It'll Always Be Her, page 24
His insides twisted. The faint smell of pipe tobacco filtered into his nose.
“They need to be reunited.” Bee started toward the door, her ruffled skirt rustling around her legs. “That’s the answer.”
Adam wished it were that easy. Maybe two days ago, it would have been. He could have followed Bee anywhere she wanted to go—to the cupola, the basement, Wonderland, wherever the wild things were—and enjoyed being in her world of seafaring ghosts and mystical signs from the universe.
But now?
He had a real shot at resurrecting his legitimate career. In leaving behind the pseudoscience he’d been dealing with for three years, he could restore his and his family’s reputation in the scientific community.
It was like one of Bee’s magical portals opening up and showing him that he could actually grab everything he’d been wanting and fighting for.
And his portal was different from hers. She thought the answer was to reunite a couple of lovelorn ghosts.
But one answer wasn’t enough for the pile of questions about to come crashing down.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bee was supposed to be thrilled.
Not only had she and Adam learned about a whole other dimension of Captain Marcus’s life but they’d also uncovered more about Millicent Pepper than even Edith at the Historical Museum knew.
Captain Marcus and Millicent had been in love. He’d built the Gardenia House with the intention of marrying her and having family.
Even though their life together had been cut tragically short, they’d both been instrumental in founding Bliss Cove and making it the town it was today. Millicent had carried on Captain Marcus’s legacy. Because of her, the Gardenia House had become the Bliss Cove Library. And because of that, Bee was here.
But despite all the discoveries, she couldn’t rid herself of the unease that had started after the Spooktacular Festival yesterday. Maybe it was because the production was wrapping up, and she knew Adam wouldn’t be coming back to Bliss Cove after he visited his parents. His flight left tomorrow morning.
Their flight.
She was still excited and nervous about going with him—except they would be there until November third, and given what they now knew about Captain Marcus and Millicent, she couldn’t help wondering if she was supposed to be at the Gardenia House on Halloween.
Not that she had any idea what she would even do. And considering it would be a choice between a ghost and the man she was falling in love with…Bee was a believer, but she wasn’t a complete loon. Real life still won over fantasies and the paranormal.
She wedged several picture books into place in the children’s section, then tried to move the other books down a shelf to loosen them up and make them easier to access.
Unfortunately, all of the shelves were jam-packed, and there was no room back here to add more. Which meant she either had to weed books from the collection or store some in the basement.
She returned to the circulation desk and made a note to look at the check-out records to see which picture books were the least popular.
“Uh, Houston?” Jay approached, his face twisted into a slight grimace. He held up a curved section of crown molding. “We were taking the cameras down, and this just, like, fell off the wall. It almost looks like it’s crumbling.”
He showed her the broken edge, which scattered a fine layer of dust onto the carpet.
“Really sorry,” Jay added. “But I swear we were being careful.”
“It’s okay.” Bee took the section from him. One more thing to fix.
“Hey, if you talk to Adam, I’m sure he’ll get the Explorer Channel to cover the repairs.” Jay jerked his thumb toward the conference room. “They have insurance for damages and stuff.”
“I’ll check with him, thanks. Everything else is going okay?”
“Yeah, we’ll have everything out of here by this afternoon.” Jay backed away, indicating the library with both hands. “This has been a super cool shoot. Great food, excellent pastries, and you’ve been really nice. Thanks for all you’ve done.”
Bee smiled. Her complications with Adam aside, she would miss the crew scurrying around and discussing which angle provided the best light and whether or not the EFMs were registering stronger energy in the cupola or the mezzanine.
“Thank you,” she told Jay. “Do you know when the episode will air?”
“Adam said sometime in November, during sweeps week.” Jay gave her a wave and bounded back up the stairs.
Bee put the section of crown molding on her desk and squeezed past the library carts behind the counter. She started toward the conference room. Two male voices came from behind the partially closed door, both rising in anger.
Bee stopped, her stomach tensing. One of the voices was Adam’s, and the other sounded like Clyde Constantine. But what was Clyde doing here before noon? Before seven o’clock even?
“I said no,” Adam said sharply.
“It’s not up to you,” Clyde retorted. “Dan and Kevin have already cleared it. The library is a hoax, and you need to give us your scientific reasons. So write them down so we can shoot the scene.”
