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Bee put a couple of containers back in the basket. “So are you planning to stay with the Explorer Channel then?”
“Not if I can help it.” He swallowed the last of his soda and crumpled the paper sandwich wrapper into a ball.
“Why did you take an on-camera role if you’re trying to get away from the show?”
“At first, I didn’t,” Adam said. “The producers asked me to fill in for an interview, and it turned out that the viewers liked the segment. So the execs asked if I’d make it a regular spot. After some negotiations, I agreed.”
She eyed him curiously. “I assume they gave you what you asked for.”
“I said I’d do the segment if the Explorer Channel contributed to funding a new cardiology recovery wing at the hospital where my sister works.” He shook his head when Bee’s eyes widened slightly. “It wasn’t a do-gooder negotiation…I mean, obviously, it’s a great thing for patients, but my sister was involved in the proposal and planning. She needed it to succeed for both herself and her career, and that was the only way I could think of to help her out.”
“You’re downplaying it,” Bee said. “That’s amazing.”
He shrugged again, though he couldn’t help the rush of pleasure over her admiration. “I’m contracted for theHex or Hoax?segment until the end of the year, but the executives know I’m not planning to stay longer than that if I can find something else.”
“Have you looked for a job elsewhere?”
“I’ve been looking for another job since before I started working for the show.” He smiled ruefully. “Unfortunately, once employers dredge up the plagiarism story and my resignation, they’re no longer interested.”
“That must also be because you were so prominent,” Bee said. “MIT and the Electron Research Institute aren’t exactly home-science labs.”
“A research group in London recently asked me for more info about my work and is interested in an interview.” Adam pushed his chair back and tossed his trash into the recycling bin. “I’m not holding my breath, but it’s the best shot I’ve had in a while.”
“Is it a job you’d want?” Bee put the lids back on the other containers.
He wondered why she was so fixated on what hewanted.“It’s a job I’d take.”
“What do your parents think?”
“They don’t know yet. My sister is the only one I’ve told. And you.
And again, it had been surprisingly easy to tell her.
“What would be your ideal job?” Bee held out a fork and indicated for him to help himself to some of the chocolate cake.
He almost said that he’d had his “ideal job” at MIT and the Electron Research Institute, but the words didn’t come out for some reason. He forked off a piece of chocolate cake, which almost melted in his mouth.
“Eating this cake for a living would be a good start,” he remarked.
She smiled, and again, he felt like he’d been hit in the middle of the chest by a sunrise. He ate another bite of cake.
“Finish it.” She pushed the container toward him. “I have the rest of it at home in the fridge.”
He was too greedy to protest. He picked up the container and dug into the cake. “Did you make it?”
She nodded. “After that Victorian high tea, I started trying to recreate everything we had. Desserts were a big part of it, so I’ve done a lot of baking over the years.”
“It’s delicious.” He wolfed down another large bite. “You should sell this.”
“Oh, no. I just bake for fun and to give things to friends. The Sugar Joy Bakery is the stronghold for baked goods in this town.”
“Do they also have a ghost?”
“Quite possibly.” Bee put the last containers into her basket and closed the lid. “You’ll have to check the map during the Spooktacular Festival.”
He paused in the motion of licking frosting off the fork. “Map?”
“The ghost map.” She set the basket on a side table. “Every year, someone in town designs a map pinpointing all the locations of different ghost sightings so you can go on a self-guided ghost-hunting tour around town during the festival. Since some of the ghosts only appear on Halloween, most people keep the maps and also take them out while trick-or-treating.”
