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“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I wouldn’t care except I needed a favor from Roth, and Grant had already gotten to him.”
“What do you need?” Stuart asked. “Could any of us help?”
“I might be able to,” TJ said. “I have friends in high places. Seriously, bro, I’m connected.”
For once, Rick didn’t mind TJ’s bragging. As much as the guy liked to flex his networking prowess, he wouldn’t hesitate to help a fellow archaeologist. “Thanks. I might take you up on that, but what I really need is Roth’s recommendation once this project is done.”
“Why wouldn’t Dr. Roth support you?” Olivia asked. “You have a ton of experience.” She scanned the group. “What am I missing here?”
No sense in hiding the truth. She’d find out eventually. “Palaikastro,” Rick said.
“That’s the dig where you screwed the pooch,” Juno said. “That’s right? Yes? Screwing the pooch? Except you didn’t screw a pooch.”
“Nope. Just Thea, the dig director’s daughter.” He winced as he said it, waiting for Olivia to react in disgust. But she merely regarded him with wide eyes.
“I don’t see the issue, as long as Thea was of age and it was consensual.” Dusty’s expression hardened. “If it wasn’t, then I might have to hate you.”
He held up his hands. “Nothing like that. She was twenty-four, and the fling was extremely consensual.” She’d started flirting with him the moment he arrived. Sending out so many signals he couldn’t miss them. Like a fool, he’d given in without thinking of the consequences.
Olivia’s gaze dropped down to her drink as she stirred the remaining ice with her swizzle stick. Her reluctance to meet his eyes made his stomach clench with regret.
“What’s the issue then?” Dusty asked. “Did Thea claim sexual harassment?”
Rick shook his head. No matter how casual the hookup, he always made sure his partner was completely on board. “Her father caught us together.”
“No way,” TJ said. “Like, actually together?”
Now Rick wished he hadn’t brought up the subject. Olivia didn’t need the details. Then again, better she hear it from him instead of Grant.
“It wasn’t that bad, but he spotted me leaving her tent—after, you know. He was this old-school Greek archaeologist. Very patriarchal and overprotective. He would have beaten the shit out of me if Thea hadn’t intervened. But he fired me with two weeks left to go on the dig. Worse than that, he spread the word about me to all his colleagues.”
“How did his daughter feel about that?” Dusty asked. “I mean, she was involved, too.”
Rick gave a short laugh. “He kept her out of it. Instead, he told everyone he’d fired me because I’d acted unprofessionally. That I drank too much, showed up for work hungover, and couldn’t be trusted with responsibility.”
“You didn’t defend yourself?” Stuart asked.
“I didn’t want to drag Thea’s name through the mud. Bad enough her dad treated her like she was sixteen instead of twenty-four.” When Rick had first learned of the accusations, during a phone interview for a job on a site in Sardinia, he’d been devastated. Four years of hard work, undone by a vindictive father.
“That’s very gentlemanly of you,” Dusty said. “Take it from me, I rarely meet anyone who’s a gentleman in the field. There are so many snakes, especially men like Grant who abuse their power.”
Rick appreciated the group’s support. “Thanks. I’m trying not to screw up this time.”
“You won’t,” Stuart said. “We’ve got your back.” He raised his glass, and the others followed.
But for the rest of the evening, Olivia stayed quiet. As they were heading back to camp, she caught Rick’s eye, as though she wanted to talk to him. He wasn’t surprised, given the truth bomb he’d dropped about Palaikastro.
He urged the others to go on ahead, then waited until they were out of earshot. He fell back until he was by her side. “Olivia. I’m sorry.”
“No. I’m sorry.” Her shoulders sagged. “I didn’t realize you had so much to lose. If Grant is complaining to Dr. Roth about your leadership abilities because of my failings, then I need to stop being a burden.”
“Wait. That’s why you’re upset?” From her silence, he’d assumed she was stewing with anger over his stupidity at Palaikastro.
“Of course. I’m still too slow. I’ve been trying to hurry, but I’m spending too much time checking out random clusters of pottery. I keep hoping one of them will turn out to be a real site, but all I’ve done is make you a prime target for Grant. If I asked to be on his team, he might ease up on you.”
He stopped, too stunned to keep walking. “You aren’t pissed about Palaikastro?”
“Because you had sex with a woman you met on a dig? I don’t love the concept of field rules, but it’s not any of my business. Although…”
