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His phone jingled withThe Addams Familytheme song. Bee smiled again. “Is that your sister?”
“Yeah. She’s the only one worthy of her own ringtone.”
“Go ahead and take it. Say hi from me, and tell her I’m looking forward to meeting her.” She pushed her chair back. “I’m going to get another mummy dog.”
As she left, Adam accepted the call. “I’m busy.”
“Busy with Bee?” Laura asked.
“She’s my honey.” He grinned. “Get it?”
His sister laughed. “I really can’t wait to meet the woman who’s turned you into a big ole bowl of mush. But try to be a tough guy in front of Mom and Dad.”
“Don’t worry. I know my role.”
“Did Dad give you the details about the DoD opportunities?”
“Yeah, he said he’s got some meetings set up. According to a guy I used to work with, there’s an open position at Virginia Tech too.”
His sister was silent for a second before she let out her breath. “I’m trying not to hope, but I can’t help it. I mean, the university is planning a hearing for Thornwall next week. You don’t hold a hearing for a tenured professor if the charge isn’t damn serious.”
“I’ll be there,” Adam said. “If he’s going down, I want to watch it happen.”
He glanced up as Bee returned with two mummy dogs and put one on his plate. He told Laura he’d call her again later, then turned off his phone.
“Who’s going down?” Bee asked, reaching for the ketchup. “Sorry for overhearing.”
“Martin Thornwall. I hope.”
She looked up sharply. “The professor who accused you of plagiarism? What happened?”
Adam told her—starting with the German physicist George Klein and ending with the emails from his former colleagues and the offers his father had fielded.
Bee put down her fork to listen, her eyes widening. “So this means you might finally be vindicated?”
“I don’t know about that.” Adam shrugged and ate a french fry. “It’s not easy to shake an accusation of wrongdoing, much less a resignation. But Thornwall is a big deal in the physics field, so if others claim he’s lying and stealing—and the charges can be proven—then there’s a chance I might be able to get a job again. Probably nothing high level, but at least a legitimate scientist position. Maybe even one with potential for advancement.”
“Adam, that’s wonderful.” Bee’s face lit up with pleasure and excitement. Forhim. “It’s what you’ve been wanting all this time.”
But he hadn’t expected someone like her to share his hope. He hadn’t known that she’d still be at the forefront of his mind. Yeah, he wanted to be vindicated and welcomed back into the field he loved, but now he also needed to figure out how Bee would fit into the equation.
Because she was the most important part.
He squeezed her hand in thanks as they turned back to their food, finishing dinner with pumpkin cookies and graveyard cupcakes. After clearing the table, they went back to join the festivities outside. They played more games, lost a Haunted Hustle race, took silly pictures at the photo booth, and participated in the pumpkin-carving contest.
As they walked toward the square, a faint chill ran down Adam’s spine.
He looked up to find Destiny Rose dressed in flowing orange-and-black robes and more gold jewelry than usual, glaring at him from the other side of the street.
“If you believed in magic, you can bet she’s cursed you.” Bee tugged his arm, pulling him in the opposite direction.
“She looks like she wants to knock me over the head with a Juno sign.”
Bee laughed. “Actually, your astrological sign is the problem.”
“Why?”
“You’re a Capricorn.” Two spots of color appeared on her cheeks. “And Capricorn is my Juno sign.”