Bee’s heart plummeted. Though she knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping on a private conversation, she couldn’t move.
“I’m directing this episode.” Adam’s tone hardened even more. “Even you know we’ve got some of the best evidence yet on both camera and audio.”
“Since when do you even call it evidence? You’re the damn scientist. You’ve never thought any of it as evidence. So what the hell is wrong with you now?”
“What’s wrong is that you’re screwing Marilyn Lawford, and she put you up to this,” Adam snapped.
Bee clamped a hand over her mouth to hold back a gasp.
“Dan and Kevin don’t know that, do they?” Adam continued.
“They don’t care either,” Clyde replied, and Bee could almost hear the smirk in his voice. “Ratings and advertisers are what matter to them, and who brings those in? Me. Not you. Despite your new little groupies.”
“Oh, for god’s sake. This is revenge? I know you hate sharing the spotlight, but fucking the show over out of jealousy is pathetic. Even for you.”
“I don’t need to be jealous of you,” Clyde retorted, though his tone was unconvincing. “I’m the one the show needs. You want me to tell the executives to fire you? Because they will.”
“They won’t have to when I quit.”
“Sure, then what happens to the episode you directed?” Clyde asked. “You want to give it up right when it’s going into postproduction?”
“I’m not giving it up. That’s the point.”
“Why the hell do you even care? This ghost crap is all bullshit anyway.”
“Of course it’s bullshit,” Adam snapped. “We’re telling a story. And this is a good one, which is why you’re not controlling the end just because you can’t keep your dick in your pants.”
Clyde barked out a laugh. “Powers, stop wasting my time. Get the science crap written into the script so we can finish the shoot and blow this joint.”
Adam muttered something that Bee didn’t hear the instant before the conference room door flew open. He stalked out, his expression dark with anger and his features set.
His gaze crashed into hers, his eyes widening.
“Bee…”
She shook her head. Her throat was tight. If she said a word, she might burst into tears. Turning, she hurried back to the circulation desk.
“Bee,” Adam hissed, striding after her. “We need to talk.”
She swallowed hard. She’d known from the beginning that the show could claim that Captain Marcus was a hoax, except that he wasn’t. And Adam was right—they had plenty of visual and aural evidence that he couldn’t explain. Well, he probably could, but he obviously didn’t want to.
“Rebecca,” she called to the assistant, who was arranging new books on the horror novel display. “Can you watch the circ desk for a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
Bee gestured for Adam to follow her, leading him to the kitchen and break room. She closed the door behind him.
“This isn’t a done deal yet.” He spread his hands out in a gesture that was almost a plea. “Yeah, Constantine brings in viewers, but the producers won’t let him or the show be used for someone else’s gain.”
Bee stared at him. “But that’s what I was trying to do too. I didn’t think that Marilyn would try to turn things in the other direction. I mean, I should have realized she would, but…”
She sighed. A heavy sensation pressed against her chest and shoulders, like the air in the house was pushing down on her.
“Bee, I’m going to fight this.” Adam stepped toward her, urgency threading his voice. “I’ve been telling the producers all week how great the footage and recordings are. I’m going to write the script to get Clyde off my case, but I’m also going to film him saying his line about how he can’t explain the evidence and the house might be legitimately haunted. Then after we’ve edited the show and the producers see the storyline, they’ll agree with me. I swear. He won’t get away with this.”
When Bee had left a foster family in her childhood, there had always been a singular moment when she knew the hopes she’d built up were about to come crashing down.
It started when her social worker arrived, but culminated as she stood there in the foyer with her battered suitcase, and the adults all said their goodbyes and talked about “next steps.”
She’d tried clinging to the wish that one of them would say something to change the situation—maybe we can make it work, why don’t we try again, she really is a good girl and no trouble at all—but they never did.
And the instant the door closed behind her, her heart had shriveled up into a tight little ball like a crushed piece of paper.
The way it was doing right now.
“Adam.” She blinked back a sudden sting of tears. “I believe in a lot of otherworldly things. A lot of unexplainable things. But never once have I believed that we always get what we want. No matter how hard or desperately we wish or fight for it. Sometimes we just…lose.”
His eyes hardened. “No, we don’t always get what we want, but you’re not a quitter. You don’t cave when you hit a bump in the road.”
