Page 26 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

Eighteen

Even so, he appreciated the effort Laurel had made in finding him a stylish costume that fit the Grand Duke’s requirements and covered his face.

When she’d dropped off the outfits this morning, she’d asked him and Charlie to try them on as soon as possible.

Though the big event was still two and a half weeks away, Laurel wanted to allow time for any necessary alterations.

“Here goes nothing,” he grumbled.

To his surprise, the costume had been designed for someone his size. The black tuxedo jacket, starched white shirt, and tailored black pants fit him to a T. He placed the long black cape across his shoulders and grinned at his reflection in Charlie’s bathroom mirror.

“Are you ready?” she called out. “I want to see you.”

“Hang on.” He emerged from her bedroom and gave an elaborate bow.

Charlie squealed. “Oooh! You look so dashing!” She ran up to him and stroked the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. “I love this on you. I wish you didn’t have to put on the mask.”

He let his gaze roam over her. She’d told him her dress was based on the masquerade scene from the original Broadway show; on her, it was stunning.

The dark blue bodice hugged her breasts and enhanced her cleavage, and the low, ruffled sleeves showed off the curve of her bare shoulders.

A pink tulle skirt, adorned with silver stars, fell just above her knees, revealing her shapely calves.

He let out a low whistle. “You look like a fairy princess, only much sexier.”

“I’m glad you approve. I feel like I should be twirling about onstage.” She picked up the sculpted white Phantom mask and handed it to him. “Here. Try it on to make sure it fits.”

While it wasn’t that comfortable, at least it didn’t block his vision. “I don’t love how it feels, but that’s not important. I need to make sure most of my face is hidden. Can you tell it’s me under the mask?”

“Sorta? But if I was a guest at the gala, I’d have no idea, especially since Mac Iverson didn’t have a sexy lumberjack beard like you do now. Does any part of the costume need adjusting? Laurel needs to know right away.”

He took off the mask and wiped the sweat from his brow. Wearing it for six hours would be a test of his endurance. “Everything fits, but I’m going to change back now. The less time I spend dressed like this, the better.”

She leaned toward him and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

“I think you make a totally swoon-worthy Phantom. These costumes are gorgeous, but I can’t wait until we get the ones from Peter Pan .

Think how sexy that’s going to be.” She lowered her voice.

“Imagine Tinker Bell, down on her knees, pleasuring Captain Hook.”

Jesus. They’d already had sex once this morning, but the thought of her kneeling before him, dressed in a sexy pixie outfit, made his dick spring back to life. “There’s probably a porno out there with that exact scene. But if you’re offering, I’m gonna hold you to it.”

“Please do.” She gave him a saucy wink. “Let’s go get changed. Remember to hang up your costume after you take it off. I want to keep it as pristine as possible. And don’t forget you promised to take me out for bagels this morning.”

Taking her hand, he pulled her close until her body was pressed against his and gripped her ass. “You sure that’s what you’re hungry for?”

With a laugh, she swatted his arm. “Behave. I want to have time to eat breakfast before I go in to work. I’d also prefer not to show up late.

” She eased out of his grasp. “I wish my schedule wasn’t so intense.

I guess I should be grateful Preston isn’t making either of us work on Thanksgiving.

I’m glad we get to spend the holiday together. ”

He’d been pleasantly surprised when she’d invited him to join her parents at the yacht club, but something about it didn’t sit right with him. “Are you positive your folks want me to come for dinner? I got the impression your mom wasn’t thrilled at meeting me.”

“She was just caught off guard. Plus, she was still hoping I’d get back together with Randolph. By now, she has to realize that ship has sailed. I don’t care if I ever see him again.”

Same here . “How about you spend the night at my place afterward? You still haven’t seen it yet.”

“I’d like that. I’ve been dying to get a peek into your lair.”

In the three years he’d lived there, he’d never brought anyone back to spend the night.

He’d preferred to keep it private, like so much of his past. But now that he’d slept over at Charlie’s place a few times, he wanted to reciprocate.

By having her over, he’d be revealing even more of himself, but he was ready to take that step.

* * *

Knox wished he and Charlie could have spent a leisurely morning together, but after he’d taken her out for bagels, she headed in to work.

Since he had the day off, he decided to enjoy the glorious fall weather.

He drove to Beacon Hill Park, a huge expanse of green space near downtown Victoria, filled with winding paths, flower gardens, stone bridges, and duck ponds.

Now that October was here, the air was crisp, the ground carpeted with scattered leaves in shades of red and gold.

Squirrels darted about, gathering nuts and scrambling up and down the trees.

He took his time capturing all of it with his camera—the brilliant foliage, the playful ducks, and the colorful peacocks strolling through the park.

Charlie would have loved it, particularly his visit to the park’s petting zoo, where he took photos of the baby goats.

More often than not, their schedules conflicted, but they were making it work.

And every time they spent the night together, they grew closer.

The only thing he regretted was all the months they’d wasted pining for each other, both of them too gun-shy to make the first move.

He was passing by one of the park’s playgrounds when his phone rang and Logan’s name appeared on the screen. “Hey, man. Got any updates for me?”

“I sure do. I’ll send all the details in an email, but I can give you a quick overview.

On the first day—Friday, October thirtieth—we’ll do a preliminary walk-through of the hotel’s storage room, set up our cameras, get baseline readings, and conduct our in-person interviews.

The following night, three members of the team will spend four hours holed up in the room, while myself and another member monitor them from one of the third-floor guest rooms. You took care of that? ”

“It’s all set. I booked your group into three rooms, right down the hall from the haunted storage area. For the interviews, we’ve got Celia and Charlie, plus an eighty-nine-year-old woman who worked for the hotel in the 1950s.”

