Page 71 of The Botanist's Assistant
Margaret looks at her watch. She just has time to gobble down her lunch and have her coffee.
Back at the lab, she finds Calvin coming out of the grow room. “Light burned out. I changed it,” he says. “Oh, and somebody left something for you.” He nods toward Margaret’s bench, where a colorful gift bag sits. “An intern, I think. I don’t know her name.”
Margaret puts on her lab coat and goes to the computer.
“Aren’t you going to see what’s in it?” Calvin asks.
“I think it’s from Beth Purdy,” Margaret says, remembering the note.
“Well, what is it?”
Margaret knows Calvin will not give up until the question is answered. She goes over and looks into the bag. Inside is a cupcake in a cardboard holder. It’s frosted in white and decorated with an orange-frosting carrot. A single candle is inserted in the middle.
“Is it your birthday today?” Calvin asks after she tells him what the bag contains.
“It’s a long story.”
“Aren’t you going to eat it?”
“Not right now. I just had lunch, plus there’s lots of work to do.”
Four minutes later, Margaret discovers there’s even more work than she estimated. Blackstone has emailed her a list of changes he wants to the Cameron Foundation grant application, not least of which is a claim that he found the supply source for the leaves. How dare he?
At ten minutes to five, Margaret wraps up her work and tells Calvin she’s leaving for the day (the tiniest of lies) and says he can also go home if he wants.
“I’ve just got to finish up here,” he says, pushing a button that causes the TissueLyser to rattle to life.
“I’ll lock up when I’m done,” he says.
“See you tomorrow, then.” Margaret hangs up her lab coat and retrieves her purse, which contains Veronica Ann’s notebook.
“Aren’t you going to take your cupcake?” Calvin asks.
“I’m not really a fan of carrot cake. You can have it if you want.”
Calvin grins. “Thanks, I think I will. It will be a little celebration for when I get these last measurements done.”
Calvin’s not a bad guy, Margaret thinks.Like Brussels sprouts, he’s an acquired taste.
“Hey, Margaret,” Joe calls when she appears at his door. “How’s the greenhouse pad coming?”
“Almost there.”
“Just let me know when you’re ready to set the thing up, although my skills don’t come cheap.” He grins. “I may require payment in Early Girls.”
“Would two pounds per hour be enough?”
“Ha, that’s funny,” Joe says.
Margaret hadn’t meant it to be.
“What’s with this ‘important cleanup’ you need?” Joe makes air quotes around the words.
Margaret tells him everything she’s learned so far. “That means I need to get Dr. Deaver’s research notebook to compare it with Veronica Ann’s notes.”
“Man, a whole reverse Adrian Lyne–Unfaithfulthing.”
“I’m not sure who or what that is.”
