Page 102 of It'll Always Be Her

ChapterTwenty-Three

Adam knotted his tie and straightened it against his collar.

He almost didn’t recognize himself in the mirror’s reflection. He’d gotten a haircut and a shave, and in his tailored suit and tie, he didn’t look like the scientific consultant forHex or Hoax?anymore.

He didn’t look like a lab scientist or a physicist either. If anything, he looked like a guy wanting—needing—to impress some high-level administrators so he could earn his way back to legitimacy. To prove himself again.

The director of Thornwall’s judicial hearing had scheduled his deposition for the following Tuesday, which meant he’d have to leave his parents’ anniversary party a couple of hours early in order to catch his flight.

The three other scientists claiming Thornwall stole from them had already given their statements, and rumors were flying about the esteemed scientist’s demise. Apparently, Thornwall’s Wikipedia page was already updated with the accusations and news of the hearing.

Adam headed downstairs, where the smells of bacon and coffee drifted from the kitchen.

His parents were seated at the table, their heads bent over their tablets. His father was eating his usual breakfast of eggs and toast, and his mother nibbled on a grapefruit. Laura was standing by the counter with a cup of coffee and an orange-glazed doughnut.

“Happy Halloween,” she said cheerfully.

“You too.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. “What’re you doing here?”

“I wanted to wish you luck in person.” She indicated the basket of Halloween-decorated doughnuts on the central island. “And I brought you those from Cloud Bakery.”

“Thanks.” Cloud had once been Adam’s favorite bakery, but as he bit into a chocolate twist, he couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t quite as good as Sugar Joy’s doughnuts.

“You look very handsome.” Helen ran a critical eye over Adam’s suit. “Is that an Armani?”

He had no idea, but he nodded. His father gave him a rundown on all the things he was supposed to tell the DoD directors about his work on thermodynamics and atomic and molecular physics.

“I know what I’ve done, Dad,” Adam reminded him as his phone buzzed.

He didn’t recognize the number, but the area code was for Bliss Cove. Turning away from his parents, he accepted the call. “Adam Powers.”

“Bee’s Juno sign.A Capricorn.” A throaty female voice came over the line, followed by a heavy sigh. “If I hadn’t done the chart myself, I wouldn’t believe it.”

He frowned. “Destiny?”

“Trust me, this isn’t a call I enjoy making,” she replied.

“How did you get my number?” He went into the living room, avoiding his sister’s curious glance.

“From that adorable gaffer of yours,” Destiny replied. “Jay. He gave it to me last week when I was stalking…er, researching you. Anyway, I wouldn’t be calling if this weren’t dire.”

His chest tightened. “Bee? Is she okay?”

“I saw her at the town meeting last night, and her energies are just a mess. Her chakras are spinning too fast and throwing her totally off-balance. I’m afraid she’s going to do something rash.”

Adam smothered a flicker of alarm. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I called you. I know this will make no sense to you, but chakras are crucial for one’s electrical energies to be balanced. If even one gets destabilized, the consequences can be severe. You see, the world is made up of opposing forces that keep us all in alignment.”

“Newton’s third law,” Adam said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. So if object A exerts a force onto object B, then object B has to exert an equal force back onto object A. It’s a natural symmetry that forces always happen in pairs.”

“And this is alaw?”

“Well, a law of physics, yeah. Say a book is resting on the floor. The force of gravity pushes up on it while the book’s weight pushes down. The forces are equal and balanced, so the book stays stationary. It’s in a state of equilibrium.”

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