than willing to leave them to their devices.

  That allowed the duo to walk around and meet a few of the other people staying at the campground.

  “You’re part of the event, too?” Harper offered up a friendly smile to Josh and Jenny Sullivan, a newly married couple from mid-Michigan.

  “Oh, yeah.” Jenny bobbed her head. “We’re huge paranormal fans, and when we heard about this event we couldn’t say no.”

  “We’re big horror-movie fans,” Josh volunteered. “We hear they’re going to be testing out a variety of different murder-mystery clues and stories, including a horror storyline. We’ve always wanted to be part of something like this.”

  “Horror, huh?” Technically Harper had read something similar in the paperwork that was sent her way. She’d managed to dismiss it, though, because that wasn’t what her focus was on. Sure, the paranormal was often linked to scary stories, but she looked at death as a new adventure, not a terrifying ending. Since she could see and talk to ghosts, that probably seemed out of the ordinary to others, but her belief system was a work in progress. All she knew was, when she sent troublesome ghosts off to the other side, she always saw a flash of something glorious. That’s what she preferred focusing on.

  “Are you horror-movie fans, too?” Jenny asked hopefully.

  “Sometimes.” Harper wasn’t sure how to respond. The last thing she wanted was to come off as snooty. “We’re big Halloween fans and watch a lot of horror movies during the month of October.”

  “Tons,” Zander agreed. “We also go all out for costumes and decorations.”

  “Oh, we love Halloween, too,” Jenny enthused, shooting an adoring look at Josh. “That’s one of the things we bonded over, in fact. We met at one of those warehouse haunted houses they have during the run-up to Halloween. You know the ones I’m talking about, right?”

  Harper nodded. “I’m familiar. Those are the places where actors dress up like killers and chase horror geeks with chainsaws and stuff, right?”

  “Yes.” Jenny’s eyes sparkled. “I was there with some friends, and Josh was dressed up like Leatherface and our eyes met across a table with about fifty body parts on it. It was ... kismet.”

  “It was magical,” Josh agreed, sliding his arm around his wife’s slim back and tugging her to his side. “We shouldn’t have even noticed each other. There was too much going on.”

  “There were people screaming,” Jenny explained. “There were monsters chasing prey ... and yet we couldn’t look away from each other. It was definitely magic.”

  “Definitely,” Josh agreed, breathless.

  The next thing Harper registered was that their mouths were fused together, and they appeared to
be groping one another, oblivious to the fact that they weren’t alone. “Okay then.”

  Zander gripped her arm and gave it a little tug, dragging his eyes away from the couple and focusing on a group of people at the next campsite over. He offered up a winsome smile and shuffled closer, hoping he would see a lot less tongue this go-round.

  “I’m Leslie,” the blonde woman offered before Zander could speak, extending her hand. “We’re with the group, too. I see you met Josh and Jenny.”

  “Yeah.” Harper bobbed her head, her eyes drifting back toward the handsy couple. “They seem ... great.”

  “They’re heathens,” the man standing behind Leslie countered, a dark expression washing over his features as he glared at the younger couple. “We’ve only been here for a few hours, but mark my words, they’re going to have sex in public.”

  Harper pressed her lips together and risked a glance at Zander, who appeared as amused as she felt. While she wouldn’t have been a fan of public sex — especially because it would’ve mortified her on a million different levels — she could think of worse things to worry about. “I think it’s sweet. They’re young and they’re in love.”

  “They’re ingrates,” the man argued.

  “This is my husband, Sam,” Leslie offered, making a face. “Ignore him. He hasn’t been happy since the second Bush was president.”

  Harper did the math in her head. “Oh, well ... .”

  “Be as snide as you want,” Sam argued. “It’s not okay to fornicate in public. You know it as well as I do.”

  Leslie held back a sigh, but to Harper it looked as if it took a lot of effort. After a beat, she forced a bright smile. “So, what about you two? How long have you been together?”

  “Since we were five,” Zander replied, his gaze drifting back to the adjacent campsite, to where Jenny and Josh had moved to a spot close to their firepit and were practically horizontal. “It was love at first sight.”