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“We’re going to set up a one-meter-square test pit and dig down ten centimeters at a time,” he said. “Do you remember when we excavated those first few trenches at Clear Lake?”
“Sort of. It’s slowly coming back.” Still kneeling, she looked up at him, her eyes bright with excitement. “I realize you’ve been on dozens of digs, so this is probably old hat.”
“It’s not old hat.”
“Seriously? You must have found more important stuff than broken pieces of eighth-century pottery.”
He had. Nothing quite like the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail, but he’d worked on the remains of villas, churches, fortresses, and an underwater shipwreck. But he hadn’t been with her. “It’s still exciting. More exciting because I’m with you.”
As soon the words were out, he worried he’d said too much, but her ardor didn’t diminish in the slightest. “Thanks. I’m glad I’m with someone who knows what he’s doing.”
“I appreciate that. I might not have the same academic credentials as most people here, but—”
“But you have lived experience. That’s more important. Honestly, the more I’m around you, the more I’m in awe of everything you’ve done.”
Her words struck a powerful chord that left him speechless. Olivia Sanchez, ABD, kick-ass graduate student, future professor, was in awe of him. Damn, if that wasn’t an ego boost.
For a moment, he could only stare at her, until he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He measured the square, then marked it off with four wooden stakes and a roll of twine. Olivia set out the tarp, laid the sieve on it, and took some photos with the digital camera Dr. Roth had loaned them.
“You sure it’s okay to just dig here?” she asked. “We’re not in someone’s backyard or anything, but this has to be private property.”
“We’ll backfill the pit once we’re done. If Roth decides to do a full-scale excavation, he’ll make sure to get the landowner’s permission first, like we did for portions of the survey. It’s all good.” He grabbed the shovel. “I’ll dig up the top layer and set it in the buckets. Sift the dirt directly onto the tarp and save the pottery in the finds bag. We can switch off after a bit.”
Though the sun was as fierce as ever, he barely noticed as they got into a comfortable rhythm. A few times, he peeked at her while she shook the sieve, enjoying the sexy way her hips swayed, as if moving to a silent beat. Occasionally, she stopped to show him the bigger pieces of pottery, including the handle of a jug, decorated with striking black designs.
When it was her turn to dig, she crouched in the pit with the trowel and slowly worked her way through the dirt. By the time they’d dug down thirty centimeters, they’d filled three large bags with samples of pottery, all from the Cypro-Geometric period.
“It’s after six,” he said. “We should stop.”
“Five more minutes? Please?”
Like he could say no to her? “Five minutes, but that’s it.” He continued sifting the dirt but stopped when she let out a cry.
He dropped the sieve and hopped into the pit next to her. “You okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“No. But look.” She lifted the edge of her tank top, exposing a tantalizing glimpse of her bare stomach as she wiped off a curved piece of pottery. “I think this was part of a bowl or a larger vessel. No big deal, except those scratches look like Phoenician writing.”
He took the piece from her and examined it closely. “Shit. You’re right. Do you know how incredible that is?”
She was grinning like a maniac. “Pretty fucking incredible. Can you read Phoenician?”
“No, but I’m sure Roth can.” Talk about a major score. The professor would be thrilled.
She placed her hands on her hips. “And you wanted me to stop digging. Good thing I asked for five more minutes.”
“I bow to your superior instincts. Let’s give it another fifteen. I’ll help you.”
After twenty minutes, they stopped digging, since they hadn’t found anything else of note. Olivia took a final round of photos, then Rick undid the twine and pulled up the stakes. Grabbing his water bottle, he sat on the edge of the pit to take a break.
Olivia joined him, sitting so close her bare thigh was almost touching his. “So, Dr. Jones? What do you make of today’s finds?”
He lowered his voice to a growl. “Well, Marion, if the Nazis ever get wind of this treasure, we’re in big trouble.”
“That important, huh? We’d better be careful.”
He laughed. “Seriously, I think we’re onto something. We can’t tell that much about the site from one test pit, but there’s enough here to warrant getting a bigger sample. If we could find structural evidence, we might have a reason to excavate at some point in the future.”
She placed her hand over her heart. “I’m so glad I didn’t lead us out here for nothing. Thanks for having faith in me.”
