Page 47 of A Discovery: Love and Other Things

James’s eyes locked with mine. The satisfied smile that spread over his lips was a sight to be seen. He directed his words to the minister: “Convincing you to renew our grant.”

Chapter 20

Two pharaohs at one site?

The riddle stumped me as I poured over peer-reviewed articles on my laptop in one of the study rooms at the university. It was my day off, and I should have been out with the rest of the crew sightseeing, but I was determined to figure out why the figurine of Ay was at a temple built for Tutankhamun.

My over-worked eyes scanned the pages of the various New Kingdom textbooks strewn about the table, hoping the answer would pop out at me, but my mind remained blank. I took another bite of the granola bar that I had brought along for brain fuel, and the crunch of dried oats and nuts filled my ears.

“Ahem.”

My mouth halted mid-chew as my eyes tracked the source of the interruption. James was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on his lips.

I swallowed the still-too-big chunks of granola, the jagged edges scraping my throat on the way down. “Hey,” I said awkwardly, reaching for my bottle of water.

“Hey,” he replied, not awkwardly. But really, was the man ever awkward? His constant confidence was unnerving. I guessed researchers of his caliber had God-complexes that worked in their favor.

“I didn’t know you’d be here today,” I replied, straightening my chaotic work area.

“Just stopped by to sign some documents,” he said casually.

“Oh.”

His eyes raked over my appearance. “Cute look.”

I patted the messy bun at the top of my head, held in place by a full pack of bobby pins and the two stray pencils that I had been searching for fifteen minutes ago.

I hadn’t had any alone time with him since our night at his place, and as result, I felt extra flustered with all of his attention on me now.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Since when do you use the word ‘cute’?”

“Trying to expand my vocabulary.”

The corner of my mouth lifted into a crooked smile.

He pushed off the frame and closed the door behind him. “Why are you here?” His fingers twisted the wand, closing the blinds over the windows to the room.

I rubbed at my eyes, which were tired from all the blue light I had exposed them to over the past three hours. “Trying to figure out why that statue of Ay was buried outside of the temple.”

The turn of the lock on the door caught my attention. His expression remained steady, and his hands settled into his pockets, like he wasn’t up to mischief, though I sensed it was coming.

He neared me, his tone all business. “What explanations have you come up with?”

I stood up and offered him the seat in front of my laptop as I leaned over to configure my screen for him.

I had messily outlined three different theories to explain my findings in Notepad—nothing was ever official unless it was in Word. It was just the way of the PC universe.

He read aloud. “‘Number One: Ay constructed the temple in memory of Tutankhamun.’”

“Right. That’s the simplest explanation. Naturally, one would think that the patron of the temple would leave some sort of calling card, or identifier, to earn the glory of building a monument.”

He propped his elbows on the armrests, his corded forearms delectably on display beneath his rolled-up sleeves. “But you don’t like that explanation?”

I shook my head. “Ay resented Tutankhamun and used his short reign as a steppingstone to further his own agenda. He wouldn’t pay tribute to his predecessor, a mere boy in comparison to his age, when he barely secured a tomb for him when he died.” I mean, the man had even allegedly taken Tutankhamun’s tomb for himself and stuffed the young king’s sarcophagus and possessions into a tiny little one-room closet.

James studied me as I continued spitting out what was swirling in my brain. “And let’s say that Ay really did build the temple. Why would an egomaniac like him leave a tiny statue as his signature?”

“Valid point.” He hooked his arm around my waist and scooped me into his lap. The move was so suave and so James.

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