Page 19 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

Thirteen

When they were done eating, Charlie went to dispose of their plates and cups in the trash. The minute Knox stood up to join her, another couple swooped over and claimed their table. She was fine relinquishing it since she wanted to stretch her legs before they went to work.

Knox grabbed the steamy paperback and tucked it under his arm. “How about dessert? Want to grab some ice cream?”

“I’d love to, but I already indulged a lot.” She had a sudden flash of memory, recalling the way Randolph used to react whenever she asked if they could get dessert. He’d give her a condescending smile and remind her the calories would go straight to her ass. “I shouldn’t overdo it.”

“You sure about that?” Knox gave her a quick grin. “Because I’m getting a cone, and I don’t want you to feel deprived.”

She chased Randolph out of her head. Why was she letting him invade her thoughts when Knox was right here , treating her with the respect she deserved? “Okay, you convinced me. But I’ll hang on to Love’s Enduring Bounty so you don’t get ice cream all over it.”

She took back the book and tucked it into her tote bag.

They walked over to a kiosk selling ice cream and milkshakes, where he bought them each a cone—sea salt caramel for him and raspberry cheesecake for her.

The sweet, creamy treat was the perfect way to top off her meal, even if the warmth of the sun melted it almost as fast as she could eat it.

Since they still had a half hour before they needed to leave, they strolled past the floating homes, stopping to look at each one.

She paused in front of her favorite, which was painted a vibrant sapphire blue and adorned with hanging baskets filled with colorful flowers.

“I like this one the best,” she said. “When I was a teenager, I used to come down here with my friends. We’d each pick a houseboat and envision what it would be like to live there.”

“Not me. Too many gawkers. Especially on a nice day like this.”

“I don’t think I’d be into it now. I like being around people, but this is too much.”

As they walked, her mind kept bouncing back to everything Knox had told her. In the past, he’d revealed so little about himself that she’d regarded each tidbit like a tiny gem. But today, he’d opened the whole damn treasure chest.

“Thanks again for sharing all that stuff about The Hidden Forest ,” she said. “It couldn’t have been easy for you to relive it.”

“The hardest part was deciding whether to tell you about it. Once I left you that letter, I knew there was no going back.”

She licked the side of her cone, trying to catch the drips before they fell on her hand. “Who else knows? Besides me and your friend Logan?”

“My family. A few other friends. But that’s it.” He gave a short laugh. “Oh, and Preston knows, too.”

“How’d he know about it? Was it in your employee file?”

“Nope. When I applied to work at the Duchess, my resume only included my bartending experience. But Preston told me he did a deep dive into everyone’s past to make sure we weren’t hiding any dirty little secrets. He found mine.”

Charlie grimaced. Though she didn’t have anything to hide, the thought of him scrolling through her social media accounts made her uncomfortable. “I hope he didn’t look at all my Instagram posts. Some of my early stuff is pretty cringey.”

“I’m not sure how far back he went, but he somehow uncovered my pen name. I was surprised because I thought I’d done a thorough job burying Mac Iverson. Not only that, but I cut almost all my ties to the show. Other than Logan, no one knew how to reach me.”

She couldn’t imagine isolating herself that way. Even if she someday moved on to another hotel, she wouldn’t want to lose contact with the Damsels. “Were you close to your coworkers? Or was it an easy break?”

He stopped beside an aqua houseboat with a red bike parked in front.

“It was tough. There were two writers—Zack and Norah—that I really liked. They joined the show right before we started plotting the second season, and we clicked right away. But Evan always disparaged them. I think it annoyed him that the three of us got on so well.”

“Would you ever want to get in touch with them?” She didn’t want to push Knox too much, but he might benefit from reaching out to a few of his old friends.

“I’ve thought about it. But I left so suddenly. Then Evan spread all those rumors about me. Maybe the other writers didn’t buy into his bullshit, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what they really thought. Now, it’s too late.”

“Is it?” She placed her hand on his arm. He’d rolled up his sleeves, and his bare skin was warm from the sun. “It’s only been five years. Maybe if you were able to talk to them, you’d feel better. It might give you some closure.”

He tilted his head to the side. “You think I need closure?”

His tone wasn’t hostile, just curious. Like no one had ever asked him that before.

“Maybe?” She licked her lips, tasting raspberry ice cream on her tongue. “It’s not for me to say. If you’re fine with your life as is, then I wouldn’t worry about it. But it seems like this stuff has been weighing on you for years. Especially since you didn’t get to tell everyone the truth.”

