Page 15 of Field Rules

ChapterFive

As Olivia made her way back to camp, the cool night air washed over her, bringing the faint aroma of honeysuckle. Her earlier tension had ebbed away, thanks to the beers she’d consumed with dinner. Though she was still smarting from Rick’s jab, she was determined to keep things civil between them. If they were going to be stuck together for six weeks, she didn’t want to fight with him the entire time. She’d already spent too long mired in guilt and resentment after they’d parted.

Dusty fell into pace with her. “Ready for your first night outdoors?”

Olivia grinned. “I hope I don’t get eaten. I should have packed my bear spray.”

“There are bears here?” TJ loped over to join them. “I didn’t read about them in my research. That might push this dig to a six on the hard-core scale.”

Olivia held back a laugh. “Just kidding.”

“No venomous snakes either,” Dusty said. “But we are sleeping outside, so that’s more rugged than a tent.”

“Is Grant going to bunk down on the field with the rest of us?” Olivia asked. She’d have to place her cot as far from his as possible.

Dusty snorted. “That bastard gets to sleep in the field house.”

“Wait. There’s an actual house available?” Had a field housebeen one of the choices? Olivia wished she’d been given that option.

“Rick mentioned it earlier,” Dusty said. “It’s a cottage near the village square. Dr. Roth rents it for the summer, and Grant gets one of the rooms. It comes with real beds, hot water, and an Italian coffee maker.” She gave a dramatic sigh. “Must be nice.”

Compared to camp cots on a field, it sounded like heaven. Then again, sharing a house with Grant might be hell on earth.

As they approached Camp Kouklia, Olivia hit a wall of fatigue. She had no idea how many hours she’d been awake, but it was too many. She went with Dusty into the women’s quarters, changed into a tank top and shorts, and dragged her cot outside. The so-called soccer field, located on the east side of the school grounds, was little more than a long stretch of packed dirt, interspersed with clumps of grass. At least it offered ample room for them to spread out.

She set down her cot, grabbed her toiletries bag, and headed for the communal bathrooms that occupied a small outbuilding next to the field. They reminded her of restrooms she’d seen at public campgrounds—cramped, slightly grungy, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lighting. The smell of pine-scented disinfectant was so strong it made her eyes water.

Midway through brushing her teeth, the realization hit her. This was like camping. The longest she’d ever been camping was five days. Now she was spending six weeks living and working outdoors on an island where the summer temperatures often hit ninety degrees or more.

Why had she ever thought she could handle this?

When she got back to her cot, she tried lying down, but the stiff canvas chafed her bare shoulders. She sat up and grabbed the inhaler she’d brought with her in case of an asthma attack. Her usual triggers were allergies and exertion, but stress could also set if off. And right now, she was stressed as hell. She took a puff from her inhaler, held it in, then let out her breath in a long, slow exhale.

Get yourself together. It’s only six weeks.

The buzz of her phone made her drop the inhaler. She picked it up and set it on her cot, then glanced at the screen.

Her sister, Sofia, had sent a text: You around?

Usually, Sofia didn’t give her any warning. She liked to talk at all hours of the day or night, regardless of the time zone. Olivia had gotten calls from her while teaching class, during dinner rush at the restaurant, and at three in the morning. When her phone rang, she stood and speed walked to the far end of the field, putting some distance between her and the others. If anyone had already fallen asleep, she didn’t want to wake them.

“Sofia?” she said.

“Liv! Did you make it? Are you on the island of love yet?”

“Did you just call Cyprus the ‘island of love’? Is that even a thing?”

“Of course, silly. It’s the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and sex. I’m surprised you don’t know that.”

Olivia plunked down on a scraggly patch of grass. “I’m fully aware of Aphrodite’s reputation. Classics student, remember?”

“Then you should appreciate how special Cyprus is. Don’t you think an island dedicated to Aphrodite is unbelievably romantic?” Sofia’s voice was so bubbly Olivia couldn’t tell if she was drunk, high, or being her usual exuberant self. “Just imagine, you could be back at home for the summer like always, working at El Marinero and serving up your millionth platter of shrimp fajitas, but you’re in the Mediterranean. Where life is good and the partying is nonstop.” She sounded like she was about to burst into song.

“Are you drunk right now?”

“Liv!”

“Are you?” Not that Olivia had any right to judge, seeing as how she’d had two beers.

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