"You have got to be kidding me," Jared grumbled. "Even when we're on vacation he ends up in bed with us."

"We're talking about serious business things," Harper said. "I'm sorry, but he needed a few answers and I promised I would be available to help him if things popped up. You heard us say we were going to Skype every morning. I didn't think it would be a problem."

"No, I'm sorry," Jared offered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I didn't realize it was business."

"Well, it is," Harper said. "Go on, Zander."

"So, anyway, I call Eric to tell him not to bother coming in to work today because of the weather and ... well ... we have no clients, which is a whole other issue, and I swear I heard a woman in the background," Zander said. "She called his name and said that breakfast was ready."

"Maybe it was his mother."

"Mothers don't giggle like that when they're with their sons," Zander replied. "It's unnatural ... and potentially gross and illegal."

"How is this about work?" Jared asked.

"Eric is my employee," Harper replied, unruffled. "That makes it about work."

"I don't ever want to hear you say that you don't gossip again," Jared chided shifting so he could prop himself up next to Harper and get a gander at Zander through the tiny screen. He wanted to laugh because Zander was in his pajamas and still in bed. In a way, it was like they all really were in bed together. "Harper claimed she doesn't gossip last night. How do you feel about that?"

Zander snorted. "If we didn't gossip, we'd have absolutely nothing to talk about except for your nipples and my good looks."

"I told you," Jared said, his eyes flashing as he ignored the dig about his nipples. "How are things in Whisper Cove? Is Mel holding up the fort without me?"

"Uncle Mel is fine," Zander answered. "He misses your handsome face, but when I told him about your abnormally large nipples he got uncomfortable and hung up. You've got that reaction to look forward to when you get back, Jared."

"I can't wait," Jared deadpanned, glancing at the window. "It's really coming down out there again. When I heard you guys talking I a.s.sumed it was another morning in Harper's bed because I was confused, and then I heard the storm and remembered where I was."

"We actually do have a legitimate reason to talk," Harper said.

"Yes, Harper misses me and can't live without me," Zander said. "You need to remember that."

"I'm well aware of that," Jared said. "Did you have another reason for calling?"

"I did," Harper confirmed. "I wanted Zander to see if he could convince Eric to run a search on Alice Thorpe."

"That's actually a good idea," Jared said, rubbing his hand over his stubbled jaw. "That's a really good idea. I thought you could ask Linden if we ran into him today, but you shut me down on that pretty quickly last night. How come?"

"Josh is dealing with enough and if Linden is going through half as much as his son, he's already got a lot on his plate," Harper explained. "Besides that, if something terrible happened to Alice Thorpe, asking questions about her is going to rile some feathers if we're not careful."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it," Harper prodded. "Alice Thorpe's ghost is here. When I asked her where she was going to be she pointed at the cemetery. If she has no ties to the Stokes family and she must not if Josh doesn't know who she is how did she end up dead out here?"

"That's actually a very good question," Jared said. "Maybe the answer is simple. Maybe Alice died in an accident. Maybe Josh doesn't know about her because no one ever talks about the accident. We don't know it's a murder."

"We don't," Harper agreed. "We don't know it's not a murder either."

"Most ghosts hang around because something really bad happened to them," Zander offered. "We've had a few accidents keep people around, and even fewer people die in their sleep and just get confused so they hang on. The vast majority of ghosts remain behind because they died violently and want revenge."

"Okay, let's talk about that," Jared said. "If Alice was murdered, we're thinking it was sometime in the eighties, right?"

"How old is Josh?" Harper asked.

"He was born in 1988."

"Okay, if Alice died here in the eighties and Josh was born in 1988, she could've conceivably died before Josh's birth," Harper said. "Her hair indicates eighties fashion, but when I saw her ghost it was still big but somehow tamed from what we saw in that photograph."

"The eighties really were unkind to fashion," Zander mused. "I wonder who thought of ratting hair and overdosing on Aqua Net, took a look in the mirror and said that looks awesome, we should start a trend' and then showed that hairstyle to other people? It's just unnatural."