“This is more than a bump.”
“I told you I won’t let it happen.”
“I guarantee you that Marilyn already knows about the show’s conclusion, especially if she’s sleeping with Clyde. Even if you could get it changed, it might be too late.”
He muttered a curse of frustration and paced to the other side of the room. “I’m going to talk to the producers tonight. I’m the director of this episode. If anyone should have a say in the direction of the storyline, it’s me. Yeah, Constantine brings in viewers and advertisers, but that doesn’t mean—”
“Adam. You can’t start causing issues with the producers now. Not right when you have a chance to revive your career. Even if you quit Hex or Hoax?, you need to do it on good terms. You don’t want another negative situation following you wherever you go.”
“Okay, look.” He faced her, his mouth compressed with a frown. “Postproduction and editing starts next Monday. We leave tomorrow morning, so after the meetings and my parents’ party, we’ll come back and—”
He stopped as if he sensed her sudden retreat. His frown deepened. “Bee?”
She took a breath. No, she wasn’t that forlorn little girl anymore, but her heart could still hurt. She could still be scared. She could still ache inside when her hopes broke apart.
“Adam, this thing between us happened fast,” she began.
“It’s not a thing,” he retorted. “It’s a relationship.”
Her heart bumped against her ribs. “Well, it happened incredibly fast. We met last Monday. And we’ve been caught up in everything going on with the house and the show, so I think it would be a mistake if I went with you to meet your family.”
Darkness shadowed his face. “This doesn’t have to do with my family, does it?”
“You’ve been estranged from them for three years. And now things are finally starting to turn around for you. This isn’t the best time to bring home a woman you literally hooked up with in one week.”
“We didn’t hook up,” Adam snapped. “And you’re backing off because of the goddamn show and because you think you need to be here on Halloween to reunite a couple of ghosts.”
Bee’s hands curled into fists at the caustic note in his voice. “The ghosts you think are bullshit.”
He flinched, almost as if he’d forgotten what he’d said.
Bee held up her hands. “I’ve known from the beginning that you don’t believe in the truth of what’s going on here. And that’s been fine. I’ve even admired your dedication to science. And while I’ve never thought our different worldviews are a deal breaker, I also know that people and lives don’t always fit together.”
Adam stared at her. “Bee, I’m trying to get the show on your side. I’m on your side. How is that not us fitting together?”
She couldn’t respond. Her chest ached.
“Please just come with me to Washington, and we’ll figure this out.” He dragged a hand through his hair, his shoulders tight with frustration. “I can’t cancel the trip because of the party and all the other stuff, but as soon as I get back, I’m going to talk to the producers in person and—”
“Hey, boss?” Harry’s voice, rising in urgency, carried through the closed door. “Rich Thompson is trying to reach you. He’s called me twice asking where you are.”
Adam stilled, his mouth compressing.
“I had my phone off,” he called to Harry. “I’ll call him soon.”
“I’d do it sooner rather than later,” Harry replied. “Sounds urgent.”
Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket and powered it on, then tossed it onto the table.
Bee met his gaze. Rich Thompson was the Explorer Channel vice president in charge of the “investigative show” division.
Even she knew that he wasn’t calling Adam at this stage in the game to praise his work.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
He frowned. “For what?”
“I never meant for everything to get so messed up.” She wanted to approach him, to take his hand or touch his face or something, but she’d weaken if she did. And right now—for his sake—she had to stay strong.
“And I really didn’t mean to derail everything you’ve been working for,” she continued. “Much less throw you into a conflict with Clyde and a bunch of executives.”
“You didn’t do any of that,” he retorted. “I own everything I’ve done. And even though I don’t believe in ghosts, I do believe that if you’re given a job, you should do it to the best of your ability, no matter what it is. That’s what I’m doing with the episode. Even if you hadn’t been involved, it’s a great story. I want it told the right way.”
So did Bee. But what would the fight cost Adam? The professors and physicists who’d once populated his world didn’t care about a ghost-hunter show, but they still knew that Adam was the scientific expert. Heck, he’d been appearing on every episode for the past six months.
More like than not, the top-level scientists would ask him about the show at the interviews and meetings…and not for anything did Bee want a TV channel conflict interfering in his “real” life.