“Perfecto. Celia sent me a bunch of photos from the archives. I didn’t realize until now that she led the ghost tour I took in September. For a Goth chick, she’s kind of hot. Do you know if she’s single?”

Knox laughed. “She’s with someone.”

“What about Charlie?”

“Also taken,” he snapped. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Aha! I knew I’d get you to admit it! What’s the story there?”

Normally, Knox would have told him to back off. Or blatantly ignored the question. But his relationship with Charlie was going so well he was willing to talk about it. “We’re dating. And I’m trying my hardest not to muck it up.”

“I don’t see how you could, given your charming personality.”

“Fuck off,” Knox growled. But he didn’t mean it. He was starting to feel the way he had back when Lila had first taken an interest in him. All mushy and hopeful.

“I’m glad for you,” Logan said. “It’s about time you got a break.”

“Thanks.” Leaving the playground area, Knox crossed a stone bridge, passing a family of four who were tossing bread at the ducks. “Gotta say, it’s a nice change being with someone who’s not connected to the industry.”

“That reminds me. There’s another reason I called. It’s about The Hidden Forest .”

His somber tone made Knox uneasy. “What’s going on?”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just learned the cast and crew are coming to Victoria in a few weeks. They’re having a big gala at the Grand Duke Hotel to celebrate the show’s hundredth episode. I doubt you’ll run into any of them, but I wanted you to be prepared.”

Knox parked himself on a wooden bench, uncapped his water bottle, and took a long drink. “Well, actually…I’m working at the gala. As a bartender.”

When Logan didn’t respond, Knox checked his phone to make sure he still had a signal. “Did I lose you?”

“Nope. I’m trying to make sure I heard you correctly. Did you say you’re voluntarily working at the event?”

“Yep. But since it’s a costume ball, I’ll be going in disguise.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Logan yelled.

Knox winced. Logan wasn’t the type to raise his voice. Back when his friend had worked on The Hidden Forest , he’d often been the calmest one on the set. “I know it sounds insane, but hear me out. A couple of weeks ago, I told Charlie all about Mac Iverson. I didn’t spare any details.”

“Damn. You must really like her.”

“I do. It helps that she’s so compassionate.

Once I got it out in the open, I felt like this huge cloud had lifted.

It was so freeing not to hide all that shit.

Anyway, we got to talking, and I admitted I felt bad about the way I’d left things.

Cutting off people. Making it impossible for them to find me.

” Knox dug his fingers along a groove in the bench.

“I know you told me as much, and I should have listened, but…”

“I’m sure Charlie was way more persuasive. And I think she’s right. But if you want to connect with some of the writers from the show, I could help you track them down. Going to this gala could put you in Evan’s crosshairs, and you don’t want that. He hates you.”

Though Knox had heard as much before, Evan’s prolonged animosity seemed unjustified. “I don’t understand why he’s still pissed off. He got everything he wanted and sent me into exile. I’m hardly a threat to him.”

Logan barked out a sharp laugh. “Are you serious? He’s never gotten over the fact that you were the one with all the talent.”

“Evan had talent. The show’s initial premise—that was all him. No one was better at pitching a story than he was.” Knox had always envied Evan’s ability to work a room.

“For the first year, maybe. But after that, you were the creative force that shaped the next two seasons. You might have started off as equals, but your writing was ten times better than his would ever be. And he knew it. Everyone did.”

Knox sighed. During the first season of The Hidden Forest , he and Evan had been a dynamic duo.

Just the two of them, with Evan providing the creative spark and Knox writing most of the episodes.

Due to the show’s unexpected success, the second season had been far more ambitious, making a writers’ room a necessity.

When the show’s producers chose Knox to be the head writer, Evan had flown into a rage.

Though Knox had offered to share the title and the responsibilities with him, the damage had already been done.

From then on, Evan was convinced that Knox planned to move up the ladder without him.

“I kept telling Evan I had no desire to be a producer. I just wanted to write. But whenever I got called to the set to work with the cast on the episodes I’d written, he accused me of hogging the spotlight.” Knox frowned. “Do I look like a spotlight guy to you?”

“Hardly. Besides, you made sure the other writers got that experience, too. Evan had just as many opportunities as you did, but he didn’t want to put in the work. And then he had the balls to force you out and spread those shitty rumors about you.”

Of all the things Evan had done, that had hurt the most. He’d trashed Knox’s reputation, painting him as a total fuckup with a terrible temper and addiction issues.

“The rumors just about killed me,” Knox said.

“But do you know what hurt even more? After I left, the show did fine without me. My absence barely made a dent.” While the fourth season had stumbled badly, with fans protesting the darker storylines, the show had eventually recovered and won more awards.

“Sorry. If it’s any consolation, most of the other writers on staff didn’t buy Evan’s bullshit. That’s why he canned a bunch of them after the fourth season ended. So, he’s not someone you want to fuck around with. Not if your life’s back on track.”

Knox stood and resumed walking along the path. “The thing is, there’s not much he can do to me. I already lost everything.”

“Man, that sucks.”

“It’s okay. I’m doing better now. Telling Charlie about it really helped. I know working at the gala could be risky, but I’d like to catch a glimpse of the cast and crew again. Maybe connect with a few old friends, if they’re still around. It might help me move on for good.”

Now that he’d set his course, he wanted to see it through. Though staying hidden had initially served him well, it hadn’t allowed him to heal completely. Like Charlie said, he needed closure. And this event just might give it to him.