AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I never told anyone about Clear Lake. Since we didn’t finish the dig, I didn’t put it on my resume. My family knows about it, but otherwise, I don’t talk about it. Ever.”
His earlier irritation returned. Even if they’d screwed up royally, they’d also made some fantastic memories. But she’d chosen to block all of it. “You were that ashamed of what we did?”
Her mouth gaped open. “Weren’t you? We were expelled. I wanted to put it behind me. No one at UCLA knows.”
“Not even Frida?”
“She’s heard the basic story, but I never told her your name.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “No wonder she didn’t warn me.”
“In hindsight, I wish I’d mentioned you, then I could have bailed. Now it’s too late.” She gnawed on her lip. “Anyway, it might be best if we keep the past a secret. I want to come across as professional, and the students might not respect me as much if—”
“If they knew you’d fucked your coworker?” As soon as the words were out, he regretted them. Way to sound like an asshole, Rick.
She flinched as though he’d struck her. “Don’t be a jerk. Besides, we didn’t actually…”
No, but they’d done damn near everything else. And if he recalled correctly, she’d enjoyed it as much as he had. He blew out a long breath, annoyed at himself for reacting so crudely. “Sorry. That was a low blow.”
“It was.” She closed her eyes and released a drawn-out sigh.
Was she remembering? Or trying to stop the memories from returning?
“Anyway, it’s ancient history,” she said. “So, can we please keep things quiet?”
As much as he hated to concede, her request worked in his favor. After his disastrous slipup two months ago, his reputation didn’t need another hit. “Works for me.” He cast a glance over at the Jeep. “We should get going before TJ comes looking for us. He’s probably wondering what the hell’s going on.”
“Do you think if I paid him twenty bucks, he’d shut up? I’m getting a headache.”
“You and me both.” When she laughed, the pressure lifted just a little.
He went inside the station’s convenience store and headed for the refrigerated section. After grabbing three bottles of soda, he joined Olivia at the counter, where she was perusing a small display of tourist trinkets—key chains, sunglasses, magnets, pens, and blue glass charms meant to ward off the evil eye. Off to one side, a small rack held a meager selection of postcards.
He pointed to the rack. “You still collect postcards?”
When she smiled at him, it was like the sun breaking out of the clouds. He’d forgotten how powerful her smile could be. “Yeah. My sister sends me a new one every month.”
“Does she travel for work?”
“Sort of? She’s an Instagram influencer and has a foodie-travel account. Maybe you’ve heard of her? SoFood SoFia?”
“I’m not on Instagram or Facebook. Not a big social media guy. Half the time, I’m working in places where I’m off the grid.” After flipping through the postcards, he found one displaying an ancient Roman amphitheater. He paid for it, along with the gas and the drinks, then passed it to her. “Here you go. This place should be right up your alley.”
She looked over the inscription. “Kourion. Is it nearby?”
“Just outside of Limassol. It’s one of the sites we’ll be visiting during field school.”
“Thanks. And thanks for agreeing to keep things quiet.”
“Sure.” What else could he do? If she didn’t want anyone to know they’d ever met, he’d do his best to play along.
Like she said, their fling was ancient history. It didn’t need to be dug up again.
