1. Hannah

Chapter 1

Hannah

I woke to water dripping onto my face and sputtered as I flung myself out of bed.

Max, my fluffy black cat, leaped off the blankets and scrambled from the room. If I wasn’t careful, he’d get even later. He probably thought I was responsible for the water now plopping onto my pillow instead of my face.

Nope, that was due to the ghost.

“Damn you, Justin!” I shook my fist at the ceiling, though it wouldn’t make a difference.

Justin Blakemore was the resident ghost. Or I assumed he was. Who else could be sabotaging my renovations on Blakemore House, the four-story oceanfront Victorian I’d purchased a few months ago to turn into a B&B?

I rushed upstairs, expecting to find a burst pipe in the bathroom above my bedroom, only to discover a dry sink, a dry clawfoot tub, and an equally dry seal around the toilet.

Where was the water coming from?

With a sigh, I hurried down to the basement and turned off all the water leading to the second floor. I’d call Macy, the plumber, later to see if she could figure it out. I pretty much had her on speed dial.

I returned to my bedroom and glared at the ceiling that at least had stopped dripping, adding one more stain to cover with fresh paint to my to-do list.

“You’re messing with my life, Justin,” I snarled, feeling foolish the moment I said it. There was no such thing as ghosts. A dead guy named Justin Blakemore, the former owner of this gorgeous, though run-down building, was not trying to sabotage my renovations.

So who was?

After finding Leave, or else written on the front parlor mirror above the fireplace that disappeared during the time it took me to run to the kitchen for a rag and glass spray, plus my back flower beds dug up and the plants strewn all over the lawn, I’d called the police. Detective Carter was sympathetic, but I hadn’t yet installed security cameras, and there was no way for him to tell who’d messed with anything.

“Probably a skunk,” he’d said about the flower beds.

I’d pointed out that skunks dug in the lawn looking for grubs, not flower beds. While they might dig up a bulb or two for a tasty treat, they weren’t into uprooting entire bushes or prying irises and larger plants out of the ground. They also didn’t bother to drag the plants twenty feet out onto the lawn, let alone slice them up with a hoe—then leave the hoe behind as evidence.

“Kids, then,” he’d replied, telling me to call him if any other unusual things occurred.

As for the mirror-writing, with no evidence, he could only shrug and look at me as if he thought I might’ve imagined it. Thankfully, he’d been polite enough not to speak what was clearly crossing his mind.

Months ago, after scrimping and saving for five years working as a chef at an exclusive restaurant in Boston, I’d put a down payment on this building and moved to cozy Mystic Harbor on Cape Cod. I was determined to fix the place up and open a B&B. My guests would slumber in one of the ten ensuite bedrooms then sit in the gorgeous, restored dining room while enjoying the amazing brunches I’d create in the big old kitchen.

My dad was a general contractor, and during summer breaks through high school and college, I’d worked with him on one job after another, learning a second trade that had come in handy with my Blakemore House restoration.

I didn’t mind working hard, but I did mind having someone sabotaging my efforts.

Was all this the work of a ghost?

One of these days, I was going to find out.

If Detective Carter wouldn’t take me seriously, someone at Monsters, PI, would.

I stripped my bed and tossed the damp blankets and sheets into the washer.

“I needed to do my sheets anyway,” I told Justin. I either talked to a possibly fictitious ghost or I talked to Max, who skulked behind me from room to room, glaring.

“Sorry, kitty.” Pausing beside him in the hall, I leaned over to stroke my fingers down his spine.

He put up with it for all of two seconds before swiping out at my calf with his claws.

“Still pissed, are you?” I said cheerfully as I scooted around him and strode into the kitchen.

I made a pot of coffee and opened a can of wet food. He huffed as I placed it in front of him, but dug in, eating like he hadn’t stuffed his belly last night.

Once the coffee was done, I poured a big cup full and took it and a muffin out onto the back patio, sitting in one of the wicker chairs I’d strategically placed to enjoy the view of the sea in the distance. Max followed me, rubbing against my legs, all forgiven until the next mishap.

Leaning back in my chair, I sipped my coffee, washing down bites of the muffin. There wasn’t much better than the sound of crashing surf, the salty-briny smell of the sea, and the opportunity to stroll along the shore.

If I hadn’t saved every penny I could, I would never have been able to scrape up enough to put a down payment on this place. A building on the ocean? I’d lucked out, making an offer before a big contractor got wind of it. After Justin’s death, it went into probate for years and fell into disrepair. His out-of-state daughter was grateful to unload it on the first person to offer—me.

With the small inheritance I got from Mom, who died when I was fifteen, I’d turn this place into a showpiece. Assuming nothing else happened to slow me down. The bathroom fixtures all needed updating, the walls needed fresh paint, and the kitchen hadn’t been renovated since the 1950s.

As it was, I had just enough money to get the building into the shape it needed to be in to open my B&B during leaf peeper season this fall. I’d advertised, and half my rooms had reservations already. The last thing I wanted to do was cancel.

While Max lounged in the sun by my feet, his tail swishing across the grass growing up between the bricks, another task that needed to be taken care of, I finished my coffee and muffin. I took my mug into the kitchen, then walked into town since the downtown area was only a mile or so from Blakemore House.

Pausing outside the building on Main Street, I smiled at the swaying sign stating Monsters, PI .

