Page 14 of A Discovery: Love and Other Things

“You got this, honey,” Mom reassured me. “Don’t let that asshole steal your shine.”

I smiled. Mom was the toughest fighter I knew, and I was her daughter. That had to count for something. I wouldn’t go down so easily. “I won’t, Mom.”

“That’s my girl. How’s your ankle feeling now?”

“The doctor said that it was just a mild sprain and to ice and rest it as much as I could.” I was healing pretty quickly and could stand to put a little weight on it for small amounts of time without the use of the crutches the doctor had prescribed.

“Did you get new shoes?” Her tone held more warning than curiosity.

“Yeah, the owner of the hostel took pity on me and loaned me a pair of second-hand tennis shoes from his sister.” They weren’t in the best condition, but I was more than grateful to Asif for something that offered more support when I walked.

“Oh, that was nice of him,” Mom chirped. “Listen, sweetheart. My lunch is about over, and I need to get back to work.”

I hated having to hang up, but I couldn’t keep her on the line forever. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, too. Call me tomorrow?”

“It’s a date.”

“I miss you,” she said, sadness coating her voice.

I blinked back my homesick tears. “Miss you, too.” More than she could imagine. Now was the time I wished I had my mommy here to hold my hand—I needed all the support before facing the big bad wolf tomorrow.

Chapter 8

On a regular work day, the site was teeming with activity: workers hollering and laughing loudly, baskets being thrown about, metal clanking against rock.

But not today. Friday was the holy day of the week on which Muslims congregated at their local mosques and prayed together late in the afternoon. As a courtesy, the Ministry of Antiquities recommended that workers be given the option to have the day off. The discretion was left up to the director of each excavation, and it seemed that Dr. Campbell had been generous enough to offer the option to his team.Shocking.

I wished I could have said that Dr. Campbell’s unbelievable generosity was responsible for the internship team having Saturdays off, too, but it was due to policy set by the program.

The site was eerily quiet. I took in the white tent still standing with all of the tools and cheaper equipment inside, and the small craters in the sand left by the caravan of bodies that had traversed the lot. It was like witnessing a ghost town that had once boasted life in its past...twice, actually. Ancient ghosts mixed with recent ghosts.

If I hadn’t noticed the Jeep parked out front where the shuttle had dropped me, I would have assumed Dr. Campbell was just a ghost of the past too. At least, I wished he was.

I couldn’t see him anywhere in the distance, so he was most likely inside of the temple. Or maybe the ancient Egyptian gods had taken mercy on my plight and decided to do me a solid by burying him in quicksand...I sighed. The prospect was highly unlikely. A girl could dream, though.

The shuttle engine roared to life behind me before zooming away in the sweltering sun.

Deserted in the desert.I wasn’t really alone, but that would have been more preferable than being in the company of Dr. Grump.Too bad.If I wanted to protect everything I had worked so hard for, I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Steeling my spine, I moved forward through the sand. My ankle still ached a little, but I had wrapped it securely earlier to give it some extra support. The used tennis shoes allowed me to move comfortably with a slight limp, but I had still brought along my crutches for added assistance. I didn’t plan to stay for long; the shuttle would be back in an hour to pick me up. I just needed some time to say my piece.

My heart was racing as my feet trudged forward atop grit and gravel, with my Waterstones canvas bag over my shoulder. Every step slower than the last, I was dreading the moment I’d face thearrogant prick. My blood heated all over again thinking of how he’d berated me. This morning, I had resolved to retain my composure and essentially plaster on my best imitation of a pageant smile as I begged for my internship spot back. I hadn’t been expelled from the program yet, but having no return date from suspension was as good as expulsion.

The thought of groveling in front of this insufferable man made bile rise up my throat. I’d rather undergo an ancient Egyptian root canal sans sedative. But my career depended on having this internship. I didn’t want to be held back another year for not fulfilling my requirements, nor did I want to have to explain why I didn’t complete a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity under the king of Egyptology.

The entrance of the temple was free of the plywood that was used to keep it shut, and the faint glow of light shone through the entryway, indicating that someone was inside.The Blond-Haired Ogre.

Rolling my shoulders back and tipping my chin high, I focused my anger, turning it into determination. Determination to get what I wanted out of this. An apology was too far-fetched to expect, but I wanted my intern spot. He owed me that much for speaking to me the way that he had.

I parked my crutches outside on the ground and hobbled inside.

My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dimness.

There he was, crouching on the ground over shards of rock and broken pottery. Instead of launching straight into my rehearsed attempt for a second chance, I stood there observing him. I could only see his profile from where I stood. His hands clutched at his overgrown locks. I’d bet that when he wasn’t on a dig, he kept his hair groomed and trimmed short, but this unkempt style was more intriguing to look at.

A flashlight was propped on a plastic fold-out table beside him to serve as overhead lighting while he worked. His eyes bounced from the artifacts in front of him to his opened notebook littered with scrawled handwriting.

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