Matteo’s face closes up tight. Lately he’s been operating very well on a steady diet of Ripley’s praise paired with gentle feedback, but a full day of criticism has reset him to his sullen factory defaults.
Ripley excuses herself to pay the bill. After that, she’s planning to lock herself in one of the single-occupancy bathrooms just to have five minutes away from this shit show. She’s glad she brought the Charger, because she isnotgoing to Alphabet after this.
She’s rounding the potted plant in front of the bathrooms when she hears Mindy talking to someone. Will the twins not even let their idol pee in peace?
“Come on, Mindy.”
Ripley freezes. That low rumble doesn’t belong to either of the twins. James is in the cramped, poorly lit hallway, talking to Mindy with an affectionate familiarity that makes the egg rolls curdle in Ripley’s stomach.
Walk away, Adams,she thinks, staring at the garbage can that’s inexplicably located outside the bathrooms. She wants to throw herself in the trash. She could find a final resting place amid the crumpled paper towels and fortune-cookie wrappers and forget this ever happened.
“I’ve always had to push back hard, James. Do you know howoften people forget the paleobotanist even exists? I deserve to be taken seriously,” Mindy says.
“So does Ripley,” he replies. “And this is her crew and her dig, not mine. If you can’t find it in yourself to respect where she gets her paychecks, then at least respect her brilliance and her grit. And remember that you’re studying an ecosystemshediscovered.”
“Wow. You obviously think alotof her,” Mindy says, her implication clear.
Ripley doesn’t dare breathe in the stiff quiet that follows.
“If you’re implying that I’m championing Ripley because she and I are in a relationship, we are not,” James says.
Another silence. “I’m embarrassed I said that,” Mindy says finally. “Please don’t tell her.”
“I won’t.” His tone softens. “I want you two to have a chance to work together, for both of your sakes. But she’s in charge of this dig. Understood?”
Ripley seizes the chance to escape. When James and Mindy get back to the table, she’s casually stuffing the last egg roll into her mouth despite her miserably confused stomach.
James stood up to a fellow academic, forher.
But he also told Mindy he’s as good as single. Ripley hasn’t missed the way Mindy looks at him. Touches him.Knowshim.
It turns out nobody but the twins wants to go to the bar. On the drive home, Ripley decides to turn in early. She can take a shower, listen to her audiobook, and pretend to be asleep when James comes in.
If he comes in.
29
July 12:
Forty-Seven Days Until the End of the Summer Excavation Season
Ripley wakes up to see the crescent moon rising. There’s a lump under her shoulder that turns out to be an earbud. On the cabin ceiling, James’s fancy alarm clock projects 03:12.
She listens for his breathing, but there’s only silence.
He’s not here. He could be out on the dig, courting the bears. Or drinking fancy alcohol and shooting the shit with Griff.
Or he could be with Mindy.Theycould be drinking fancy alcohol and reminiscing about the good old days.
They could be doing more than that.
The thought shreds the last vestiges of Ripley’s sleep. She hates herself for rolling over to check if he’s been here. It will hurt her to see the undisturbed hospital corners on his bed, but she can’t stop herself.
His bed is empty but not undisturbed. All his relentless daytime tucking has come undone, the blankets twisted and bunched like he threw them aside in exhausted frustration.
On the floor under his bed, soft white light shines from his headlamp, which he must have forgotten to turn off when he went out.
She sits up, shoves her feet into her flip-flops, and grabs a hoodie to ward off the night chill. If he’s outside, she’ll make surehe’s okay. He might feel more comfortable coming back in if he knows she’s awake too.
