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“All right,” Rick said. “Since this is Marisol’s first day of survey, she’s going to be walking along with me.”
Olivia was pleased he’d agreed to her suggestion. Even better, he’d offered to let Marisol shadow him for the next few days.
Marisol went to stand beside him, anxiety etched on her delicate features. At least she was properly dressed for her first day out, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, cotton pants, and a bucket hat. Though she might roast in the heat, she wouldn’t end up with Olivia’s sunburn-from-hell.
Brynn looked up, as if suddenly aware of what was going on. “Why does she get special treatment? I didn’t get to shadow Rick.”
“You can shadow me if you want,” TJ said. “Since I’m probably the person here with the most experience. After Rick, of course.”
She scowled at him. “Hard pass. I’d rather get head-butted by an angry mountain goat.”
“Enough chatter,” Rick said. “Let’s get going.”
Olivia’s first transect went smoothly. Since it was relatively free of artifacts, she had little to record. She beat Rick and Marisol by a full five minutes, though she suspected he’d slowed his pace to adjust for her inexperience. When the two of them returned, they spent their break reviewing Marisol’s field notebook. Watching them together, Olivia admired Rick’s patience. Even if he had no aspirations to teach, he had a great rapport with students.
Toward the end of her second transect, Olivia was keeping pace with the team when she spotted a cluster of potsherds. Though she was tempted to ignore them, she squatted down to get a better look. She picked up a handful and brushed off the dirt. Each piece was decorated with black bands; one had a zigzag design. The largest piece displayed a detailed line drawing resembling a duck’s head.
A rush of exhilaration washed over her. This wasn’t like the pottery she’d found before. Based on the designs, she suspected it belonged to the Cypro-Geometric period, dating as far back as the eighth or ninth century BC. During that time, Cyprus had been divided into city-states, populated by a mix of Greeks, Phoenicians, and native Cypriots. Both Grant and Dr. Roth were interested in finding more sites from that era.
As she pawed through the dirt, her heart pounded faster. She no longer cared about the relentless sun or her growing thirst. All that mattered were the potsherds beneath her feet. Ignoring the dirt lodged under her fingernails, she unearthed more pottery.
She was reluctant to pull herself away but couldn’t risk delaying her team any longer. If Dr. Roth wanted the site explored further, he’d send someone back to investigate. She took a series of photos, zooming in on the details, and placed the biggest pieces inside a large Ziploc bag. Fifteen minutes later, she reached the car, panting and dripping with sweat.
The rest of the team stood waiting, their expressions grim. When she checked her watch, her breath hitched. Five minutes to one. No matter how fast they hustled, they’d be late for lunch. Grant would be furious.
Brynn let out a pained sigh. “You took forever. What’s wrong with you?”
“I thought you were trying to speed up the pace,” TJ grumbled.
Her shoulders tightened as she waited for Rick’s reaction, but he didn’t reprimand her. Instead, he approached her and placed his hand on her arm. “You okay? I was getting worried.”
“Sorry, but I found an artifact cluster. A real one.” Her voice shook with a mixture of nerves and excitement. “It could be a site.”
Marisol clapped her hands together. “That’s amazing.”
TJ raised his eyebrows. “You think? I didn’t see anything special in my transect.”
“Me neither,” Brynn added. “Are you sure it wasn’t a bunch of churned-up pottery?”
“Pretty sure.” Olivia thought she’d made the right call, but now she was second-guessing herself. She thrust the Ziploc bag at Rick. “See for yourself.”
He opened it and looked through the samples. His breath caught when he saw the piece with the duck’s head design. “This looks like Cypro-Geometric ware.”
Yes. She was tempted to do a victory dance, but she didn’t want to cross the line from proud to obnoxious.
TJ pumped his fist. “Sweet! Iron Age pottery. The other teams will be so jealous.”
Rick handed the bag back to Olivia. “Nice job. How’d you do it?”
“By not rushing and taking a second look.” She couldn’t help but grin. “I know I made us late, but these finds were worth it. Right?”
Rick locked eyes with her. “Absolutely. Your instincts were spot-on.”
“Thanks.” She all but melted under his tender gaze.
Brynn let out an exasperated breath. “Can wego? We’re going to miss lunch, and it won’t taste good if it’s cold. That crappy kitchen doesn’t even have a microwave.”
Rick motioned for all of them to get in the car. Despite driving well beyond the speed limit, they returned so late the other teams were already at lunch. Grant materialized within seconds of their arrival, like he’d been eagerly waiting to chew them out.
