With no best friend encouraging her to speak to him at school, she’d stopped trying.
He came to school and left.
Then didn’t return one day.
Then he was gone from Walker Creek completely.
No one had been invited out to the Walker property since Mrs. Walker left. Except Mary.
Then there was Damian.
Stories had flown through the community over the years that he must be worse than his old man since Mrs. Walker kept him hidden away.
Anna shivered. It didn’t matter. This was her chance to do something in honor of Mary. And Julian had been nothing but kind and generous to her.
A rumble of a wagon in the distance made her steel herself. She’d sent word last night to the Oppenheims via Mr. Gilbert. After seeing Julian’s new flowers yesterday, she’d asked him for permission to have the investor and his family come once a week out to the dig site. Surely her team could deal with the inconvenience one day a week. It should also appease the man who so graciously poured out a lot of his money to fund the dig.
Regardless of his motivation.
As she turned to greet the wagon, she pasted on a smile and willed herself to be nice. She could do this. For her father.
Mr. Oppenheim nodded at her from his seat. “Miss Lakeman.”
“Mr. Oppenheim. It’s good to see you today. Miss Oppenheim, Mr. Oppenheim.” She made sure to meet the gaze of each family member.
Albert jumped down from the wagon. “I need to see the fossils that you have chosen for us to draw.” His nose lifted in the air. As he came closer, he brushed up against her shoulder and bumped her. “I have studied at the finest schools in the nation. You won’t win.”
“What was that, Albert?” Mr. Oppenheim asked as he helped Rosemary down from the wagon seat. She held another frilly parasol that matched her outfit.
“Nothing, Father.” Albert smirked at Anna.
She wouldn’t stoop to his level. She wouldn’t. So she kept that fake smile attached and complimented each one of them on their extraordinary choices throughout the morning.
Oh, why had she promised Dad, as she left the house this morning, that she would do her best not to argue with anyone today?
Rosemary headed straight to Joshua and acted like it was her right to be glued to his side. Mr. Oppenheim kept saying that his daughter was fascinated with the work of digging for the fossils. Even though it was unseemly for a gentlewoman like herself to be digging in the dirt, she had asked about going to college for science. Mr. Oppenheim said that if his daughter put her mind to it, he wouldn’t deny her the possibility. The Oppenheim name could be attached to many significant digs, and he would be happy about that.
So it wasn’t okay for a woman of lesser status to be a paleontologist, but if a woman from a wealthy family wanted to do it, that was acceptable?
The gall of the man.
With all the people around, she’d barely gotten to say two words to Joshua at lunch. Then the afternoon rolled around,and Mr. Oppenheim tried to take over. He wanted the team digging for one of the large rib bones.
No matter how many times she explained to him that it was too dangerous to remove a bone lower in the slab because of the cracks and the layers in the rock, he kept insisting. Telling her guys what to do.
Finally, Zach came down off the wall and got in Mr. Oppenheim’s face. “I take direction fromMiss Lakeman. No one else, sir. She’s been doing this for fifteen years. You would do well to listen to her expertise.”
Joshua walked up at that moment with Rosemary, who had her hands on her hips. She looked at Zach. “Don’t you dare speak to my father that way!”
Joshua glared down at her. “Miss Oppenheim, you have no authority here.”
She gave an undignified gasp and marched away.
Anna turned to Mr. Oppenheim one more time. “You must remember, sir, that I know what’s best for this dig. And I also have my father’s experience and wisdom behind what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Every night I go over every inch of the site in detail with him. He pores over all the sketches and studies every fracture in the structure. I listen to him because he knows what he’s talking about. I would ask that you do the same for me.”
“Fine.” The man lifted that chin again, which told her he wasn’t pleased.
Would the day never end? Whose idea was it anyway to invite them back?