A few years ago, monsters slunk out of the woods, caves, and wherever else they’d been hiding, joining human society. Some people freaked out. Those who enjoyed alien and monster movies and romances grinned—me, included. Treaties were formed, and monsters took jobs, bought property, and started raising families alongside humans. Some even started dating us. Now it was common to see a yeti riding a bike through town or a centaur buying boards at the hardware store, Shriek & Nail. The Mystic Harbor residents had gone all in on the monster theme, renaming their businesses to make monsters feel welcome.

I planned to stop in at Monster Morsels and Mystic Mocha once I was finished here to see if they were looking for someone to make pies and other bakery goods to supplement my renovation funds. With each mysterious mishap, I had to dig deeper into my bank account, and if I wasn’t careful, I wouldn’t have enough to finish.

Maybe I should’ve worked another year as a chef before quitting. But then it would’ve been too late to buy Blakemore House, and I adored the place even if it was haunted.

When I opened the door to Monsters, PI, the bell jangled overhead.

Melly, the owner of the local ice cream shop, Creature Cones, looked up from where she sat behind the reception desk.

Gossip said she and Elrik, an ice lord working at Monsters, PI, had met and fallen in love while solving her case. Her grandmother had been wrongfully accused of putting something toxic in the punch at a church social. Everyone had heard about that. Melly and Elrik discovered who’d done it, and the person was paying for their crime. Now, Melly and Elrik were engaged.

“I need help,” I said as I rushed over to her. “My B&B is haunted.”

“I’m sorry.” Frowning, Melly rose and walked around the reception desk to join me. “But did you say your B&B is haunted?”

“Let me back up a sec.” I flashed her a smile. “I’m Hannah Everett. I bought the old Blakemore place.”

“The one where Justin Blakemore died?” Melly winced.

I huffed but softened it with another smile. “That was six years ago. The building has been vacant since. It was tied up in probate. His daughter sold it to me a short time ago.” My smile grew. “I’m fixing it up, and let me tell you, it needs a ton of work. But I’m strong.” I lifted my arm and flexed my muscles. “My dad taught me how to do almost any kind of construction. My plan is to open in the next few months, but I’m floundering. I swear, the place is haunted. I think Justin is trying to keep me from opening it as a B&B.”

“Why do you think Justin’s doing anything? Ghosts don’t exist.”

I shrugged. “So says someone who’s marrying an ice lord.”

“Me.” Elrik strode down the hall to join us. He crossed the foyer and went around to stand at Melly’s back, wrapping his arms around her and confirming the rumors I’d heard. “She’s marrying me .” He kissed her cheek. “In two months’ time.”

“Naturally, I don’t believe in ghosts,” I said. “I need someone to help me figure out what’s going on at my soon-to-open B&B. Someone is sabotaging me, and I can’t let it continue. That’s why I came here. Detective Carter was kind enough to look around, but he couldn’t find evidence that anyone was doing something criminal. He thought you guys could get to the bottom of it.”

“We’ll be glad to help you.” Elrik slid Melly’s hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck. Her smile went dreamy, and she looked ready to swoon. Who could blame her? Elrik was cute in a slightly chilly way. I wasn’t exactly sure what an ice lord was, and it wasn’t something I could bring up without sounding impolite. I’d look it up online later.

“I’m working, sweetie,” Melly said, her voice fluttering along with the heady smile she sent him.

“I suppose I should get back to work as well.” He stepped away from her.

“This sounds like a great job for Reylor,” Melly said. “Katar recently hired the former detective dragon shifter, and Reylor just finished his orientation. He’s eager to take on his first case.”

Perfect.

“Let me go grab him,” Elrik said. When he strode down the hall, Melly stared after him.

“He’s cute,” I said politely. “I’ve met all sorts of monsters since I moved to Mystic Harbor, but I hadn’t met our resident ice lord, though I saw him around town. He’s not as chilly as I’d expected.”

“He can be abrupt at times, but he’s warm and squishy beneath his icy demeanor.”

I nodded. As I stared down the hall, my eyes widened.

Forget the cute ice lord. Who was this ?

Elrik and another male joined us in the reception area.

The second guy had to be Reylor. I took in his gorgeous dark auburn hair, the muscles straining against his simple dark gray t-shirt, and the killer smile he flashed my way.

Wait. Dragon shifter? Like, did he turn into a dragon, or did he sprout wings, a tail, and maybe fangs? Breathe a little fire here and there?

Another thing I couldn’t ask.

“What can I do for you?” Reylor asked in a smooth drawl that coasted across my skin like the finest silk, his attention completely focused on me.

I kept making little gasping sounds, something that was beyond embarrassing. “You’re . . .” I swallowed hard, my skin overheating when I croaked.

“Reylor Crandish,” he said. “One of the staff detectives.” His hand jutted out as smoothly as his voice.

I took his hand and sparks flashed from his skin to mine, traveling up my arm where they entered my chest and zipped around like ping ponging bolts of lightning. For a second, I worried I was going to keel over.

Get a hold of yourself, Hannah!

I stiffened my spine and blinked up at Reylor. “I’m Hannah Everett. I’m in dire need of your help.”

Reylor nodded solemnly. “Why don’t you come to my office, sweetheart, where you can explain.”

“Yes. Office. Explain,” I said in a limp voice. Sure, he was gorgeous. But he wasn’t so attractive that I should be having such a bizarre reaction to his simple touch. “Don’t call me sweetheart,” I said firmly. “It’s patronizing.”

“Only if I don’t mean it.”

I blinked up at him. “ Do you mean it?”

His smile widened, and my knees started quaking. This guy was trouble with a capital T.

“Let’s go talk in my office.” With a nudge of his head, he urged me down the hall and into one of the rooms, where he shut the door behind us.