by Robin Gianna
“Dear God. I remember that earthquake’s epicenter was right here on Mount Parnassus, and that some of the buildings in Delphi and Kastorini were pretty badly damaged. I can’t believe your parents…” He trailed off, unable to imagine it. The shock of such a freak thing taking both of her parents at once.
“I know. It was…unbelievable. Devastating for us girls.”
“That small earthquake a couple weeks ago must have scared the hell out of you. Brought it all back.” She nodded, and Andros’s chest squeezed at the pain on her face. “So you took over for your parents, taking care of your sisters.”
“The court allowed me to become guardian. I’d watched them every summer anyway, when our parents were gone on digs. We managed. Survived. I’d planned to start grad school, but had to put it off for a few years. I hate that I’m so behind what my parents groomed me to accomplish by now. Far behind all that they’d accomplished by my age, but there wasn’t another good option. It’s…I knew it was what they would have expected, even though they would’ve been disappointed that school had to come second.” The tears came then, squeezing his chest even tighter, and she quickly dabbed them before they could fall. “Sorry. Stupid to cry after all this time.”
He couldn’t figure out how much of her tears were from grief over her parents, or the pain of believing, somehow, that they would be disappointed with her. Surely she didn’t really feel that way, considering how she’d stepped up and put her sisters first. At twenty-two, he’d been damned self-absorbed, for sure.
He took her chin in his fingers, turned her face so she was looking at him. “Never be sorry for being human and feeling pain, Laurel. Grief stays with us, sometimes for a long time. Until we learn what we have to from it to move on.”
The way she forced a smile through her tears gripped his heart, and without thinking he lowered his head an inch and touched his lips to hers. Softly, gently, meaning to soothe. They were soft and pliant beneath his, and for a long moment the kiss was painfully, wonderfully, deliciously sweet.
They slowly pulled apart, separating just a few inches, staring at one another. Heat and desire rushed through his veins like a freight train just from his lips on hers. A heat and desire that had him wanting to go back for more, deeper and hotter. He fiercely reminded himself she was hurting, that he was supposed to be offering comfort. Not consumed with the need to lay her down on the cushioned seat and kiss her breathless.
Her eyes were wide, and inside that deep blue he thought he saw a flicker of what might be the same awareness, the same desire. Just as he began to ease away from her, she surprised the hell out of him, wrapping her palm behind his head, closing the gap between them and kissing him back. He found himself grasping her ponytail as he’d wanted to earlier, gently tugging her hair to tip her face to the perfect angle, letting him delve deeper. Her lips parted, drew him in as he learned the dizzying taste of Laurel Evans.
“Ahem. Your peppers and keftedes.”
They both slowly broke apart, and Andros struggled to remember they were in a public restaurant before he turned to the waiter. “Thanks.”
The waiter responded with a grin and a little wink at Andros before he moved on to another seat farther down the promenade. He looked at Laurel, not surprised to see her cheeks were a deep pink. Hell, he had a feeling his might be too, and didn’t know what to say. Maybe something along the lines of, Sorry, I didn’t mean to try to suck your tongue like you were the first meze, but you taste so good I couldn’t help myself.
He cleared his throat. “I—”
“You were wrong, you know,” she interrupted in a soft voice.
“Wrong?”
“That I’d need three glasses of retsina before I’d think it tasted good. Just one taste from your mouth, and I know it’s very, very delicious.”
That surprised a short laugh out of him. “And I’ve come to have a new appreciation for the very appetizing flavor of sauvignon blanc.” Her words, her smile, the heat in her eyes that reflected his own, nearly sent him back for another taste of her, but he somehow managed to keep his mouth to himself. He slid the plates of food closer to her. “Try the keftedes alone, and then with the tziaziki. Which, by the way, we either both have to eat, or neither of us.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to smell like garlic if you don’t. But if we both do? Nothing like a garlicky tziaziki kiss, I promise.” And why had he brought up the subject of kissing when he was trying to behave?
He was glad to see every trace of sadness was gone, replaced by a slightly wicked smile that sent his blood pumping all over again. “Don’t think it could beat the last one, but I’m more than willing to give it a try.”
“I doubt it could beat the last one either. Guess we’ll have to find out.”
The memory of that kiss had the air practically humming as they looked at one another, and Andros knew he had to bring the conversation back to something less exciting to ratchet down his libido. Either that, or leave and steam up the windows of his car.
And that idea was so appealing, he nearly threw money on the table and grabbed her hand to get going on it.
“So,” he said, stuffing half a meatball into his mouth to drown out the flavor of Laurel, “I assume you’re going to shut down the cave dig for the moment.”
“Shut it down?”
“Yes. With John sick now too, it’s logical until we get some test results back.”
“We only have a few weeks left of the dig as it is. And no one has any idea if they’re sick because of something in the caves or not. For all we know it could be something a tourist brought to the hotel. Or even coincidence and not the same illness.”
