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ChapterSeven
Fighting back a yawn, Olivia shuffled into the classroom the next morning. She couldn’t have gotten more than five hours of sleep, all because of her anguished conversation with Rick. It had left her so unsettled that she’d lain awake for hours.
She wished she’d stayed and talked with him a little longer. She should have explained that she didn’t consider him a mistake, just their reckless behavior. But she’d felt too vulnerable after exposing so much of herself.
According to today’s schedule, the students were expected to attend a three-hour presentation on the history of Cypriot archaeology. Not the easiest start to the day when most of them were still jet-lagged. As they filed into the classroom, Olivia tried to summon up a little pep in the hopes of hiding her exhaustion. But as the minutes crawled by, she wished she were anywhere else. More than once, she had to pinch herself to stay awake. It didn’t help that Grant was a dry speaker with a monotonous voice.
Two hours later, when the door opened and Rick poked his head in, Olivia startled back into full consciousness.
“Hey, everyone,” Rick said. “We’re ready to review survey techniques.”
Grant pursed his lips. “We won’t be done for a while. You’ll have to wait.”
“Got it.” Rick scanned the room. “Is there anyone who didn’t give me their GPS unit this morning? I’ve been uploading the area maps onto them so we can start training for the survey.”
Olivia’s stomach lurched. In the short time she’d had to prepare for her trip, she’d barely practiced with the Garmin GPS that Dr. Roth had sent her. Even after watching a series of instructional videos, she hadn’t gotten the hang of it. Now that zero hour was approaching, she didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of the students.
Rick turned to leave. “I’ll be out by the picnic tables whenever you’re done.”
She leapt from her seat. “Rick? Can I talk to you for a second? About the training?” Before he could stop her, she made her way over to him.
“Sure,” he said. “If you’re not needed here?”
“I’m not, right?” It wasn’t as though she was contributing to Grant’s talk by sitting and listening. The one time she’d tried to ask a question, he shut her down.
“You can go,” Grant said. “But I’d prefer no further interruptions.”
“Got it. Sorry.” She all but pushed Rick out the door and closed it firmly behind them.
“What was that about?” He didn’t look pleased. No surprise, given the guilt trip she’d laid on him last night.
“Just walk with me, okay?” She led him outside, not saying anything until they reached the picnic tables they’d sat at last night. He eased down onto one of them, but she remained standing.
As anxious as she was, she couldn’t help but notice how his faded Berkeley t-shirt stretched across his broad chest or how his sleep-mussed hair begged for the touch of her fingers. Why did he have to look so damned good? She, on the other hand, felt like a hot mess.
Focus, damn it.
“Dr. Roth sent me a GPS before I left, but I didn’t have much time to practice using it,” she said. “Now I’m worried because I’ve never had to survey in uncharted terrain before. Could you help me get up to speed? I don’t want Grant to find another reason to criticize me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You sure you want my help? Given that you consider me one of the biggest mistakes of your life?”
Her cheeks heated, and not just because it was ninety-eight degrees outside. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you were a mistake, just that—”
“No need to take it back. I appreciate the honesty. Though I would have appreciated it more if you’d told me seven years ago instead of letting me twist in the wind.”
A painful ache pinched her heart. In the process of unburdening herself, she hadn’t considered his feelings. Though she didn’t regret telling him the truth, she hadn’t meant to hurt him. Now she’d torched any goodwill they’d built up between them.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “But I’m in kind of a bind right now. Do you know where Dusty or Juno went? Maybe one of them could help me.”
“They went into Paphos to get supplies for the lab. I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll catch on fast.” He waved her away. “Go back to the classroom. You can’t afford to piss off Grant.”
No. She couldn’t give in that easily. If she left now, she and Rick would be back to where they started three days ago, resenting each other as much as ever.
She forced herself to stand her ground. “It’s not just about the GPS. I’m worried about leading a survey team. Have you forgotten what a terrible sense of direction I have?”
When he didn’t respond, she kept going, hoping she could get him to crack a smile. “You used to tease me about it, remember? I’ve gotten on the wrong freeways before. I’ve come out of a store in the mall and started walking in the wrong direction. I even get lost in San Diego, and I’ve lived there almost all my life.”
Rick granted her the faintest of smiles. “That tracks. The one time I let you drive to the lake, you got us completely turned around.”
