Page 98 of It'll Always Be Her

ChapterTwenty-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.”

“Though I’d suggest not mentioning the ghost-hunter show.” Helen Powers crossed one slender ankle over the other. Smartly dressed in a pinstriped navy suit, she looked elegant and in command—though Adam knew the latter quality was her most prominent one. His father had been furious with him about the plagiarism charge and subsequent scandal, while his mother had just hated losing control over her immediate world.

“People will ask about the show, Mom,” Laura said. “Even if they don’t watch it, it’s one of the most popular cable shows in the world. And they know Adam is involved.”

“Then shut the questions down.” Helen gave Adam a pointed look. “You set the course and tone of the conversation. Not them.”

Bruce snorted. “He can’t afford to set the tone or course of anything. He’s lucky they’re letting him in the room.”

“Dad, Adam didn’t do anything wrong,” Laura reminded him sharply. “Thornwall is the one who committed the crime.”

“Let’s hope they can prove it.” Bruce tilted his head back and swallowed the rest of his drink. “If not, you might be back out there chasing boogeymen.”

Adam ran a hand across the back of his neck, ignoring his sister’s attempt at another shared eye roll. On the whole flight over here, he’d been thinking about “boogeymen,” though not the paranormal kind.

He’d been plotting how to handle being shoved out of his director role—which might not have bothered him if it hadn’t been for Constantine’s curveball and Bee’s dashed hopes.

Underlying those thoughts, of course, was the determination to figure out how the hell to fix whatever had gone wrong between him and Bee in the first place. Yeah, they’d moved fast, but so did light and sound and a thousand other extraordinary phenomena. Why not them too?

Butfastwasn’t in Bee’s nature, which made it all the more amazing that she’d let him in the way she had. She was open but cautious—even if her guard wasn’t up all the time, she had it ready.

And yesterday, she’d put it up between them like an iron shield. Protecting herself from his leaving, and protecting him from another job disaster. Protecting them both from any further clashing of their worlds and convictions.

“Adam,” his father said.

He looked up.

“They’ll want to know if you’ve been keeping up with current developments,” Bruce said. “Have you?”

Adam nodded, but it was kind of a lie. Though he read science journals, he’d spent more time immersed in tales of ghosts and otherworldly spirits over the past three years.

He probably knew more about demons, poltergeist, ectoplasms, and orbs at this point than he did about any of the research inPhysics Today.

“Did you bring a suit and tie?” his mother asked.

“Mom, I haven’t worn a suit and tie in three years.”

“Then you’d better go buy one.” She picked up her phone. “I’ll call your father’s tailor and make an appointment this afternoon.”

“What else is on your calendar?” his father asked.

Adam scrolled on his phone and checked the calendar for tomorrow. Halloween.

“The DoD meeting in the morning,” he said. “Then I’m going to talk to the administrator of the NASA Science Mission Directorate. They have a physicist position open.”

Bruce raised his eyebrows. “Excellent. Tom Lang?”

Adam nodded. He felt his sister watching him as he pushed to his feet. “I’m going to head out for a while. I’ll see you all at dinner tonight.”