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He made no attempt to hide his irritation. “What is it?”
“Why do you resent me so much? You criticize me constantly, and you rarely treat me with the respect I deserve. You don’t treat Stuart this way. Is it because I’m a woman?”
“Of course not. How dare you accuse me of being sexist?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I said. I asked if you’re treating me differently because I’m a woman.”
“I suspect your emotions are clouding your judgment.”
On any other day, she might have backed down, but Dr. Roth’s support had gone a long way in boosting her confidence. “Are you gaslighting me right now? I know what I’ve heard. Dusty and Stuart have noticed it, too.”
He drew to a halt. “You want the truth? You don’t deserve to be here. You have no field experience, you’ve never surveyed, and you’re not prepared for the grueling physical challenges involved.”
“Because I have asthma? Or had an allergic reaction to some plants? I’ve still gone out on the survey every day, and I’m the only one who’s found a site worth investigating.”
She no longer cared that he ranked above her on the academic ladder. She wanted answers.
Grant’s jaw tightened. “Did Frida tell you what happened last year when she was a TA here?”
She called you a joyless control freak. “She said…you two clashed at times.”
“That’s putting it mildly. From the day she arrived, she questioned my authority constantly. Supervising a field school isn’t an easy job, and she made it much harder. More than once, she challenged my orders in full view of the students.”
“She didn’t mention that. I assumed you two had different styles of leadership.”
He gave a short laugh. “We couldn’t be more different. I’m a stickler for rules, but Frida didn’t respect that. Rick’s the same way. It was bad enough when I found out he was going to be working here, but I was dreading Frida’s appearance even more. I was extremely gratified to learn she wouldn’t be coming.”
Never mind that she broke her ankle and all.
As if sensing Olivia’s judgment, he frowned. “I wasn’t happy she was injured, but I was relieved I wouldn’t have to deal with her. Once I found out she wasn’t coming, I sent Dr. Roth a list of names, all of whom had plenty of experience. Instead, he chose you, based on Frida’s recommendation.”
Though she didn’t owe Grant an explanation, Olivia felt the need to defend herself. “When my graduate adviser asked me to fill in, I wasn’t her first choice. But those other students you mentioned? They already had jobs lined up.”
“Even so, Dr. Roth gave Frida’s suggestion more weight than mine. Assuming you were anything like her, I wanted to assert my authority immediately. It was the only way to make sure I retained full control.”
A plaintive meow caught Olivia’s attention. A tabby cat had wound its way around her ankles. She bent down to pet it. “Have you ever considered you might be going overboard in trying to control every aspect of field school?”
He sucked in his breath. “I’m going to chalk up your naiveté to your lack of experience. Obviously, you have no idea what can go wrong on a dig.”
Believe me, I do. “I’ll admit sometimes students break the rules, but—”
“This isn’t just about breaking the rules. It’s about students behaving recklessly and putting themselves or the site in danger. My first year as a TA, the dig director was too busy chasing women to supervise the undergrads. He didn’t care what they got up to or whether they broke the law. Imagine his surprise when two of them were pulled over for drunk driving. In Greece. It took a lot of finessing to make that go away.”
She shuddered. At least when she and Rick had committed their offenses, they’d been in the US. “Did you get in trouble?”
“No, because I wasn’t the one in charge. But in the ten years I’ve been in the field, I’ve seen all kinds of stupidity, as well as errors that could have been avoided if the students followed the rules and stuck to the schedule.”
As the tabby left, Olivia straightened up. “I get it. But so far, I haven’t broken any rules. I’m not sure how Frida undermined your authority, but that’s not my intent. So, in the future, I’d appreciate you judging me on my own merits rather than on my friendship with her.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
If this was his version of a concession, Olivia would take the victory, however slight. She was about to suggest they keep walking when Grant nailed her with a flinty gaze.
“What about your friendship with Rick?” he asked. “Can I pass judgment there?”
Her stomach dropped. Had she gone too far in painting Rick as a hero? “I…I’m not sure what you mean. I was grateful he came to my rescue, but that’s it. He would have done it for anyone on his team.”
Grant gave a snort of disbelief. “Hardly. You think I don’t see what’s going on? Rick angling to put you on his survey team. The two of you going off together to explore that site you found. You joining him at night when he brings out that god-awful guitar. I may not condone relationships in the field, but that doesn’t mean I’m oblivious.”
