Gull Harbor (3 page)

Claire pressed her lips together. She’d meant for her description of the ghost’s blockades to be an amusing icebreaker. But Dan hadn’t found it the least bit funny, and now she regretted mentioning it. “No. I mean, I’ve always known that these types of abilities run in my mother’s side of the family. Still, it’s terrifying to hear voices and see apparitions. So for a long time, I did whatever I could to block the messages, until—”

The words caught in her throat.
Until Max’s father needed me,
she finished silently. The late Mr. Baron had been desperate to communicate with his son, and Max had helped her find the courage to let it happen. Max had never doubted her; he had accepted her initial claims without a hint of disbelief, and he had faithfully supported her efforts to bridge the gap between the dead and the living.

An agonizing pain twisted through her chest. She pressed her hand to her heart and closed her eyes against the tears. Her lids flew open again when she remembered she was in the middle of a conversation.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Heartburn.” That was as accurate a description as any. “What I was going to say was, I started honing my skills in college. I’ve helped a lot of people since then.”

Dan slid a concerned look in her direction. “I’m sure you have. But it still sounds to me like a dangerous occupation.”

She shook her head. “It’s really not. Most of the spirits are kind and gentle. And very grateful for my help.”
Just not this one
. She turned her face to hide her wry smile. She suddenly realized they were pulling into the parking lot that backed Max’s Tavern. “Wait, what are we doing here?”

He laughed. “Lobster dinner, remember?”

Her stomach pitched wildly. “I thought…I thought you meant we were going to the Lobster Pot.”

“The Lobster Pot? That place isn’t even open yet for the season. Besides, Lobster Pot’s for the tourists. Max’s is where the locals hang out.” He cut the engine and studied her profile. “Is that a problem?”

She adjusted her features into what she hoped was a composed expression. “Nope. Not a problem at all.”

Dan held the door open for her and she steeled herself. She had the advantage here; Max had no idea she was in Gull Harbor. Her eyes searched the noisy room for her handsome ex-boyfriend, but she didn’t see him. She exhaled the breath she had been holding as a young woman with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose approached them.

“Hi, Uncle Dan,” she said, her pretty face breaking into a grin.

“My niece, Katie. She’s the hostess,” he said proudly. “Katie, this is Claire.”

“Nice to meet you,” Claire said, following the girl through the throng of crowded tables toward a small open area in the back. She slid into the chair that Dan pulled out, relaxing by a few more degrees.

And then Max suddenly emerged from a back room, devastatingly sexy in dark jeans and a tight black T-shirt. Her pulse skittered as Dan waved him over to their table. This was it.

“Hey, Max. I’d like you to meet Claire, our newest resident.”

She watched competing emotions flash across his face as he reacted to her presence. A hint of regret shone in his eyes before he shuttered their deep blue depths. He cleared his throat, nodding in her direction.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, his voice cool.

So that was how they were going to play it. Fine. She started to reply, then stared at his outstretched hand
. Don’t touch him,
her inner voice warned.
Don’t you dare.
But years of her father’s etiquette training won out over common sense, and she slipped her hand into his.

A bolt of heat shot up her arm. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she choked out, as he gripped her fingers tightly. He held her hand for a beat too long before releasing it and gesturing toward the back of the restaurant.

“I need to get set up. Enjoy your dinner.”

Dan looked at her quizzically. “Are you okay?”

“I’m great,” she said, plastering a smile on her face. The waitress came to her rescue, and Claire ordered the lobster salad instead of a whole lobster. “I’m not actually that hungry,” she explained apologetically. That was true; her appetite
had
disappeared as the anger boiled up inside her. And she should not have a sharp pick and a wooden mallet in her possession right now.

The two beers they had ordered arrived in frosty glasses, and Claire tossed back a healthy swig of the bitter ale. Dan had been nice enough to bring her here, and she needed to get ahold of herself and enjoy the night. Her heart rate was just beginning to return to normal when she suddenly understood what Max had meant by “setting up.”

