Page 9 of Blossoms of the Heart
“This lovely young lady is Dr. Phoebe Walker from The Smithsonian Institute.”
Jesus, I didn’t realize she’d gone and gotten her doctorate. It was hardly surprising, though, with what I knew of her from the past.
“Dr. Walker is a linguist with a specialty in reading dead languages. She’s agreed to join our team and translate the journal and help with our investigation.”
Phoebe smiled at everyone.
“Welcome, Phoebe, you’ll make a great addition to our team.” Scott said with a nod. Kenny followed suit.
I just looked on, watching her.
“I’ll cut to the chase and get to the point of this meeting,” Akito continued, clearing his throat. “This discovery is a very big deal for us. We have a lot of work to do in our investigation of our samurai and his sword. We’ll also have to get back in the cave to see if there’s anything else we can find. I believe that journal will assist us greatly in gathering the information we need, but there might be more inside that the earthquake unearthed. I’m excited about this.”
Akito continued his speech, “I hope that you’ll all help make Phoebe feel welcome.”
He looked at me when he said that. Specifically looked at me, as if I would be the one to cause trouble.
“We have a good window of time that we can use to our advantage, but there’s a lot to be done. I suggest we use the rest of this week to plan out what we’re doing, get acquainted with our findings, and maybe we can spend a few days next week at the cave. Then we regroup next Friday with our findings.”
Everyone agreed to that.
Akito started talking about the budget, which was through the roof. Apparently, we had unlimited funds at our disposal for whatever we wanted. The government was funding this full force. I loved the sound of that, and so did the investors.
I wanted to explore that cave fully, as in within an inch of its life. There was no telling what else we could find.
When the meeting drew to an end, the group gravitated towards Phoebe, asking her all manner of questions about herself and her work, which she gladly answered.
I stayed where I was until the admirers left and then made my way over to them.
“Tai,” she said with a curt nod.
“Doctor Walker.” I nodded back and smiled.
“Phoebe,” she corrected.
“Guys.” Akito briefly placed his arms around both of us. “I know you two can work wonders on this project. You can work together, right?”
Again Akito looked at me.
“I have no qualms with that,” I replied.
“Me neither.” She smiled.
“Good.” Akito chuckled. “I remember you both at each other’s throats all the time as kids.”
That would have been literally when we were kids. Past the kid stage, I spent the time watching her grow into her womanly curves.
The only memory I had of her throat was what it tasted like.
Sweet. Vanilla sweet with a hint of nervousness.
Her cheeks colored against her pale skin. “We were kids, Akito,” she pointed out. “We’re adults now. Time’s moved on. I’m sure we’ll do just fine.”
Akito smiled with intense pride. “I’m so proud of the two of you. This is going to be a very exciting time for all of us.”
“And busy,” I offered.
“And busy, we love busy. Gives us purpose.” He beamed. “Tai, why don’t you take Phoebe to the research room and the office so she can see everything?”
I looked at Phoebe, took in the anxious look she had about her, and thought I’d take this as an opportunity to test the waters.
