Ghost Business

Clashing ghost tours lead to a sizzling romantic rivalry in the second romance in the new series from Boneyard Key, Florida, is the only home Sophie has ever known. Her love for its supernatural history has flourished into a career, as she guides the one and only ghost tour through the town’s can’t-miss haunted spots. And while her bank account isn’t full by any means, her heart is. Or at least, it But there''s a newcomer in town. The son of a Fortune 500 businessman, former theater kid Tristan has grown his tours from a fraternity fundraiser to a multicity ghost tour conglomerate. It’s doing well, but not well enough--if he can’t prove that he’s solidly in the black by the fall, Dad’s going to pull his funding, spelling the end of his career. Boneyard Key, with its haunted reputation, seems like the perfect place to boost his bottom line. When the two ghost tours clash, Sophie’s expletive-filled rant goes viral, and the rivals strike up a deal. Whoever has the most successful business by summer’s end stays, while the loser must ghost. But the more Tristan comes to appreciate Boneyard Key, the more Sophie comes to appreciate Tristan, and what starts as begrudging respect becomes something spicier. Can they put their feuding businesses aside to make room for a chance at love, or is Boneyard Key too small for two ghost tours?

Autorentext

Jen DeLuca is the USA Today bestselling author of the Well Met series, which was inspired by her time volunteering as a pub wench with her local Renaissance Faire. She loves Publix chicken tender subs, cold brew coffee, and the Oxford comma. Jen lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, their rescue dog, and almost too many cats.

Klappentext

*"You get a long, hot summer full of the most delectable kind of pining."--The New York Times*

Clashing ghost tours lead to a sizzling romantic rivalry in the second romance in the new series from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.**

Boneyard Key, Florida, is the only home Sophie has ever known. Her love for its supernatural history has flourished into a career, as she guides the one and only ghost tour through the town’s can’t-miss haunted spots. And while her bank account isn’t full by any means, her heart is. Or at least, it was.

But there's a newcomer in town. The son of a Fortune 500 businessman, former theater kid Tristan has grown his tours from a fraternity fundraiser to a multicity ghost tour conglomerate. It’s doing well, but not well enough—if he can’t prove that he’s solidly in the black by the fall, Dad’s going to pull his funding, spelling the end of his career. Boneyard Key, with its haunted reputation, seems like the perfect place to boost his bottom line.

When the two ghost tours clash, Sophie’s expletive-filled rant goes viral, and the rivals strike up a deal. Whoever has the most successful business by summer’s end stays, while the loser must ghost. But the more Tristan comes to appreciate Boneyard Key, the more Sophie comes to appreciate Tristan, and what starts as begrudging respect becomes something spicier. Can they put their feuding businesses aside to make room for a chance at love, or is Boneyard Key too small for two ghost tours?

Leseprobe
One

This guy was way overdressed for an oyster bar.

Sophie squinted in his direction as she hoisted herself onto one of the barstools at The Haunt. The bar made a big L on the left-hand side of the restaurant. Sophie sat at one end, and while she pretended to study the menu she could recite like the Pledge of Allegiance, she kept stealing glances at the guy sitting at the hinge of the L. His blond hair was rumpled, but his light blue dress shirt was immaculate, though the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He was most of the way through a platter of oysters on the half shell, and midway through the pint of beer next to it. While she watched, Tony approached the stranger from his place behind the bar.

"All good, man?"

The stranger nodded emphatically. "Incredible. You just catch these oysters today or what?" He had the kind of smile that made his eyes practically disappear, wide and sincere.

Tony snorted but was obviously pleased by the attention. "Yeah, I'm totally a fisherman." His words were dismissive, but he lingered, keeping his attention on the new guy while he put away a load of beer mugs. "How's your stay so far? See any ghosts yet?"

Now it was the blond stranger's turn to snort. "Yeah, right. Loads."

Was that sarcasm? Sophie raised her eyebrows as Tony froze. "Really?"

The stranger barked out a laugh, turning his attention back to the food in front of him. "Wouldn't that be something. Like, if ghosts were actually real."

"Yeah . . ." Tony drew out the word as he put the last of the mugs away. "That sure would be something." He tossed a glance Sophie's way as he went to return the dish rack to the kitchen, and she eyed the new guy again. She'd never seen him before, and he was obviously new around here, even though he carried himself with the ease of a local. But tourists visiting Boneyard Key were usually here for the ghosts. Most haunted small town in Florida and all that. If he wasn't here for that, what was he doing here?

"How about you, Soph?" Sophie jerked her eyes away from the blond stranger and looked instead at Tony, who stood in front of her with one eyebrow raised. "You ordering anything tonight, or do you just want to flirt with the cute guy over there?"

Heat rushed into her cheeks as she shushed him. "I'm not flirting!" She chastised him in a loud whisper, trying to speak softer than the satellite radio station playing yacht rock through the speakers over their heads. She'd heard their whole conversation, so surely the guy down the bar could hear them too.

"Not yet, you're not." Laughter danced in his dark eyes as he nodded toward the menu. "You want your usual?"

She should order something new tonight, just to spite Tony. But he knew her better than that. She'd seen him put glue in Courtney Royer's hair in the second grade, and he hadn't ratted her out when she'd taken a bite out of a green crayon to see what it tasted like. So instead she sighed and set down the menu that she'd barely bothered to look at. "Chef salad, no tomatoes. Diet Coke."

A smile played around Tony's mouth as he set her glass down, Diet Coke already poured and fizzing around its ice, onto a coaster in front of her. "Coming right up. Go say hi to him. He's from out of town."

Sophie shushed him again. She wasn't the kind of girl who stared at strangers in bars. And she sure as hell didn't flirt with them. But she couldn't help it; as soon as Tony was gone, her gaze wandered back toward the blond stranger.

Who was looking right back at her.

Their gazes colliding was practically tangible, and Sophie wasn't ready for it. She ducked her head immediately, wide eyes dropping down to the bar. Suddenly very interested in the weathered woodgrain in front of her, she took a long pull off her Diet Coke. The cold drink did nothing to quell the fire blazing in her cheeks.

When she looked up, he was gone. No, not gone. Worse. He'd moved closer, sliding his platter of oysters down the bar with him.

"Did I hear you order a salad?" Mr. Blond Business Casual shook his head in mock censure. "A salad? When you can get oysters?" He shook a few drops of Tabasco onto one in illustration and tilted his head back to slurp it down. Sophie tried to not watch the way his throat worked when he swallowed. Slurping down an oyster shouldn't be sexy.

She gave a small shake of her head. "I'm not one for oysters, sadly." And it was sad. She used to love them. Especially lightly steamed and on the half shell, the way this guy took them. But it had only taken one bad o…