When he said nothing, she worried she’d gone too far. Here he was, opening up about his past, and now she was encouraging him to make himself more vulnerable.

He nodded slowly. “It would be nice not to have it locked up inside me like an ugly secret. But damn if I know where to start. Besides telling you, I mean.”

“You don’t have to do anything just yet. Maybe…leave the door open and see what happens.” She licked a drop of ice cream from her hand. “I’m such a mess. This is melting all over me.”

“You’ve got a little smear of it on your chin.” He reached over and rubbed his thumb against it. “There, that’s better.”

His gentle touch made her shiver. When he locked eyes with her, she wanted to inch closer and place a soft kiss on his lips.

And from the intense way he was staring at her, she was certain he felt the same way.

But they were out in public, with people all around them. Not the best place for a first kiss.

What she wouldn’t give for a few more hours alone with him. This longing was stronger than the tiny spark they’d shared when he’d come into her bedroom. Or their almost-kiss in the storage room. This time, they both wanted more.

Hopefully, they’d get the chance to act on it soon.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Charlie couldn’t get Knox off her mind. If she’d had any doubts that he liked her, they were gone now. Even though they had yet to go on a real date, he’d let her into his world and shared his secrets. That counted for a lot.

By the time she got home from work and settled into bed, it was half past midnight. One of the downsides of working the late shift was that it messed up her schedule. Not ideal, given that she needed to be at the Duchess at eight tomorrow for an early meeting.

Unfortunately, needing to fall asleep and being able to do it were two different things.

After a half hour of tossing and turning, she flicked on her bedside lamp and grabbed Love’s Passionate Conquest —yet another pirate romance.

Since she’d read it before, she knew what to expect and had already memorized the locations of the steamiest chapters.

She was halfway through one of them when her phone chimed with a text.

She grabbed it off her nightstand, brightening when Knox’s name appeared on the screen.

Knox: Are you awake? I have a question for you.

Was Knox sexting her? Charlie regarded her phone with trepidation, but the urge to text him back was too hard to resist.

Charlie: I haven’t been able to fall asleep so I’m reading for a bit. What’s up?

Knox: How long until I get to the good stuff in this book? And by good stuff, I mean sexy times on a pirate ship.

Oh, God . Knowing that Knox was reading the book she’d loaned him—which was packed full of racy scenes—made Charlie feel both embarrassed and aroused.

Charlie: Patience. The author needs to immerse you in the story first.

Knox: I’m already immersed, damn it.

Charlie: Fine. Chapter 8 is where the magic starts. Chapter 14 is smoking hot. By chapter 20 you’ll need a fire extinguisher.

Knox: I’m impressed you immediately knew which chapters.

Charlie: I might have read that book a few times. Just saying.

Knox: What are you reading tonight?

Charlie: Another romance. Same series as yours but set on a different pirate ship. There are a lot of lusty pirate captains out there.

Knox: Too bad I couldn’t work pirates into The Hidden Forest.

Charlie: I wish! Even without pirates, some of the show was kind of steamy. Like that love scene between Elodie and Finn at the end of season 3.

The number of times she’d watched that scene bordered on humiliating.

What she’d loved most about it wasn’t that it was explicit, but that it showed so much tenderness between the two characters.

Upon first viewing it, she couldn’t conceive of ever finding a lover who would treat her that way.

But now she was wondering if it might be possible.

Especially since Knox had been the one responsible for that episode.

Charlie: You wrote that episode, didn’t you?

Knox: Guilty as charged. Did you like it?

Charlie: I loved it.

Knox: Glad to hear it. Since you’re a romance aficionado, your opinion counts for a lot.

Charlie gulped down a steadying breath. Talking to Knox like this—with a level of intimacy she wasn’t used to—had her heart thrumming wildly.

In her mind’s eye, she could visualize him sitting up in bed and reading Love’s Enduring Bounty , maybe chuckling over the book’s flowery language.

What would he think when he got to chapter eight?

Or— Lord, have mercy —when he reached chapter twenty?

But now she wanted to know what he was wearing. Pajamas? A T-shirt and boxers? Or did he sleep in the buff?

She was tempted to ask him, but that seemed too much like actual sexting. Better to douse this fire now than let it get out of control.

Charlie: I’d better get to sleep. I have to go in early tomorrow. Good night.

Knox: Good night. Sweet dreams.

Oh, they’d be sweet all right. Sweet and spicy.