Page 75 of Field Rules

After lunch, the teams spent the afternoon processing their finds, splitting their time between pot washing, sorting, and labeling. Rick was pleased his trench included most of his survey team—Logan, Alisha, and Marisol—who’d bonded after they’d helped him discover that extraordinary Neolithic site overlooking the Xeros River. He wished he could have worked with Olivia, but she’d learn more by running her own trench.

Besides, he’d have plenty of time with her tonight during their rendezvous at the temple.

During the afternoon break, while the others made a beeline for the table laden with grapes and cookies, Marisol continued sorting, examining her potsherds with meticulous care.

Rick came over to her. “You can take a break if you want.”

She looked up at him with a shy smile. “I’ll go in a minute. I just got so immersed.”

He glanced down at the pile of pottery. “Kind of dull, right now, but it’ll get better. Since this was a Roman villa, we might find household goods, like terra-cotta lamps or jewelry.”

“It’s not dull. Not to me. I still can’t believe I’m touching pottery that’s almost two thousand years old.” She gave a short laugh. “My family’s going to be so amazed when I tell them everything I’ve done.”

He pulled up a chair next to her. “Didn’t they think you could handle it?”

“Hardly. I’m the youngest of four. The baby. So they don’t have much faith in me. I’ve wanted to be an archaeologist since middle school, but they’ve always acted like it was a big joke. This summer, I decided to show them how serious I was.”

“This is your first dig, right?” When she nodded, he grinned at her. “You took a bold leap. Most people start with a project closer to home.”

“Thanks. I could have signed up for a field school in California, but I wanted to go somewhere exciting. I love ancient history. When I was little, I was obsessed with the Percy Jackson books. Greek gods, adventures, the whole deal.” Marisol tugged on her braid. “Kind of silly, I guess.”

“Nah, I love those books. I’ve read all of them.”

She twisted a piece of pottery between her fingers. “I’m kind of worried about my grade, though. I’ve always been an A student, but this course has been more challenging than I expected. Do you think I’ll get docked points because I waited four days to go on the survey?”

“I doubt it. I’ll tell Dr. Roth how you turned into a kick-ass surveyor and helped us uncover that Neolithic site. If TJ and I go back to dig more test pits, do you want to join us?”

She beamed. “Sure. I’d love to. How come we’re not doing our excavation unit there? Not that a Roman villa isn’t interesting, but Dr. Roth was so excited about the site we found.”

“It takes a long time to set up a proper excavation—you need to get permits, consult with the Department of Antiquities, that kind of thing. You also have to prove the site’s worthy of a full-scale dig, and we haven’t done that yet. But maybe next year. Would you want to come back here and work on it?”

“If I do well in this course, then I’d love to. I’m having such an exciting summer.”

Her enthusiasm filled him with a warm glow. This was why he loved working with students. He didn’t have to be teaching in a classroom to do it, either.

Olivia approached their table with a stern look on her face. “Langston,” she snapped. “What’s this I heard about a poker tournament tonight?”

He put up his hands in submission. “Just a little innocent fun. That’s it.”

“Not for you. I’m supposed to work on the survey report, and I have questions about the Neolithic site you found. I’ll need to confer with you after dinner.”

He resisted the urge to grin at her ridiculous attempt at subterfuge.

Marisol’s brow pinched together. “Is there something wrong? Did we make a mistake when we entered our data?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Olivia said. “You’re doing a great job. I just need a word with your team leader. Got it, Langston?”

“Absolutely, Miss Sanchez.” As he watched her walk away, he reminded himself to stay focused. No ogling her cute little ass, no matter how good it looked in her faded cutoffs. No steamy fantasies—not until they were alone in Aphrodite’s temple.

After Olivia had left, Marisol spoke up. “When I first got here, I was worried about having Olivia as my TA. She seemed a little anxious. Like she wasn’t sure she could handle everything. But she’s way stronger than I gave her credit for.”

“What do you mean?”

“The day she had that terrible asthma attack, she stood up to Grant without crying. Then she demanded to talk to Dr. Roth. She’s more of a badass than I thought.”

He grinned. “Yeah, she’s something.”

A badass.

He’d tell her tonight. She’d be over the moon.

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