Free Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) by Lily Harper Hart Page B

said, chuckling as he rested his hands on her shoulders to make sure she was steady. “You’re not going to fall over, are you?”
    “No,” Harper said, biting the inside of her cheek. This wasn’t what she envisioned when she came out here – and it certainly wasn’t what she had planned. How was she going to explain her way out of this one? “So, what are you doing out here again?”
    “Yeah, we’re not playing that game,” Jason said, flashing a smile as he looked Harper up and down. She was dressed in simple cutoffs and a T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a no-fuss ponytail. His eyes lingered over her long legs for a moment before returning to her face. “What was I saying again?”
    Harper took advantage of his momentary confusion to exert control over the situation. “You were telling me what you’re doing out here,” she pressed.
    “I’m pretty sure you’re just messing with my head now, but I’ll bite,” Jason said. “I’m here because I have to get the restaurant ready for the big opening tonight. It’s a lot of work and even though a body was found under my deck yesterday, that work still needs to be done. Your turn.”
    Harper ignored Jason’s pointed prod. “You’re opening tonight? I didn’t realize it was that soon.”
    “I should’ve been clearer when I invited you,” Jason said. “Of course, I didn’t realize I was inviting two people when I extended one invitation.”
    That was another pointed jab, but Harper felt more confident deflecting the second one. “You just got back into town,” she said. “You couldn’t possibly be expected to know Jared and I are together.”
    Jason kept his smile in place, but Harper was almost certain she saw the corners of his lips momentarily dip. “So you are a couple. I figured, but … I couldn’t be sure.”
    Harper almost thought he sounded disappointed. That was ridiculous, though. Why would he be disappointed? “We’ve been together for a few weeks,” Harper said. “It’s going well, though. I really like him.”
    “You’ve only been together for a few weeks?” Hope flared in the depths of Jason’s eyes, and the realization made Harper uneasy, although she couldn’t identify why. “I guess that means there’s still a chance for me, huh?” He punctuated the question with a light tap on her arm, like they were buddies, but there was something sincere about the question.
    “Not really,” Harper replied, hoping she didn’t sound too mean when she shot down Jason’s lame attempt at flirting. “We’re pretty happy.”
    “But you haven’t been together very long,” Jason said. “How do you know you wouldn’t be happier with someone else?”
    “I guess I don’t know that,” Harper conceded. “I feel in my heart that I’m happy with Jared, though. I’m not interested in anyone else.”
    “Fair enough,” Jason said, holding his hands up. “I can’t explain it, but for some reason I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since I saw you yesterday. It was like a blast from the past and all of sudden I was back in high school and I had a second chance to wow you with my really depressing pick-up skills.”
    “Jason, I don’t know what to say,” Harper said, instinctively thankful that the sun could be blamed for the added color to her cheeks. “It’s flattering, but … .”
    “You’re with Jared,” Jason finished.
    “I’m definitely with Jared.”
    “And you’re happy,” Jason added.
    “We’re definitely happy.” Harper flashed a sympathetic smile. “If you’re looking for a date, though, Jenny mentioned she’s open for offers. She’s been looking for a man for … well … forever.”
    “Yes, Jenny mentioned to me that she was looking for a date, too,” Jason said. “It was awkward and there was no graceful way to dodge it.”
    “I know that feeling.” Harper realized too late that her statement could be misconstrued as an obvious insult toward Jason. “I didn’t mean …