He’d pushed a barstool into the center of the open space, and now a microphone stood beside it. Oh, God. He was going to sing. Just seeing him had been difficult enough. She wasn’t sure she could listen to him sing.

“It’s Open Mic Night,” Dan explained as their meals arrived. “Sometimes other people play, but most people come to hear Max.”

Nodding weakly, she gazed at their plates. She was stuck. Even if she swallowed her dinner whole, Dan would still be working on that lobster for at least thirty minutes. She could hardly tell him to go ahead and finish while she waited in the car.

She’d managed to eat three small bites of lobster salad, and to actually realize it was delicious, when Max came out with his guitar. As he slid onto the barstool, a wave of applause traveled through the room. His fingers found the chords, and he began to play.

She knew the song, recognized it by the first few notes. He’d written it when they were in college; it had been one of her favorites. When his deep voice joined the music, a jagged spike of desire ripped through her.

This wasn’t fair. First Max had betrayed her; now her own body was following suit. She tore her gaze away from the makeshift stage, but it didn’t help. The familiar lyrics wound themselves around her, conjuring up powerful memories. Warmth pooled in her belly even as an ache bloomed in her chest.

Maybe she couldn’t escape, but she could certainly ignore him. He wasn’t going to drag her into the past without a fight. Gripping her fork, she pushed food around her plate as she battled back the memories that flowed with the music.

****

She dropped into bed, exhausted. What a night. An angry ghost had left a pile of dirt and sticks on her comforter while she had suffered through dinner. The man who had promised to love her forever had pretended not to know her. And now her traitorous body was burning with need for him as she lay alone in the darkness.

It was the fault of both her father and her economics professor that she and Max had crossed paths at all. Judge Linden had insisted that she take certain pre-law courses, and Professor Hamilton was a terrible economics teacher. When she realized she needed a tutor, she was told to meet Max at the university library.

She had walked right by him at first. He hardly looked like he belonged in the library; he certainly didn’t appear to be the economics genius assigned to help her. To this day, she was ashamed of the way she had judged him initially.

He was sitting at a study table, his long dark bangs hiding his face as he scribbled something on a scrap of paper. The ripped jeans and battered leather jacket he wore were not the standard of dress at the prestigious university. When he called her name, her mouth fell open in surprise.

“I’m Max. Your tutor,” he clarified.

“Of course,” she replied, trying to conceal her shock. She slid into the chair across from him with her head down, rifling through her backpack while her cheeks cooled. When she had regained her composure, she lifted her eyes to greet him properly.

He was impossibly handsome. Her throat grew dry as she gaped at him.
Say something,
she told herself, but nothing came to mind. She continued to stare at him until he asked her if she was feeling okay.

“I’m fine,” she choked out. “Just not very good at economics.” Pitiful, but at least she had recovered the ability to speak. What was happening to her? She had managed to exhibit more poise when she had met the Governor of Massachusetts last year.

“We can fix that,” he’d said with an easy grin. And he had; she’d aced the course with his help. But he’d taught her so much more than economics in the two years they were together. Their relationship had changed the course of her life.

And now here she was, alone at night in a haunted house. She sighed and rolled over. When the ghostly sobbing began, she was tempted to join in.

“I know you’re in pain,” she murmured into the darkness. “Maybe we can help each other.”

Chapter 4

“I got a name!” she exclaimed proudly, hopping onto the stool directly in front of Dan. Mornings at the Gull Harbor Diner had become her inadvertent routine; she didn’t always spring for breakfast, but coffee was a necessary expense. Claire had noticed, though, that her tab appeared suspiciously low the last time she had settled up. She was fairly certain Dan was “forgetting” to charge her for things. That discussion could wait, however. Right now, she just wanted to share her success.

“It’s Maria. Or Marie, or possibly Mary. But I’m pretty sure she said ‘Maria.’”

“That’s great,” said Dan as he poured her cup of coffee. “I mean, I’m assuming it’s great, based on your enthusiasm.”

“It’s great,” she confirmed. “It means she might be starting to trust me. And it’s only been a week!”

He frowned. “I’m glad you’re making progress. But at the same time, I hate to think of you leaving soon.”