Harper couldn't stop herself from giggling and even Jared was amused. "People toned down the ratting late in the eighties but still had big hair, right?" she asked.

"Pretty much," Zander replied. "I'm not an expert on the era because I think it should be wiped from the history books, but that sounds about right."

"That would mean she died in the late eighties," Jared supplied. "Once the nineties and Nirvana hit, the excess of the eighties was a thing of the past and angst and pouting of the slacker generation was the new trend."

"Ah, the introduction of flannel as a legitimate fashion choice instead of the last resort for lumberjacks," Zander said. "That was also a horrible time for fashion."

"I'm guessing Alice died after Josh's birth, but there's no way of knowing until we can talk to her," Harper said. "There's no way to find her until these storms pa.s.s. Do we know more about when they're going to end?"

"I think they're supposed to roll through all day," Zander answered. "I slept like a baby last night. I love a good thunderstorm. Was it loud out on the island?"

"I couldn't hear over Harper's snoring," Jared replied.

"I do not snore," Harper said, playfully slapping Jared's arm. "That's you."

"I didn't snore," Jared argued. "After our bath, I was out like a light."

"Yes, Harper told me about your baths and the hopping soap," Zander said. "That's very original."

Jared shot Harper a disgusted look. "Do you have to tell him everything?"

"Pretty much."

"Can't you leave a few things for just you and me to know about?" Jared prodded. "I'm not talking about everything, just a few things."

"I guess," Harper said, giving in. "Do you want to take a shower and not tell him about it?"

"You just told him about it," Jared pointed out.

"That was an accident."

"Whatever," Jared made a face and turned his attention back to Zander. "If you find anything out about Alice Thorpe, give us a call. I'm not sure where to look for information on her and we don't exactly have access to computers out here."

"I'm on it," Zander said. "I'm bored anyway. It will probably be the most fun I have all day, which is a little sad. Maybe I'll turn a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathon on to entertain myself while I'm doing it."

"Don't be a cliche," Harper said.

"It's not being cliche when I make fun of them," Zander said. "I can't seem to help myself."

"Okay, well ... make sure and mock them for me, too," Harper said.

"I definitely will."

"Other than that, I think we're all caught up," Jared said, reaching for the phone.

"What are you doing?" Zander asked, wrinkling his nose. "Don't you even think about disconnecting that phone. I'm not done talking to Harper yet."

"Oh, you're done talking to Harper," Jared said. "It's time for us to do something private and for you to be cut out of the information highway. We'll call you if we get anything ... and I'm pretty sure Harper will call you this afternoon when she thinks I'm not looking because she'll want to gossip again."

"Don't you hang up that phone," Zander warned.

"Goodbye, Zander."

"You still have huge nipples!"

JOSH WAS ALREADY SEATED at what Harper had come to consider "their" table when she and Jared made their way into the dining room shortly before nine. He greeted them with a wide smile and pushed the carafe of coffee in their direction.

"You two look happy this morning," he said. "Did you have fun going to bed early last night?"

"I'm not answering that question on the grounds that it might upset Harper and I don't want to risk that in case I need a nap this afternoon," Jared answered, pouring mugs of coffee for both of them. "How was the murder mystery event after we left?"

"Oh, well, the guests had fun going through the clues regarding the affair," Josh answered. "They were pretty spicy. I have to hand it to the guy who wrote them because there was a lot of giggling and suggestive winks."

"Oh, really?" Harper asked, sipping her coffee. "How did that go over?"

"Let's just say you and Jared weren't the only ones to retire early and leave it at that, shall we?"

"I'm fine with that," Jared said. "What's the news on the weather? Zander filled us in a little bit, but he's p.r.o.ne to dramatic fits so I want to hear it from you just to be on the safe side."

"You already talked to Zander this morning?" Josh asked, his eyes lighting up. "Did you talk to each other as a group, or was this an individual thing?"

