Page 2 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)
“Either one’s fine. I don’t start work until three.” Knox could always count on Logan for the juiciest industry gossip.
“Perfecto.” Logan shot him a pair of finger guns. “I’ll text you.”
“Sounds good.” Knox took his empty glass and wiped down the bar. He waited until his friend had left before speaking to Preston in a low voice. “The Duchess isn’t haunted.”
“It could be, right? It’s over a hundred years old.”
Not everything old is haunted, dipshit . “It’s not on the Historic Hauntings tour, and there are no records of any ghostly sightings.”
“Maybe we haven’t looked hard enough. I’ll bet we could find guests who’ve had some kind of supernatural encounter while staying here. Or we could make something up.”
Bad idea. After years of mismanagement, the Duchess was slowly rebuilding its reputation as an iconic boutique hotel. If word got out they were concocting fake ghost stories, they’d be the laughingstock of Victoria’s hospitality industry.
Preston rubbed his hands together. “This show could be just what we need to stand out during spooky season. Since you and Logan are old friends, I’d like you to be my point person for this project.”
What? This was going from bad to fucking awful. “Me? I’ve never watched a ghost-hunting show in my life.”
“Then you’ll have to get up to speed. You’d just need to handle a few things.
” Preston ticked off the items on his fingers.
“Ask the front office staff to comb through past reviews to see if they mention anything out of the ordinary. The spookier, the better. Do some background research into the hotel’s history.
Then, if we get a green light, coordinate with Logan’s team and our facilities staff to set up everything for the filming. ”
Typical Preston. Every time he came up with one of his “brilliant plans,” he delegated it to someone else. But this was a lot on top of Knox’s regular responsibilities. “I can’t do it. I’ve got my hands full running the bar.”
Preston scowled. “You’re not much of a team player, are you?”
Not anymore . Back in Vancouver, as the executive story editor of The Hidden Forest , Knox had put in long hours in the writers’ room, working with his team to break each episode.
They’d bonded over late-night sessions where they’d hammered out story beats, debated character arcs, and brainstormed plot twists.
But once he was discredited, he left them all behind.
Since then, wherever he’d worked, he kept his coworkers at arm’s length. Less to lose that way.
“I do my job,” he muttered.
“You’ll need to do more than that if you want to keep running the Gilded Lily. If that’s not enough incentive, consider this. I know what went down in Vancouver.”
The chill icing Knox’s spine made him feel like a ghost had passed through him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No? When I started working here last year, I did a deep dive into everyone’s background.
Yours was trickier because you’re not online anymore.
It took me a while before I discovered your pseudonym.
Mac Iverson, one of the creators of The Hidden Forest .
Formerly engaged to Lila Winstead, who plays Princess Elodie on the show. Impressive stuff.”
Fuck. Knox didn’t want to remember any aspect of that life. Especially not Lila. “It’s no one’s business but mine.”
“Then I’ll keep it to myself. If you’ll help me with the show. It’s not a big ask.”
Knox’s jaw tightened. It was a huge ask.
His anger dissolved when Charlotte Fraser, known to her friends as Charlie, breezed into the bar and headed toward them.
Though her brow was creased in dismay, she was so beautiful she took Knox’s breath away.
Skin like pale cream, a cute dusting of freckles on her upturned nose, jade-green eyes, and short blond hair.
Petite and adorable, she was like Tinker Bell, if Tink had been a sweet, sunny hotelier instead of a vengeful fairy with a murderous agenda.
Though he was always glad to see her, he didn’t like the thought of anyone making her upset. “Hey, Charlie. Are you okay?”
Preston frowned at her. “Is there a problem at the front desk?”
She blew out a peeved breath. “There’s a woman at check-in who insists on talking to the manager.
She and her friends booked the Duchess for a girls’ getaway through a third-party website.
They paid in advance, but now she’s insisting we give them a full refund.
Apparently, the rooms aren’t up to her standards. ”
Preston regarded her with a condescending smirk. “You’re the front office manager. Surely, you can handle it?”
“I can, but the woman said, ‘Get your boss out here before I make a scene.’ She told me she’s a well-known influencer who’d have no qualms about trashing us online.” Charlie lowered her voice. “To be honest, if she was that famous, she’d be staying at the Grand Duke.”
That made Knox laugh. When Charlie favored him with a warm smile, he found it impossible to break away from her gaze. But his blood ran cold when he realized Preston was observing the two of them. Intently.
“I’ll head over to the front desk and sort it out,” Preston said. “But before I go, I have a quick question. Charlotte, do you believe in ghosts?”
“Ghosts? Gosh, I think so, but I’ve never seen any.”
“I’m asking because a team of paranormal investigators might be coming to the Duchess to shoot an episode.” Preston placed his hand on her arm. “Given your background in customer service, you’d be optimally suited to serve as one of the point people for the show.”
“Me? I’m a total scaredy-cat. I can’t even bring myself to watch horror movies.”
Preston raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be that terrifying. Plus, you wouldn’t be doing this alone. You’d be working with Knox.”
“Oh.” Charlie’s eyes widened. “Then…I could handle it.” She flashed Knox a shy smile. “If it’s okay with you?”
Damn it. Somehow, Preston had zeroed in on Knox’s two weakest spots—his past and his crush on Charlie—and was using both against him.
Aware she was waiting for a reply, Knox didn’t have the heart to turn her down. “Definitely. We’ll make a great team.”