Page 40 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)
With a pop, the key burst out of the lock and clattered to the floor. The door swung open. Knox released Charlie and scrambled to grab the door before it misbehaved again. He leaned against it, letting a wave of fresh air into the room.
Charlie clasped her hands together. “We did it! And you danced with me!”
“If you tell anyone, I’ll deny it.” In actuality, he’d enjoyed every second, but he had his grumpy reputation to uphold.
“Your secret’s safe with me.” She took the record off the turntable, placed it back inside the paper sleeve, and set it on the dresser. “Let’s get out of here before Maeve changes her mind.”
He scooped up her key from the floor and waited until she was safely in the hallway before closing the door behind him. He still couldn’t figure out Maeve’s endgame. Was she vengeful or just plain lonely?
Charlie pulled out her phone. “It’s working again! Good thing since the front desk just left me a message. The crew is here.”
Taking her hand, he ran with her toward the elevator.
A lightness flowed through him, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
At the front desk, Logan and the four members of the film crew stood chatting with Preston.
After a quick round of introductions, the clerk on duty handed the guests their key cards.
“Let me know when you’re ready to check out the storage room,” Charlie said to them. “I’ll take you up there so you can see the space and set up your equipment.”
Knox handed her one of the brass keys. “You need me to come with?”
“I’m good. I’m going to contact Joe from Facilities and have him meet us there. I need him to set up a barrier around the room so no one tries to get in. He can also make sure the door stays open while the guys are setting up. But thanks. I’ll stop by the Lily when I get a break.”
While the other members of the ghost-hunting team left to go up to their rooms, Logan lingered behind. “Got a minute?” he asked Knox. “I have a few updates for you.”
“Sure.” Knox gestured for Logan to follow him toward the Gilded Lily. “The bar’s not open yet, but I can fix you a drink.”
Logan grinned. “I wouldn’t say no to a cocktail.”
The entrance was closed off with two metal stanchions and a thick velvet rope, along with a sign declaring the lounge opened at four. Knox pushed past it. “I’ll be going on duty soon, but if your team needs anything tonight, let me know. Another bartender’s coming as backup.”
“If Charlie’s good with taking them to check out the haunted area, then we’ll be fine. After we break for dinner, we’ve got three interviews scheduled. You’re not doing one, right?”
Knox flicked on the lights and headed for the bar.
“Nope. I didn’t experience any psychological turmoil when I was stuck in there.
It seems like the room doesn’t affect men the same way it does women.
Charlie, Celia, and Gertrude all said the storage room messed with their emotions. That never happened to me.”
“Interesting. The female member of our crew couldn’t make it for this visit, so I hope we still get some kind of ghostly activity.
At least the others have plenty of experience with the paranormal.
” He settled himself on a barstool and picked up a laminated card with the happy hour specials.
“I’ll take a bourbon cranberry cocktail. ”
“Good choice.” Knox went behind the bar and grabbed the bourbon. “One other tip about the storage room—if the negative energy gets too overwhelming, music seems to help. Charlie and I were locked in there just now, but when we started dancing to an old record album, the door opened.”
“You were dancing? Voluntarily?” Logan laughed. “What has this woman done to you?”
“Hell if I know.” Knox couldn’t help smiling. He slid the drink over to Logan. “You said you had some updates?”
Logan sipped his cocktail. “Ah, that’s good. Brace yourself. I reached out to a bunch of places, and Entertainment Weekly responded right away. They were all for it.”
“Are you shitting me?” Knox had been reading Entertainment Weekly since he was a kid, way back when it had been a print magazine.
“No lie. It helps that Lila promised them an exclusive interview, spilling the news about her divorce. I’m glad you were able to persuade Zack and Norah to contribute.”
“They also put me in touch with two other writers. I can’t believe the level of support I’ve gotten.” The more people Knox heard from, the more memories came flooding back, making him remember all the things he’d loved about working on the show.
“You totally deserve it,” Logan said. “Hell, everyone deserves a second act.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me a damn thing. Except you need to start writing again. The world needs more Mac Iverson.”
Knox couldn’t help but smile. “Funny that you mention it. Last month, I started tooling around with a horror screenplay I wrote ages ago. But I’ll be writing it as Knox McIntyre. After this article comes out, that’s it for Mac.”
For so long, he’d worried someone would discover his alter ego, but not anymore.
He was done keeping secrets.