The scientists should be asking Adam about his views of quantum electrodynamics…not laughing about him communicating with the dead.
“Adam.” She pulled a breath into her aching lungs and reminded herself that it was hardly the first time she’d lost someone. “Please put this all aside right now. Go to Washington, talk to the people you’re planning to meet, and enjoy your parents’ anniversary. We both know that even if this had nothing to do with ghosts, it would be better if I don’t go with you.”
His expression darkened. “If it had nothing to do with ghosts, you would go with me.”
Bee started to respond when his phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with the name Rich Thompson. It rang twice more before she nodded toward it.
“You’d better take that,” she said.
Adam muttered a curse under his breath and grabbed the phone. “Yeah.”
Bee heard the other man’s voice rising in anger on the other end. She curled her hand around the back of a chair.
Adam listened to Rich shout, then responded with a curt, “Fine. Send me whatever you need me to sign.”
He ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Did he just fire you?” Bee asked.
“Not from the show.” His mouth twisted. “But from the episode. They’ve hired a new director to finish it.”
Bee’s stomach knotted. “Who?”
“Clyde Constantine.”
In the back of her mind, Bee heard the front door slam shut.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Pay isn’t all that great, but you can’t afford to be picky.” Bruce Powers turned from the bar and handed his wife a cocktail before narrowing his gaze on Adam. “And you’ll keep your head down until you prove yourself again.”
Across the room, Laura gave Adam a sympathetic smile. He took a swallow of scotch and set his glass on the table.
Although his parents’ house hadn’t changed—everything was still modern and pristine, perfectly decorated with monochromatic furnishings—he hadn’t been able to shake the sense of oppression that had started the minute he’d stepped off the plane.
“I haven’t been offered a job yet.” He looked out the window at the bare trees lining the circular driveway and stretching out into the wooded lot. Although his parents lived in one of DC’s most exclusive suburbs, their house was on such a large plot of land that it felt like living in the country.
“After you talk to Jamison and Graves tomorrow, you’ll be a lot closer to an offer,” Bruce remarked. “They’re setting up an interview panel for several positions in mid-November. Play your cards right, and you’ll be formally invited to interview.”
“They need to be reunited.” Bee started toward the door, her ruffled skirt rustling around her legs. “That’s the answer.”
Adam wished it were that easy. Maybe two days ago, it would have been. He could have followed Bee anywhere she wanted to go—to the cupola, the basement, Wonderland, wherever the wild things were—and enjoyed being in her world of seafaring ghosts and mystical signs from the universe.
But now?
He had a real shot at resurrecting his legitimate career. In leaving behind the pseudoscience he’d been dealing with for three years, he could restore his and his family’s reputation in the scientific community.
It was like one of Bee’s magical portals opening up and showing him that he could actually grab everything he’d been wanting and fighting for.
And his portal was different from hers. She thought the answer was to reunite a couple of lovelorn ghosts.
But one answer wasn’t enough for the pile of questions about to come crashing down.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bee was supposed to be thrilled.
Not only had she and Adam learned about a whole other dimension of Captain Marcus’s life but they’d also uncovered more about Millicent Pepper than even Edith at the Historical Museum knew.
Captain Marcus and Millicent had been in love. He’d built the Gardenia House with the intention of marrying her and having family.
Even though their life together had been cut tragically short, they’d both been instrumental in founding Bliss Cove and making it the town it was today. Millicent had carried on Captain Marcus’s legacy. Because of her, the Gardenia House had become the Bliss Cove Library. And because of that, Bee was here.
But despite all the discoveries, she couldn’t rid herself of the unease that had started after the Spooktacular Festival yesterday. Maybe it was because the production was wrapping up, and she knew Adam wouldn’t be coming back to Bliss Cove after he visited his parents. His flight left tomorrow morning.
Their flight.
She was still excited and nervous about going with him—except they would be there until November third, and given what they now knew about Captain Marcus and Millicent, she couldn’t help wondering if she was supposed to be at the Gardenia House on Halloween.
Not that she had any idea what she would even do. And considering it would be a choice between a ghost and the man she was falling in love with…Bee was a believer, but she wasn’t a complete loon. Real life still won over fantasies and the paranormal.
