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Rick crossed his arms, revealing impressive biceps. “Nice to see you, too.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?”
She groaned as the realization hit her. “Please tell me you’re not working at the UC field school.”
“Yep. Up until two hours ago, I thought I was picking up Frida Gallego. Imagine my surprise when I found out you took her place.”
Did he think that was her fault? “That’s not on me. Frida broke her ankle, so I was asked to fill in at the last minute. I wouldn’t have said yes if I’d known you were going to be here.”
He scowled. “What the hell, Olivia? If anyone should be pissed, it’s me. You’re the one who ended things without a word of explanation.”
Guilt slammed into her, twisting her stomach in knots. At the time, she’d been so distraught she believed her decision was justified. Now it just seemed callous. “I’m sorry, but I thought it was the right move. After everything that happened, I…”
“You what?”
She struggled to come up with a decent excuse for ghosting him, but she was too frazzled to think rationally. She shook her head in defeat. “Sorry.”
“Forget it. I’ve moved on.” Rick’s gaze roamed over her. “So, you’re working here? Teaching students about archaeology?”
“Like I said, I’m filling in for Frida.”
“I heard you. But when’s the last time you were on a dig?”
His scornful words brought back the anxiety she’d battled over the last two weeks. Before she could defend herself, one of the taxi drivers yelled at them. She turned around and cursed him out in Greek.
A ghost of a smile flickered across Rick’s lips. “Nice comeback. But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Can we talk about it on the drive?” She wiped her forehead. Five minutes in the broiling July sun and she was already sweating. When he didn’t budge, she flashed him her humblest smile. “Please, Rick. All I want to do is offload this pack and crash in that sweet, air-conditioned Jeep of yours. It does have air-conditioning, right?”
“No worries, princess. The AC works just fine.”
“Perfect.” Maybe the drive would give them a chance to talk things out.
A hesitant voice interrupted them. “Excuse me? Rick Langston?” A lanky guy with glasses and shaggy brown hair, wearing a pack similar to hers, stood a few paces away.
“TJ, right?” Rick said. “Good to see you, man.”
TJ grinned. “Dude, I was so pumped when I heard you’d be working this gig. It’s been—what—five years since Tel Dor?” He turned to Olivia. “Rick was a square supervisor at the Tel Dor site in Israel. That was an awesome dig. Seriously hard-core.”
Whatever, bro. Olivia had endured her share of “hard-core” dig stories from the archaeology students at UCLA. The rougher their experiences, the more they liked to boast.
Not that she was jealous or anything.
Hoping to hide her irritation, she pasted on a welcoming expression. “Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia Sanchez.”
“TJ Mayer, Harvard University. I’m here as a lithics expert, focusing on Stone Age settlement patterns in the Eastern Mediterranean. ABD and kicking ass. Not to brag, but I should be done with my doctorate by this time next year. Then I’ll be Dr. Mayer.”
ABD. All but dissertation. She was in the same boat, though less inclined to flaunt her academic status. “That’s great. Congrats.”
After another driver honked at them, Rick pointed to the back of the Jeep. “We’d better head out. Find a place to stow your gear, and hop in.”
She walked with TJ behind the Jeep. The tiny space was crammed full of wooden stakes, buckets, pickaxes, and bales of plastic rope. TJ shrugged off his pack, wedged it between some ropes, and got into the Jeep.
When Olivia tried the same thing, her pack wouldn’t stay put. It thudded onto the road, bringing a plastic bucket with it. She crouched to pick up the bucket, but it rolled under the Jeep. Even when she knelt and stretched out her hand, she couldn’t reach it. She made another attempt to grab the bucket, only to have it roll further away.
Rick’s shadow blocked the sun as he loomed over her. “What’s the holdup?”
