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He joined the others, keeping quiet while Dusty and TJ got into an impassioned debate about venomous snakes. Though he wanted to apologize to Olivia, he couldn’t do it without arousing their suspicions.
When they reached the village square, Dusty peered up at the sign for Kouklia. “Population 698. This place is tinier than I thought.”
“The actual population’s higher in the summer because of all the tourists,” Rick said. “A lot of Europeans rent homes here in July and August. It’s still quiet compared to Paphos. That place is nuts on the weekends.”
Given that Rick wasn’t a fan of overcrowded tourist towns, Kouklia suited him fine. The village square included a small grocery store, a few shops, a traditional coffeehouse, an old church, and a handful of restaurants with outdoor seating.
“I don’t suppose there’s a good bar in town?” Dusty asked.
Rick gestured to the restaurant on their right. “You can get a drink here at Spyros Taverna. It’s where we’ll be eating dinner during the week.”
Their group had a reserved spot on the taverna’s patio at a long table covered with a blue-and-white checked tablecloth. Dr. Roth was already there, along with Juno, the sole staff member from Cyprus, who was finishing up her doctorate at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia. Rick had worked with her last year, and they’d gotten along well.
Before he could ask Olivia if she wanted to sit beside him—so he could make amends for his shitty comment—Stuart turned to her. “Olivia? You met Dr. Roth last year, right?”
“Yeah, at the AIA meetings in San Francisco. Thankfully, it was before you convinced me to join you on that ill-advised bar crawl. But since he’s your adviser, you can introduce me again if you want.” She beamed at him.
As Stuart led her over to Dr. Roth, Rick fought back an irrational pulse of jealousy. Evidently, Olivia and Stuart were old friends. But had they ever been more?
He plopped down beside Juno, who greeted him with a fist bump. She was in her late twenties, lean and toned, her long, dark hair caught back in a braid. Unlike many of the women he’d worked with, she was more likely to call him on his bullshit than swoon over him.
“All done playing taxi?” she asked.
“Thankfully.” He waved over one of the servers, a boy who couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen.
“Hey, Mister Rick,” the boy said. “Do you want a beer?”
“Yes, please. A nice cold Keo, thanks.”
Juno laughed. “Two days here and the servers already know your name?” She passed him a basket of thick peasant bread and a bowl of tzatziki, and he loaded up his plate.
He grinned at her. “When you’re as charming as I am, everyone knows your name.” He dipped his bread in the tzatziki. It was creamy and delicious, laden with chunks of fresh cucumber. “Mmm. Best tzatziki on the island.”
“Have you eaten anything since breakfast?”
“Barely. Grant’s been working me like a dog. Tomorrow won’t be much better.”
“At least you’ll have me, plus the rest of the grad students, to pitch in with the setup.” She eyed them warily. “What do you think of them?”
“Stuart and Dusty should be a huge help. TJ’s experienced, but he might be a pain in the ass. And Olivia…”
He stared over at her. She was now engaged in a lively discussion with Stuart and Dr. Roth, her hands moving in excitement. It was the happiest he’d seen her all day.
Juno nudged him. “What about Olivia? Please tell me you’re not planning your next conquest.”
Though it was a fair question, he tried not to reveal how much it irritated him. “Nah. I’m not about that.”
“Is this the same Rick Langston I worked with last year?”
“Not exactly…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He waited a beat to answer. Though the incident had happened two months ago, the humiliation still haunted him. “You know what happened. I messed up at the Palaikastro dig.”
She gave a dismissive wave. “It’ll pass. You made a bad judgment call. That’s it.”
“I’ve made a lot of them. So, I’m trying to stay out of trouble.”
