Page 6 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

Four

Knox couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself so much.

While the ghost-hunting show had been cheesy and repetitious, he would have sat through another ten episodes if it meant spending more time with Charlie.

He’d thought she was sweet and funny before, but tonight, he’d discovered so many hidden depths about her.

Like her obsession with miniature toys. Her collection of old-school romance novels.

And her love of The Hidden Forest . More specifically, the first three seasons, when he’d worked as the show’s head writer.

For a brief moment, he’d been tempted to tell her about his connection to the show.

To explain that he’d written some of the episodes she loved.

He didn’t, of course. After five years of keeping that shit to himself, that was a level of intimacy he wasn’t ready for.

But after tonight, one thing was certain—he wanted to spend more time with Charlie.

Not just at work, either. He liked being able to talk to her without anyone interrupting them.

As they walked along the circular driveway that graced the front of her parents’ house, he was struck by the sheer size of the place.

Even in the dark, there was no mistaking how massive it was, easily twice as big as the ramshackle home where he’d grown up with five siblings.

He was taken aback when Charlie stopped suddenly.

The pained expression on her face made it look like she wanted to turn tail and run.

Fifty feet in front of them, a group of people stood next to the front walkway.

Before Knox could ask Charlie what was wrong, two well-dressed couples approached them, led by a tall, blond woman in a pink dress.

Based on the resemblance, Knox guessed she was Charlie’s mother.

Trailing behind the couples was a guy his age, dressed in a polo shirt and khakis, all blond and tanned, like he belonged in a Ralph Lauren ad.

Charlie gave them a feeble wave. “Hey, Mom. I wasn’t sure if your cocktail night was still going on.”

“We’re just finishing up. Who’s your friend?”

“This is Knox McIntyre. He works with me at the Duchess. Knox, these are my parents and their friends, the Bouchards. And…um…their son, Randolph Bouchard.”

Knox had never seen Charlie this ill at ease, not even when dealing with the hotel’s most demanding guests. He wasn’t sure what was up, but he greeted everyone politely. When he got to Randolph, the guy shook his hand vigorously. The type of handshake meant to indicate he was the alpha dog.

“What do you do at the hotel?” Randolph asked. “Are you a front desk clerk, like Charlie?”

Front desk clerk? Charlie was the goddamn front office manager , a position she’d worked hard to earn. Even so, Knox didn’t correct him. “I’m the head bartender at the Gilded Lily, the hotel’s cocktail lounge.”

Randolph snickered. “Let me guess—you’re not just a bartender. You’re also an aspiring actor, waiting on your big break? Or a writer, hoping to sell the great Canadian novel?”

The other adults laughed, as if Randolph’s comments were the height of wittiness. Knox had heard it all before. “Nope. I’m just a guy who likes mixing cocktails.”

“I guess that’s as good a job as any, even if the pay is shit,” Randolph said. “But you’d never catch me serving someone a drink.”

“Randolph is in finance,” Charlie’s mom said. “He and Charlotte were engaged to be married.”

Knox reeled inwardly. Not because Charlie had once been engaged, but because she’d contemplated marrying a d-bag like Randolph.

Then again, why was he so surprised? The guy obviously came from money, like Charlie did.

Though she never bragged about her family’s wealth, the size of her parents’ house was a dead giveaway.

Located in Uplands—one of the richest neighborhoods in Victoria—it was probably worth a cool three million dollars.

“We’re not engaged anymore.” Charlie latched onto Knox’s arm. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re heading out.”

Knox didn’t know what was going on, but he was willing to roll with it. Anything to support Charlie.

“What time will you be home, dear?” her mom asked.

“I’m not sure. See you all later.” As Charlie tugged Knox away from the group, she lowered her voice so only he could hear. “Keep walking. Please . Once we get to your truck, I need you to drive me around for a bit.”

“You got it.” He’d drive her anywhere she needed to go.

All night, if necessary. When they reached his truck, he opened the passenger door for her and waited until she got inside and put on her seat belt before shutting it.

He sensed the group was watching them, but he kept his gaze focused on her as he got in and started the engine.

Only after he’d driven a few blocks did he speak up again.

“You okay, Charlie?”

“I…I’m sorry. You must think I’m totally unhinged.”

The hitch in her voice was heartbreaking. “You seem pretty hinged to me. I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

“I am. It’s just…” She paused, as if getting a hold of herself.

“Randolph and I broke up three years ago. I’m completely over it, but my parents keep hoping we’ll get back together.

And because they’re good friends with his parents, I can’t avoid him.

If we hadn’t hightailed it out of there, I would have been forced to make small talk with them, and I just…

couldn’t.” She groaned. “Sorry. That was more information than you needed.”

It wasn’t too much. Now that he’d gotten a glimpse of the real Charlie—the woman behind the sunny front office manager he’d only known at a surface level—he wanted more. “It’s fine. Did you have a destination in mind, or should I drive around?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t want to keep you up too late.”

“No worries. I have Monday off, so I can sleep in.”

“Thanks, Knox.”

Her voice still held a slight wobble. Like she was trying to keep everything under control. He wished he could give her a hug, but he wanted to respect her boundaries. “There’s a little cove not far from here if you’d like to get some fresh air.”

“That sounds great.”

They drove in silence until he reached a stretch of road with access to a public beach.

One of the things he loved about living on the southern tip of Vancouver Island was the abundance of coves and beaches.

Most of them were small and rocky, the water frigid and filled with seaweed, but they were rarely crowded.

After he parked his truck, he went around and opened Charlie’s door. “There’s a stone stairway going down to the beach just past those bushes.”

