Page 98 of Field Rules

Dr. Roth rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s a tough call. He hasn’t had the easiest path. Have you ever met his father?”

“Dusty told me about him—some academic big shot at Princeton?”

“He’s a brilliant scholar. Fluent in six languages. A huge name in the Classical world. And—if you’ll pardon my French—a complete asshole.”

The professor’s unexpected profanity made Rick laugh so hard he almost spit out his beer. “Really?”

“Trust me. I had the misfortune to take a couple of his classes when he was a visiting lecturer. The man could bring a student to tears with a few well-placed words. Following in his footsteps couldn’t be easy.”

Rick nodded. “I got that impression. My dad’s not much better. He kicked me out four years ago, after I dropped out of law school. At the time, it hurt like hell.”

“I’m sorry to hear it. But you still turned out to be a decent human being. Someone who treats students with respect and patience. Grant—not so much.”

Rick didn’t want to feel sorry for Grant—not after everything he’d done. But he couldn’t hate the guy either. Anyone that toxic had to be dealing with a lot of internal pressure. “Maybe you could try talking to him again? Not that he deserves another chance, but if he doesn’t change, he’s not going to have much of a future.”

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” He smiled at Rick. “Now tell me about this law school business. I have to say I’m very intrigued.”

Now that he was back in Dr. Roth’s good graces, Rick was given another chance to take his survey team—TJ, Alisha, Logan, and Marisol—back to their Neolithic site to investigate it further. When Roth suggested it, Rick almost asked if Olivia could join them since he knew she’d love the opportunity. But he was still smarting over the way she’d ended things.

Our lives are headed in different directions. Code for “I’m going places, and you’re not.”

After his talk with Dr. Roth, Rick had no regrets about the path he was on. If Olivia couldn’t respect his choices, then so be it. He didn’t need her.

To be fair, she wasn’t the only one who’d fucked up. Instead of telling her about Turkey sooner, he’d thrown it at her when she was already upset. Even then, he could have smoothed things over by admitting he cared about her. He should have told her he’d struggled with his decision to stay in the Mediterranean. Not because of his family, but because he didn’t want to lose her. But when she accused him of wasting his life, his walls went up, and he pushed her away.

They’d barely spoken since. Yet another reason he was grateful that he didn’t have to spend the day excavating at the House of Heracles. He and his team had been digging at the Neolithic site since early morning, but he’d been so immersed he hadn’t noticed the time passing. He straightened up, his body stiff from crouching for so long, and walked over to the pit where Alisha and Marisol were working.

“Time for lunch,” he called out.

Marisol peered up at him, her face smudged with dirt. “Do we have to stop now? I think Alisha and I found part of a wall. Or maybe a structure. Does that mean our site could be a settlement?”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Hopping down inside their pit, Rick scraped his towel along the row of stones. They were packed too tightly to be a random assortment of rocks. “Yep—you’ve definitely found something. Great job. We’ll need to expand out from this area.”

TJ dropped his sieve and loped over to them. He gazed down at the stones lining the far side of the pit. “Sweet! If we could find a structure, Roth would be pumped. Maybe he’ll mention us in his survey report. I already have a few publications to my name, but I’ll take whatever credit I can get.”

“Of course you will,” Alisha said. “You want to be as famous as Dusty’s parents. Did you know they were on last year’s season of Ancient Histories—Ancient Mysteries? They did six episodes about Ancient Egypt. I have to watch it when I get home.”

“It’s a great show,” TJ said. “Maybe a little dumbed down for the masses but still entertaining. I wouldn’t say no if they asked me to do a guest appearance. Not that I want to go all Hollywood or anything. Gotta keep it real. None of that Indiana Jones bullshit.”

Alisha stood and stretched out her back. “Nothing wrong with Indy. I wouldn’t turn him away from my bed. The young Indy from Raiders of the Lost Ark, not the cranky old guy from that whack movie about the aliens.”

“Yeah, the fourth one really sucked. Aliens? That’s the biggest cop-out of all time.”

While TJ and Alisha continued debating the merits of the Indiana Jones franchise, Rick retrieved the team’s cooler and brought out their lunch—peasant bread, cheese, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, oranges, cookies, and more of the ubiquitous grapes. After everyone had cleaned up with the wipes from the dig bag, they sat together in the shade.

“Rick, are you doing okay?” Marisol said. “Dr. Roth spoke to you, right?”

He was grateful she cared enough to ask. “He did. Thanks for telling him the truth.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t confess right away, but I was afraid of Dr. Nilsson.” Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she swiped at them with the back of her hand. “Olivia gave me the courage to speak up. When we talked to Dr. Roth, he wasn’t even mad. Not at me, anyway. And not at you, either.”

“Thanks. I’m glad it all worked out.” Even as Rick said it, guilt nagged at him.

Olivia had stuck her neck out—not just for Marisol and the other students, but for him as well. If not for her, he wouldn’t have gotten a second chance with Dr. Roth. Had he actually thanked her for what she’d done?

No. He’d been a jerk. Still smarting from the way she’d dumped him, he’d frozen her out and refused to accept her apology.

Alisha’s voice grounded him. “Rick. You still with us?”

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