Page 16 of It'll Always Be Her

ChapterFive

Compared to some of the places where they’d filmed—an abandoned Soviet submarine base in Pavlovsk came to mind—Adam thought Bliss Cove would be a nice town to stay in for a week.

The coastline was postcard perfect, the old wooden boardwalk might offer some good fishing, and the main hangout, the Mousehole Tavern, had great reviews and a wide range of beer and ale. Plus, the crisp October air, the changing leaves, and the Halloween decorations of pumpkins and flying witches would be a great backdrop for their “scary” storytelling.

The day after they arrived, he and Paul, one of the cameramen, went out to grab some scene-setting shots of the town. They’d officially start tonight with Constantine’s intro before the nighttime filming began.

People were under the delusion that ghosts manifested themselves at night, so most of their footage came from the surveillance cameras and after-dark shots. It was one of the reasons they produced so many shows—easy to film when places were closed to the public.

“You want to grab some shots of the boardwalk?” Paul asked.

“Let’s wait until the weekend when it’s open.” Adam pointed at a stretch of shops lining the main drag, Starfish Avenue. “Get some of the stores, people walking, that kind of thing.”

In postproduction, their editor and sound guy would edit the idyllic small-town shots with creepy music to set the stage for the intro.

Adam actually enjoyed the practicalities of the work. Though he’d been hired as a “scientific expert,” he ended up working a lot with the crew because consulting required him to do little more than explain that the footage of a “ghost” was caused by a distortion of light or condensation, or that a UFO sighting was actually an atmospheric abnormality. Even after the producers had asked him to film a segment in front of the cameras, the job still involved explaining the evidence.

Adam liked most of the people involved with the Explorer Channel. He appreciated their trust in him when they’d asked him to direct an episode ofHex or Hoax?The role gave him more hands-on, creative work…and a reprieve from remembering how far he’d fallen.

A flicker of awareness shot down his spine. He turned just as Bee Delaney emerged from a coffeehouse, slipping a purse over her shoulder.

He had about three seconds to drink in the sight of her—golden-brown hair pulled into a tidy bun, a knee-length, cream-colored skirt, and soft pink blouse—before she looked up and met his gaze. The collision of eye contact reverberated to his bones.

He took a step back, surprised by his reaction. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt something so intensely.

“Good morning.” Bee stopped, her polite smile sweeping from Paul to him. “How are you both enjoying Bliss Cove so far?”

“It’s a nice town.” Adam suddenly couldn’t think of anything more eloquent to say. Behind her glasses, the warm brown in Bee’s eyes was flecked with gold in the sunshine. A sprinkle of freckles dusted her nose, and her smooth skin defined the phrasemilk and honey. “I mean, uh, it’s…good,” he added.

He almost felt Paul rolling his eyes.

“Perfect for our intro footage,” Paul told Bee. “We’re going down to the boardwalk this weekend to shoot more. Any other places we shouldn’t miss?”

“Have you been over to Mariposa Street yet?”

“No, but I read about it on the website.” Paul put the lens cap back onto his camera. “How do we get there?”

“I can show you.” Bee gestured to a blue hatchback parked at the curb. “Do you want a ride?”

“We’re parked over there, so we can follow you,” Adam said.

After he climbed into the driver’s seat of the company van, he and Paul followed Bee to Mariposa Street, the oldest district in town that had undergone extensive renovations over the past year.

The neighborhood was ridiculously picturesque—cobblestone streets and Spanish-style architecture with wrought-iron balconies and wooden shutters. A restored movie palace presided over one end of the street, and window boxes and planters bloomed with summer flowers.

“This is fantastic.” Paul set up the camera and began taking footage. “I hope this ghost is demonic.”

Bee stared at him. “Demonic?”

“Yeah. Demon spirit in an idyllic seaside town like this?” Paul peered through the viewfinder. “Super awesome storyline.”

“We don’t need that angle,” Adam said quickly, noticing the two spots of color appearing on Bee’s cheeks. “People seem to think this ghost is benign.”

“That’s what they think.” Paul panned the camera lens over the street. “We’ll know more after we get some actual encounters.”

“Soyoubelieve there’s really a ghost at the library?” Bee asked him.

Paul shrugged. “Unless we discover otherwise, why not?”

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