She eased out of his truck and shut the passenger door behind her, then followed him toward the steps. “I had no idea this place existed.”

“It’s kind of hidden, but I like coming here.” He led her down to the shoreline.

The ground underfoot was made up of small pebbles, with chunks of driftwood scattered around, some pieces the size of tree trunks. It wasn’t a beach meant for swimming and sunbathing, but it possessed a quiet beauty, the waves gleaming under the moonlight.

He found his favorite place to sit—a hollow log worn smooth by the wind and water—and gestured for her to join him. She sat beside him, so close their bodies were almost touching. Allowing himself to relax, he inhaled deeply, relishing the briny tang of the ocean.

When she released a drawn-out sigh, he spoke up. “If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

“Really? You once told me you hated it when people unloaded their sob stories on you.”

While she wasn’t wrong, he didn’t want her to think he was an uncaring jerk. “One of the downsides of being a bartender is that everyone wants to share their woes. Including people you don’t give a shit about. So, I make it clear I’m not interested. With you, it’s different because…we’re friends.”

Was it presumptuous to call her a friend?

Up until tonight, they’d never hung out after work.

But of all the people he knew at the Duchess, she was the one he trusted the most. The one who stopped by the bar to chat with him when she worked the evening shift.

Who left him an extra donut every time she brought in a box for one of her meetings.

And the only one who’d been able to coerce him into helping with the hotel’s seasonal events last Christmas.

Just seeing her always brightened his day.

When she didn’t respond, he sat quietly, listening to the shush of the waves.

As someone with secrets of his own, he would never force her to reveal anything she didn’t want to.

But the question tumbled out before he could stop it.

“Okay, I’ve got to know. I can understand why you’d date the guy.

But to get engaged? He seems like a dick. ”

Charlie let out a bubbly laugh. “Don’t go easy on him or anything.”

“I wasn’t. I could have called him an asshole, but I toned it down.”

Her laughter spilled over, so infectious he couldn’t help but smile.

“Like I said, I started dating him because our parents spent so much time together. When he asked me out, saying yes seemed like a no-brainer. For once, it was nice to have my parents’ approval.

They weren’t exactly thrilled when I decided to go into hospitality. ”

“Are you kidding? You’re a manager.” Fuck these rich jerks who didn’t appreciate her.

“Yeah, but I’m in customer service, which they consider demeaning.

Dating Randolph was a great way to make them happy.

On my twenty-fifth birthday, they threw me a big surprise party, which would have been nice if they’d invited the Damsels, but it was filled with their rich friends.

In the middle of it, Randolph got down on one knee and proposed, in full view of everyone.

There was no way I could turn him down without humiliating him. ”

Knox picked up a pebble and smoothed it between his fingers. “So, what happened? Why’d you call it off?”

“As soon as I moved in with him, I realized what a huge mistake I’d made. He’d always been kind of judgmental, but once I was his fiancée, he tried to control every aspect of my life.”

Knox’s fingers coiled into fists at the thought of anyone mistreating Charlie. He strained to keep his voice even. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“Nothing like that. It was more subtle.” She looked away, as if too ashamed to face him.

“Commenting on what I wore. The kind of food I ate. How often I worked out. Once, when I was sick with the flu, I didn’t go to the gym for an entire week.

He hounded me about it, telling me I’d get out of shape if I kept skipping my workouts.

Or, sometimes, when we were going out for the evening, he’d say, ‘Is that what you’re wearing?

’ and I’d get so self-conscious I’d have to change.

Then he’d hover over me and insist on choosing my outfit. ”

“Jesus, Charlie. That’s not okay.”

She rubbed her hands over her bare arms. “I know that now. But he got into my head, so much that I started feeling physically ill before we went anywhere. And when I told my mom how anxious he made me, she said I was overreacting.”

He hated that anyone—especially a parent—had made her question her feelings. “How did it end?”

She gave him a wry smile. “Believe it or not, I broke things off because of the Duchess. He started telling me how happy he’d be once we were married, and I could quit my job.

Like my parents, he thought my role at the hotel was beneath me.

That’s when I told him I couldn’t marry someone who didn’t support my career. ”

“You left him?” He could only imagine how hard that would have been—to go against her folks, to leave a secure future, to speak up for herself.

“Bravest thing I ever did.” She turned to face him, her eyes damp with tears. “The fallout was rough. My mom nagged me about it for months.”

“I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, a prick like that doesn’t deserve you.” He was tempted to tell her about his own broken engagement, but he stopped himself.

It’s not about you, dumb-ass. No matter what shit he’d dealt with in his life, he shouldn’t be piling it on Charlie. Instead, he needed to support her.

“Thanks. It was hard at first, but I don’t regret leaving him.” She stood and walked toward the water’s edge. Picking up a pebble, she sent it skimming across the ocean. It skipped three times before falling into the water with a splash.

He joined her, tossing his own pebble, then grinning when it skipped four times. “Beat that.”

“Getting a little competitive, are we? It’s on.” She bent down and scooped up a few more stones. “I was just getting warmed up.”

Under the faint glow of moonlight, they continued tossing stones into the water. Charlie’s mood turned from sorrowful to exuberant as she went on to beat him nine times out of ten.

Standing beside her, the longing swelled up inside of him, making him want something he hadn’t dreamed of in years.

Ever since he’d left Vancouver, he hadn’t pursued a serious relationship with anyone.

He’d had a few one-night stands, but he’d never let them develop into anything meaningful.

After everything he’d been through with Lila, he hadn’t wanted to risk losing his heart again.

But now? Being with Charlie made him wonder if some things were worth the risk.