Ghostly Interests Read Online Free Page B

broke up with the guy from the garage because he smelled like gasoline,” Harper said. “What was his name again? Chet, right? You should’ve known he would smell like gasoline because he worked in a garage. That relationship was doomed from the start. Who names their kid Chet?”
    “That was a family name,” Zander said. “I didn’t realize the smell of gasoline gave me a headache until it was too late. That was completely out of my control.”
    “What about the guy you met at the gym?” Harper asked.
    “Don’t bring him up.”
    Harper ignored Zander’s admonishment. “You cruised him for a week straight,” she said. “You even joined a water aerobics class because he was in it. You worked overtime to get him and what happened then?”
    “He shaved his armpits,” Zander argued. “I like a muscular guy and I like that whole metrosexual thing. I like a little manscaping. I don’t trust anyone who shaves their armpits, though. That’s just … wrong.”
    Harper pursed her lips to keep from laughing out loud. This was a fun game. “How about the guy you picked up at the deli?”
    “Oh, I knew you were going to go there,” Zander muttered.
    “You were in love with him from afar because he always picked fresh produce and you were on a health kick,” Harper said. “Why did that relationship last for exactly three dates again? Oh, that’s right, you can’t trust anyone who is vegan because if a person dislikes cheese that’s the same thing as disliking America.”
    “I’m a patriot at heart,” Zander sniffed.
    Harper loved her best friend beyond reason, but his fickle nature irked her on the best of days. Two straight weeks of eating the same lunch on the same patio was getting old. She wanted Zander to ask the waiter out so he could dump him before the following week. She wasn’t having clam chowder for lunch again – not until the fall when soup was a welcome meal.
    “Ask him out,” Harper prodded. “We both know you want to. Heck, he knows you want to. If you do it now we can go back to that place that has that great Creole shrimp dish next week. I’ve been dreaming about that.”
    “You need to find a man so you can dream about something spicier than food,” Zander said, making a face. “Seriously, why don’t you go out with Eric? He loves you. He worships the ground you walk on.”
    “There’s no sexual chemistry there,” Harper replied. “I’m not attracted to him. He’s a nice guy. He’s too young for me, though.”
    “He’s three years younger than you,” Zander countered. “It’s not like you’re Mrs. Robinson … or that creepy teacher who got knocked up by her student twice and then ended up marrying him.”
    “Thanks for that visual,” Harper said, shaking her head. “I’m not really in a place where a relationship makes sense right now. You know that.”
    “I think you’re scared to be in a relationship because you’re only attracted to non-believers and they all think you’re strange when you admit you can see and talk to ghosts.”
    “I … you’re a pain,” Harper muttered.
    “And yet you love me anyway,” Zander said. “Eat your soup. Once you’re done I’ll hit on the waiter and we can get going. I’m ready to blow this popsicle stand. Yes, I heard the double entendre the second I said it. There’s no reason to comment on it.”
     
    HARPER busied herself on the beach while Zander prettied himself up in the bathroom, visions of getting busy with the waiter practically lifting like thought bubbles from his head.
    Spring in Michigan was one of her favorite times of the year. The trees were budding, the grass was greening, and the air smelled of possibilities. Zander often fell under the spring’s thrall when it came to his dating life. That wasn’t a surprise. He liked the idea of falling in love more than the reality of having to put up with someone else’s quirks. Since Zander and Harper shared a house, Harper was often relieved Zander was