Page 14 of It'll Always Be Her

All in a day’s work.

TheAddams Familytheme song began playing. He straightened and dug his phone out of his pocket to accept his sister’s call.

“Don’t worry, this is a benign call,” Laura assured him immediately. “I’m not asking you for anything, and I don’t have any pointed messages from our mother to convey.”

“So far, so good,” Adam replied.

“First, we have a date in December for the opening of the hospital’s cardiology recovery wing,” Laura said. “I’ll send you the details so you can get it on your calendar. The hospital director would like you to do some press, especially now that you’re in the public eye with the ghost-hunter show.”

Adam grimaced inwardly. “Sorry, but I’m not doing any press. I’m glad the funding worked out for the recovery wing, but I’m trying to get away fromAdam Powers, scientific expert of the paranormal. Besides, Mom and Dad would probably cut me out of their will if I started talking aboutHex or Hoax?in interviews or newspaper articles. Remember how upset they were when I took the on-camera role?”

Laura heaved a gusty sigh. “You have a point. I just want everyone to know that the recovery wing wouldn’t have happened without you.”

“Yeah, it would have. I’ll be at the opening, but in disguise.”

She laughed. “Right, to avoid all your adoring new fans?”

Adam cringed slightly in embarrassment. He hadn’t told his sister about the surprising influx of fan mail he’d gotten after he’d started appearing on camera. Laura had mentioned a few people at the hospital had asked about him after seeing his segment, but Clyde Constantine was still the show’s star. Adam had no interest in usurping him.

“You mean my single adoring fan, who also happens to be my sister?” he asked.

She laughed again. “Number-one fan, of course. But don’t be surprised if you get requests for autographs and photos at Mom and Dad’s party. Speaking of which, I want to make sure you’d be okay with staying at the Hanover Hotel instead of the Admiral next week. Mom’s old college roommate is bringing her whole family, and they want to stay at the same hotel, but our block of rooms at the Admiral is booked.”

“Sure. I’ll make the reservation.”

“No, I got it. You just need to be here.”

Adam deflected a sting of guilt that his sister was working so hard to plan their parents’ fortieth-anniversary party, which was scheduled for November second.

Their mother, of course, was directing the coordination because no way would Dr. Helen Powers ever give up control, but that meant Laura was doing all the legwork while their mother micromanaged every detail.

“I’ll be there,” he promised.

“We have seating room if you want to bring a date,” Laura suggested. “Maybe a buffer between you and the parental unit.”

Adam’s mind went involuntarily to Bee Delaney again. He hadn’t dated in months or even been interested in anyone, but that had changed the instant he’d opened his trailer door and seen Bee. Not that he could actuallydoanything about his interest in her.

“I’m flying solo,” he told his sister. “No date.”

“Well, let me know if you change your mind. Might avoid speculation about your love life too.”

“No date.”

“Okay. Any word on the European job?”

“Not yet. I’ll keep you posted.”

They both knew he’d have a much easier time at the anniversary party if he could show up with a new position that didn’t involve hunting ghosts.

The data scientist job he’d applied for with a London-based research company wasn’t prestigious or even all that interesting—and it was a very far cry from both the MIT faculty professorship and the director of theoretical physics position he’d once held at the Electron Institute for Physics Research—but he was running out of job options in the United States.

After being turned down a third time for a high school physics teacher job, he’d started looking at possibilities out of the country. The hiring department at the London research group had actually requested more information about his work and his published papers.

“I’m rooting for you,” Laura told him.

“I know you are. Thanks.”

“Love you. Over and out.” She ended the call.

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