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I thought about our plans for later, and Aubrey’s wedding made me tell Wiley. “Hey, I think I’m going to the church in town later, you interested in checking it out?”
“Dude...” Wiley laughed. “You don’t have to go to church just because you kissed someone.”
“What? Oh for shit’s sake.” I took a breath. “I thought you might want to look at it for the wedding? If you guys want a church wedding. It’s the only one up here. But the reason I’m going is for the treasure hunt. Emily thinks she might have an idea we missed.”
Wiley straightened. “Seriously? Something that doesn’t involve lawyers and bad karma?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m in.”
“Only...I know the writers have free time this afternoon. Do you have backup in the bar?” So far, it had become clear that writers enjoyed the bar when they were not writing. And sometimes when they were.
“Yeah, I can get Antonio to cover for a bit, and Helen’s doing really well in there.” Helen was a townie who’d come by looking for work a few months ago, willing to do just about anythingbut without any real experience. She’d gotten her wish, and had become kind of a roving employee, helping out wherever we were short.
“Okay, great. I’ll grab you when we head out. Better invite Aubrey too.” I wondered briefly how Aubrey and Emily would get along, but wasn’t too worried. More concerning was the level of shit I’d be getting when Aubrey figured out I was interested in Emily. But the risk was worth the reward. The thought of going anywhere with Emily made me irrationally happy.
“I’ll tell Aub,” Wiley promised, shooting me a grin before heading back to the bar.
Chapter Nine
Canoodling with the Enemy
EMILY
The day flew as I tagged along with Christine through panels and roundtables, learning about everything from budgeting for advertising to legalities of copyrighting our work. Today was the business-focused day, and it wasn’t as compelling for me, mostly because I didn’t really have a business yet. I had a freelancing business, I guessed—I’d been writing on assignment for a few magazines since I’d come out of college with a portfolio and a few bylines. But some of these writers had corporations and employees—it was a whole other level of responsibility.
Through it all, my mind wandered widely.
I’d kissed Archie Kasper.
I’d kissed the enemy.
Only, he wasn’t my enemy at all. And I didn’t think he was my father’s, either. He was a scapegoat for my family’s sorrow and grief, and I was starting to see that he carried a heavy enoughload of remorse without ours added to his burden. He hadn’t told me that, of course. But it was written in the lines of his face—too many for a man his age. It was telegraphed in the way he stood, as if his shoulders held just a bit more weight than the men around him. And I saw it in his eyes. In his unguarded moments, it flickered there—a dark cloud sweeping through the indigo blue depths.
I knew Ghost was his callsign, certainly because of his last name and the old cartoon, Casper the Friendly Ghost. But it was appropriate for a man who passed through life like a shadow of the guy he could be.
My limbs still tingled at the thought of the kiss, and when I found Archie waiting for me in front of the massive desk in the lobby after I texted him that I was done for the day, I felt a blush climb my cheeks.
He looked handsome standing there, his dark red hair lit by the chandeliers from above. The way it waved over his forehead reminded me of old movie stars with their debonair locks, except Archie’s was artfully mussed, as if he’d had his hands in it through the morning as he worked. He wore another soft-looking button down and a pair of dark brown pants with boots, and a deep russet scruff covered his jaw. The man could have been a model for one of those Americana teen clothing brands—Abercrombie or something.
His lips stretched into a hesitant smile as he spotted me coming from the foot of the stairs.
“Hey,” I said, trying not to feel self-conscious under his gaze. What must he think about that kiss? Did he regret it? We’d had a little to drink. Did he think that was something I did a lot?
It wasn’t.
“Hey,” he said, the word warm and welcoming.
Tension loosened inside me. “You ready to go treasure hunting?” I bounced a little at the idea. Not only would solvingthe mystery make my career—a cover piece wasn’t easy to come by—but the whole idea was just so...fun.
“Definitely,” he said. “Wiley and Aubrey are going to come along. They have a bit of an ulterior motive though. My sister just decided they should get married before the baby comes.”
I’d seen Aubrey, and it honestly looked like the baby could come in the next five minutes. I tried to push down the jolt of disappointment that came unbidden when I realized it wouldn’t be just the two of us. “Okay. That’s exciting, right? Planning a wedding?”
“It is. Just a bit more...pressure, I guess.” He pushed a hand through that incredible hair, verifying my hypothesis about how it’d gotten mussed. I tried not to think of my own hands in it and failed.
We walked together to the entrance of the bar, and Archie signaled to his sister who was sitting on a stool. She called to Wiley, and soon the four of us were climbing into one of the Kasper Ridge SUVs, which had been waiting at the curb. Archie drove, and Wiley and Aubrey climbed into the back together, Wiley practically lifting his fiancée into the big vehicle. I took shotgun, trying not to focus on how much this felt like a double date suddenly.