She wedged several picture books into place in the children’s section, then tried to move the other books down a shelf to loosen them up and make them easier to access.
Unfortunately, all of the shelves were jam-packed, and there was no room back here to add more. Which meant she either had to weed books from the collection or store some in the basement.
She returned to the circulation desk and made a note to look at the check-out records to see which picture books were the least popular.
“Uh, Houston?” Jay approached, his face twisted into a slight grimace. He held up a curved section of crown molding. “We were taking the cameras down, and this just, like, fell off the wall. It almost looks like it’s crumbling.”
He showed her the broken edge, which scattered a fine layer of dust onto the carpet.
“Really sorry,” Jay added. “But I swear we were being careful.”
“It’s okay.” Bee took the section from him. One more thing to fix.
“Hey, if you talk to Adam, I’m sure he’ll get the Explorer Channel to cover the repairs.” Jay jerked his thumb toward the conference room. “They have insurance for damages and stuff.”
“I’ll check with him, thanks. Everything else is going okay?”
“Yeah, we’ll have everything out of here by this afternoon.” Jay backed away, indicating the library with both hands. “This has been a super cool shoot. Great food, excellent pastries, and you’ve been really nice. Thanks for all you’ve done.”
Bee smiled. Her complications with Adam aside, she would miss the crew scurrying around and discussing which angle provided the best light and whether or not the EFMs were registering stronger energy in the cupola or the mezzanine.
“Thank you,” she told Jay. “Do you know when the episode will air?”
“Adam said sometime in November, during sweeps week.” Jay gave her a wave and bounded back up the stairs.
Bee put the section of crown molding on her desk and squeezed past the library carts behind the counter. She started toward the conference room. Two male voices came from behind the partially closed door, both rising in anger.
Bee stopped, her stomach tensing. One of the voices was Adam’s, and the other sounded like Clyde Constantine. But what was Clyde doing here before noon? Before seven o’clock even?
“I said no,” Adam said sharply.
“It’s not up to you,” Clyde retorted. “Dan and Kevin have already cleared it. The library is a hoax, and you need to give us your scientific reasons. So write them down so we can shoot the scene.”
Bee’s heart plummeted. Though she knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping on a private conversation, she couldn’t move.
“I’m directing this episode.” Adam’s tone hardened even more. “Even you know we’ve got some of the best evidence yet on both camera and audio.”
“Since when do you even call it evidence? You’re the damn scientist. You’ve never thought any of it as evidence. So what the hell is wrong with you now?”
“What’s wrong is that you’re screwing Marilyn Lawford, and she put you up to this,” Adam snapped.
Bee clamped a hand over her mouth to hold back a gasp.
“Dan and Kevin don’t know that, do they?” Adam continued.
“They don’t care either,” Clyde replied, and Bee could almost hear the smirk in his voice. “Ratings and advertisers are what matter to them, and who brings those in? Me. Not you. Despite your new little groupies.”
“Oh, for god’s sake. This is revenge? I know you hate sharing the spotlight, but fucking the show over out of jealousy is pathetic. Even for you.”
“I don’t need to be jealous of you,” Clyde retorted, though his tone was unconvincing. “I’m the one the show needs. You want me to tell the executives to fire you? Because they will.”
“They won’t have to when I quit.”
“Sure, then what happens to the episode you directed?” Clyde asked. “You want to give it up right when it’s going into postproduction?”
“I’m not giving it up. That’s the point.”
“Why the hell do you even care? This ghost crap is all bullshit anyway.”
“Of course it’s bullshit,” Adam snapped. “We’re telling a story. And this is a good one, which is why you’re not controlling the end just because you can’t keep your dick in your pants.”
Clyde barked out a laugh. “Powers, stop wasting my time. Get the science crap written into the script so we can finish the shoot and blow this joint.”
Adam muttered something that Bee didn’t hear the instant before the conference room door flew open. He stalked out, his expression dark with anger and his features set.
His gaze crashed into hers, his eyes widening.
“Bee…”
She shook her head. Her throat was tight. If she said a word, she might burst into tears. Turning, she hurried back to the circulation desk.
“Bee,” Adam hissed, striding after her. “We need to talk.”