She shook her head, sending her long earrings swaying. “I’m not leaving—I have nowhere to go. I sublet my apartment through August. There are actually crazy people who want to spend their summers in Boston, and I needed the cash.”

“The Llewellyns are paying you, though, right?”

“They are. Or they will be. I’m not going to take their money until I complete the job. In the meantime, they’ve given me a house on Cape Cod to live in for the summer.”

Dan raised his brows skeptically. “It’s not exactly a dream vacation home.”

The door jingled and Max walked in. He hesitated when he saw her, but then continued on toward the counter.

“Hey, Max,” said Dan. “You remember Claire, right?”

Max nodded as he lowered himself onto a stool two seats away from Claire.

She couldn’t resist. “We met the other night, didn’t we?” she asked innocently.

Dan filled a coffee mug in front of Max. “You met at the tavern on Friday night. I have to get back to work. You two holler when you decide what you want.”

When Dan was out of earshot, she turned to Max. “I’m flattered that you remember me.”

Max pressed his lips together in a grim line. “I was more than a little shocked to see you the other night. And since you were on a date with Dan, I didn’t think our relationship was something you’d want to explain over dinner.”

She didn’t bother correcting him. “That was very thoughtful of you. But now that we’ve been properly introduced, I don’t think we can pretend to be strangers anymore.”

“I suppose not,” he said, his voice hard.

She studied his expression. He seemed truly pained by the idea of having to acknowledge her. Jumping to her feet, she glared at him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this kind of treatment. But don’t worry, I won’t start hanging around your tavern.” She snatched up her bag and whirled around. “Tell Dan I’ll see him tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder.

****

He watched as she paused on the sidewalk to dig through her purse. The sun stretched its morning rays toward her, turning her long hair into a river of dark fire. She was even more stunning than she had been in college. This was bad.

He’d thought she was beautiful when they’d first met, but he had never considered asking her out. They were clearly from two different worlds. She was there because her father could afford the prestigious university; he was there because he’d worked like a demon to earn a scholarship.

“Did Claire leave?” Dan asked, pulling him out of his ruminations.

“What? Oh, yeah—she said she’d see you tomorrow.”

A crease formed between Dan’s light brown eyes. “Maybe I’ll go check on her later. I worry about her.”

“Why?” he asked, reaching for his fresh mug of coffee.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the talk. She’s in that house all alone, and strange stuff is happening.”

“Claire knows how to handle—”

Max cut himself off as Dan looked at him quizzically. Images of Claire were still invading his thoughts, and he forced himself back to the present.

“I mean, I’m sure she knows what she’s doing. That’s why she was hired.”

“I don’t know,” said Dan, shaking his head. “From what she’s told me, this case is very different from anything she’s dealt with before.” His eyes flicked toward a group of people seating themselves at a table. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Max dragged a hand through his hair. Worry gnawed at him, despite his confidence in her abilities. Had Claire gotten herself in over her head? He pushed himself away from the counter and stalked toward the door.

“I remembered something I have to do,” he said to Dan as he yanked the door open with more force than necessary. He fought with himself for a moment before he added, “Let me know how Claire is doing after you check on her.”

Beads of perspiration collected on his forehead as he strode up and down Main Street. Eventually he stopped in front of his tavern and let himself in. He needed to do his pacing out of the public eye or people would start questioning his sanity.

They would be right to question his sanity. The thought of Claire in danger was driving him crazy. He crossed through the restaurant to his office as conflicting emotions raged inside him.

How could he protect her against some paranormal force? He wanted her to leave town, but he knew she wouldn’t. And part of him wanted her to stay, so he could get her into his bed. God, he still desired her, even after what she had done.

Claire didn’t know he’d seen her in the arms of his best friend. Yes, Max had left her with no explanation, but he’d had no choice. When it was safe, he had come back to find her. He had sat in his car outside her dorm, waiting for her to return from class. But she hadn’t been alone; she’d strolled up the path with Keith, their hands linked. They’d paused for a kiss before entering the dorm together, and Max had driven away.