"I know what you're thinking and I don't care if you make fun of me," Jared said. "I woke up to Harper and Zander talking and thought I was back at Harper's house. It turns out they were Skyping ostensibly about work and they had gossip to share. We also talked about the weather."

"How fun," Josh said, smirking. "Well, as for the weather, we're definitely stuck here for the day. The storms are supposed to roll through with breaks in between, but even during the breaks it's supposed to drizzle.

"The ferry is not making any crossings today and there's a good chance it won't tomorrow either," he continued. "It's probably a good thing that this event is scheduled to go on for a few more days, because if people wanted to leave and couldn't we would be in a world of hurt."

"That's true," Harper said, leaning back in her chair. "Does this affect that game at all? Were any of the clues outside?"

"We were going to have a body discovered in the stable, but that's definitely out," Josh answered. "Instead we're moving things to the third floor and doing it up there. That allows everyone to spread out looking for clues."

"That's probably a good thing," Jared said. "I have a feeling that this group is going to make me feel claustrophobic after being trapped for a few hours under the same roof together. They're nice people, but they're odd."

"You just told me that you Skyped from bed with your girlfriend and her best friend and you all gossiped together," Josh pointed out. "Who is weird in that scenario?"

Jared frowned. "You're right," he said. "You've turned me into a weirdo, Heart. I hope you're happy."

"No one made you gossip with us," Harper pointed out. "You're the one who told him we were showering together. Now he's going to want details when he calls this afternoon and you're going to have to be there to supply them because I'm not allowed to tell him on my own thanks to your new decree about keeping some things in our relationship private."

"You're talking to him again this afternoon?" Josh was flabbergasted. "When did you turn into a girl, man?"

"Don't demean him," Harper chided. "You shouldn't use the word girl' as a derogatory term, by the way. I'm a girl and I happen to like being a girl."

"I happen to like that you're a girl, too," Jared said, his smile charming. "This would be a very different relationship if you weren't."

"You can say that again," Josh said, shaking his head. "I can't believe you. You're so ... smitten. It's sick."

"I am smitten," Jared agreed, fondly tugging on a strand of Harper's hair. "I didn't expect it, but it really is great."

"I guess I'm really happy for you then," Josh said. "I should probably stop hitting on your girlfriend, huh? If you're smitten, it would be mean to go after her."

"I don't care if you go after her," Jared said. "You'll never catch her, though. She's too good for you."

"But she's not too good for you?"

"She's probably too good for me, too," Jared conceded. "That doesn't mean I'm letting her go, though. I haven't been with her long, but I already know I would be lost without her."

"Ugh," Harper intoned, making a face. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"I know. I think I'm going to be sick," Josh deadpanned. "You two have given me indigestion."

"Well, I'm starving," Harper said, her eyes locked on Jared's. "I already know how I'm going to work off this big meal, though, and it has absolutely nothing to do with walking."

"And that's why I adore you," Jared said, shifting his head so he could scan the dining room. "Where is the waiter? We've got a schedule to keep."

"Yup, I'm definitely going to be sick," Josh said.

FIFTEEN.

"T hey look happy."

Linden moved up next to Josh and smiled as he watched Harper and Jared snuggle in a corner chair in the lobby later that morning. They had a book open, but there wasn't a lot of reading going on. Instead there was a lot of kissing and giggling going on, and whatever they kept whispering to one another was amusing both of them enough that they managed to tune out the rest of the guests and forge their own little world.

"They do look happy," Josh agreed, his expression rueful. "I never thought Jared would be the settling down type. I thought he would find it boring. He always had a restless spirit. He doesn't look bored, though, does he?"

Linden chuckled. "He certainly doesn't look bored."

The two men lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, smiling in unison when Harper chortled thanks to a shared joke.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Linden asked, turning his full attention to his son. "You seem ... sad."

"Nothing is wrong," Josh said hurriedly. "I'm glad everyone is here ... and I'm especially glad Jared is here."