She swallowed hard. She’d known from the beginning that the show could claim that Captain Marcus was a hoax, except that he wasn’t. And Adam was right—they had plenty of visual and aural evidence that he couldn’t explain. Well, he probably could, but he obviously didn’t want to.
“Rebecca,” she called to the assistant, who was arranging new books on the horror novel display. “Can you watch the circ desk for a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
Bee gestured for Adam to follow her, leading him to the kitchen and break room. She closed the door behind him.
“This isn’t a done deal yet.” He spread his hands out in a gesture that was almost a plea. “Yeah, Constantine brings in viewers, but the producers won’t let him or the show be used for someone else’s gain.”
Bee stared at him. “But that’s what I was trying to do too. I didn’t think that Marilyn would try to turn things in the other direction. I mean, I should have realized she would, but…”
She sighed. A heavy sensation pressed against her chest and shoulders, like the air in the house was pushing down on her.
“Bee, I’m going to fight this.” Adam stepped toward her, urgency threading his voice. “I’ve been telling the producers all week how great the footage and recordings are. I’m going to write the script to get Clyde off my case, but I’m also going to film him saying his line about how he can’t explain the evidence and the house might be legitimately haunted. Then after we’ve edited the show and the producers see the storyline, they’ll agree with me. I swear. He won’t get away with this.”
When Bee had left a foster family in her childhood, there had always been a singular moment when she knew the hopes she’d built up were about to come crashing down.
It started when her social worker arrived, but culminated as she stood there in the foyer with her battered suitcase, and the adults all said their goodbyes and talked about “next steps.”
She’d tried clinging to the wish that one of them would say something to change the situation—maybe we can make it work, why don’t we try again, she really is a good girl and no trouble at all—but they never did.
And the instant the door closed behind her, her heart had shriveled up into a tight little ball like a crushed piece of paper.
The way it was doing right now.
“Adam.” She blinked back a sudden sting of tears. “I believe in a lot of otherworldly things. A lot of unexplainable things. But never once have I believed that we always get what we want. No matter how hard or desperately we wish or fight for it. Sometimes we just…lose.”
His eyes hardened. “No, we don’t always get what we want, but you’re not a quitter. You don’t cave when you hit a bump in the road.”
“This is more than a bump.”
“I told you I won’t let it happen.”
“I guarantee you that Marilyn already knows about the show’s conclusion, especially if she’s sleeping with Clyde. Even if you could get it changed, it might be too late.”
He muttered a curse of frustration and paced to the other side of the room. “I’m going to talk to the producers tonight. I’m the director of this episode. If anyone should have a say in the direction of the storyline, it’s me. Yeah, Constantine brings in viewers and advertisers, but that doesn’t mean—”
“Adam. You can’t start causing issues with the producers now. Not right when you have a chance to revive your career. Even if you quit Hex or Hoax?, you need to do it on good terms. You don’t want another negative situation following you wherever you go.”
“Okay, look.” He faced her, his mouth compressed with a frown. “Postproduction and editing starts next Monday. We leave tomorrow morning, so after the meetings and my parents’ party, we’ll come back and—”
He stopped as if he sensed her sudden retreat. His frown deepened. “Bee?”
She took a breath. No, she wasn’t that forlorn little girl anymore, but her heart could still hurt. She could still be scared. She could still ache inside when her hopes broke apart.
“Adam, this thing between us happened fast,” she began.
“It’s not a thing,” he retorted. “It’s a relationship.”
Her heart bumped against her ribs. “Well, it happened incredibly fast. We met last Monday. And we’ve been caught up in everything going on with the house and the show, so I think it would be a mistake if I went with you to meet your family.”
Darkness shadowed his face. “This doesn’t have to do with my family, does it?”
“You’ve been estranged from them for three years. And now things are finally starting to turn around for you. This isn’t the best time to bring home a woman you literally hooked up with in one week.”
“We didn’t hook up,” Adam snapped. “And you’re backing off because of the goddamn show and because you think you need to be here on Halloween to reunite a couple of ghosts.”
Bee’s hands curled into fists at the caustic note in his voice. “The ghosts you think are bullshit.”
He flinched, almost as if he’d forgotten what he’d said.
Bee held up her hands. “I’ve known from the beginning that you don’t believe in the truth of what’s going on here. And that’s been fine. I’ve even admired your dedication to science. And while I’ve never thought our different worldviews are a deal breaker, I also know that people and lives don’t always fit together.”
Adam stared at her. “Bee, I’m trying to get the show on your side. I’m on your side. How is that not us fitting together?”
She couldn’t respond. Her chest ached.
“Please just come with me to Washington, and we’ll figure this out.” He dragged a hand through his hair, his shoulders tight with frustration. “I can’t cancel the trip because of the party and all the other stuff, but as soon as I get back, I’m going to talk to the producers in person and—”
“Hey, boss?” Harry’s voice, rising in urgency, carried through the closed door. “Rich Thompson is trying to reach you. He’s called me twice asking where you are.”
Adam stilled, his mouth compressing.
“I had my phone off,” he called to Harry. “I’ll call him soon.”
“I’d do it sooner rather than later,” Harry replied. “Sounds urgent.”
Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket and powered it on, then tossed it onto the table.
Bee met his gaze. Rich Thompson was the Explorer Channel vice president in charge of the “investigative show” division.
Even she knew that he wasn’t calling Adam at this stage in the game to praise his work.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
He frowned. “For what?”
“I never meant for everything to get so messed up.” She wanted to approach him, to take his hand or touch his face or something, but she’d weaken if she did. And right now—for his sake—she had to stay strong.
“And I really didn’t mean to derail everything you’ve been working for,” she continued. “Much less throw you into a conflict with Clyde and a bunch of executives.”
“You didn’t do any of that,” he retorted. “I own everything I’ve done. And even though I don’t believe in ghosts, I do believe that if you’re given a job, you should do it to the best of your ability, no matter what it is. That’s what I’m doing with the episode. Even if you hadn’t been involved, it’s a great story. I want it told the right way.”
So did Bee. But what would the fight cost Adam? The professors and physicists who’d once populated his world didn’t care about a ghost-hunter show, but they still knew that Adam was the scientific expert. Heck, he’d been appearing on every episode for the past six months.
More like than not, the top-level scientists would ask him about the show at the interviews and meetings…and not for anything did Bee want a TV channel conflict interfering in his “real” life.
The scientists should be asking Adam about his views of quantum electrodynamics…not laughing about him communicating with the dead.
“Adam.” She pulled a breath into her aching lungs and reminded herself that it was hardly the first time she’d lost someone. “Please put this all aside right now. Go to Washington, talk to the people you’re planning to meet, and enjoy your parents’ anniversary. We both know that even if this had nothing to do with ghosts, it would be better if I don’t go with you.”
His expression darkened. “If it had nothing to do with ghosts, you would go with me.”
Bee started to respond when his phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with the name Rich Thompson. It rang twice more before she nodded toward it.
“You’d better take that,” she said.
Adam muttered a curse under his breath and grabbed the phone. “Yeah.”
Bee heard the other man’s voice rising in anger on the other end. She curled her hand around the back of a chair.
Adam listened to Rich shout, then responded with a curt, “Fine. Send me whatever you need me to sign.”
He ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Did he just fire you?” Bee asked.
“Not from the show.” His mouth twisted. “But from the episode. They’ve hired a new director to finish it.”
Bee’s stomach knotted. “Who?”
“Clyde Constantine.”
In the back of her mind, Bee heard the front door slam shut.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Pay isn’t all that great, but you can’t afford to be picky.” Bruce Powers turned from the bar and handed his wife a cocktail before narrowing his gaze on Adam. “And you’ll keep your head down until you prove yourself again.”
Across the room, Laura gave Adam a sympathetic smile. He took a swallow of scotch and set his glass on the table.
Although his parents’ house hadn’t changed—everything was still modern and pristine, perfectly decorated with monochromatic furnishings—he hadn’t been able to shake the sense of oppression that had started the minute he’d stepped off the plane.
“I haven’t been offered a job yet.” He looked out the window at the bare trees lining the circular driveway and stretching out into the wooded lot. Although his parents lived in one of DC’s most exclusive suburbs, their house was on such a large plot of land that it felt like living in the country.
“After you talk to Jamison and Graves tomorrow, you’ll be a lot closer to an offer,” Bruce remarked. “They’re setting up an interview panel for several positions in mid-November. Play your cards right, and you’ll be formally invited to interview.”