He was surprised as hell at her attitude and the suddenly mulish expression on her face, especially considering she’d seen how sick the three were and had seemed as worried as he was. “True. But it makes sense to wait until we get the test results. How could a few days matter?”
“Every hour matters. There’ll be no more funding for this project. Which means whatever we have left to unearth has to be discovered soon, or it’ll stay buried.”
“Things will stay buried anyway. Unless a dig lasts indefinitely, I’d think you could never be sure what might still be there.”
“True. And we have used satellite imaging and ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry to help us find what’s still there. But those things are less reliable when it comes to the caves.”
“So you’re willing to risk someone else getting sick to give yourself a few extra days’ digging.” He couldn’t help but feel frustrated, even angry about that, especially when an image of Laurel lying in a hospital bed, sick and nearly unable to breathe, disturbingly injected itself into his mind.
“I need to finish this dig for my parents.” She frowned at him for a long moment before she finally spoke again. “But I’ll compromise. I’ll offer the team a choice about working on the mountain, and we’ll stay out of the caves until the test results are back. Unless you can prove to me the pneumonia is definitely related to the dig, though, I’m not shutting it down.”
CHAPTER SIX
“I CAN’T BELIEVE Kristin stayed at the hotel when we’re already down three people.” Becka sat back on her haunches and pushed her hair under her hat as she looked over at Laurel.
“It’s fine, Becka.” Laurel pulled a bag and pen from her apron to label the potsherd she’d dug up. “The reason I shared Dr. Drakoulias’s concerns with the team was to give everyone the option to sit it out until the test results are back, if that’s what they’re most comfortable doing.”
“But how could it have anything to do with the dig? We’ve been here two months with nobody getting sick.”
“I agree. But until we have confirmation that it’s not a fungal infection, I think everybody has the right to be extra cautious if they want, and we’ll stay out of the caves for now.”
“I don’t get why he thinks there might be something in the caves. Mel hasn’t been in t
here since June.”
“It’s possible she got something from Tom. But I figure it’s more likely they got some random virus from some long-gone tourist while we had dinner in Delphi, or someone who stayed at the hotel. Though Dr. Drakoulias and I have both talked to management there, and as far as they know, nobody’s been sick.”
“So we should just keep at it, don’t you think?”
“I’m planning to, but, again, I understand people being concerned. We all want this dig to end on a high note. Hopefully the three of them will be fine soon, and we’ll find there’s nothing to worry about.” She prayed that was true, and that the high note was a certain big, knockout find she hadn’t given up on.
“Well, I’m not worried about it. And I’ve gotta say, I’d rather be in the nice, cool cave than out here all day. I’d forgotten how beastly hot it is.”
“Working in heat, cold and rain is part of the gig sometimes. And don’t forget about the snakes up here. Gotta be tough to be a digger.” Laurel smiled and tossed a water bottle to Becka. “We’ll quit for the day in about an hour. Hydrate and take a little break.”
Becka stood and swigged down some water. Laurel’s smile grew at how much the girl reminded her of her sister Ariadne, and as she was wondering what her siblings were doing, Becka interrupted her thoughts with a chilling scream. Her heart knocked against her chest when Becka dropped the bottle and fell, writhing, onto the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Laurel leaped to her feet and ran the few feet between them.
“Oh, God, my leg! What…?”
Laurel followed the girl’s wide-eyed gaze, horrified to see that beneath the hand clutching at her calf, blood gushed down her leg, a shocking amount pooling around the dirt and stones she lay sprawled on.
“Becka. Let me see.” Laurel’s heart pounding now, she dropped to her knees and instantly saw what had happened. “I think your trowel cut you.”
“I’m so stupid,” the girl moaned. “You always said never to stick our trowel in our back pocket, but I did, didn’t I? Did it cut through my shorts and fall out? Is it bad?”
“It’s a pretty good gash.” That was an understatement, but the last thing Laurel needed was for the girl to faint or go into shock. “Let me get it wrapped up, then we’ll have to get you down the mountain somehow.”
Her mind frantically spun to first-aid classes she’d learned, and she prayed she remembered right. The injuries her sisters occasionally came home with had been pretty minor. Definitely nothing like this. Laurel had seen a few injuries on the digs she’d been able to go on close to home but hadn’t been in charge. Why hadn’t she paid more attention to how they’d stopped the bleeding?
Okay, she reminded herself grimly, freaking out and staring at it wasn’t going to fix it. She ran to the supply box and dug through until she found gauze wraps on the bottom and the duct tape she’d used over her bandage. But when she kneeled next to Becka, the amount of blood pouring through the girl’s fingers sent fear surging down her spine, and she knew she had to do something more than just wrap it.
“I’m going to try to hold it together and put pressure on it for a few minutes to slow the bleeding before I wrap it. Okay?”
Becka nodded. Just as Laurel began to lay a piece of gauze lengthwise on the cut, the girl let out a little moan, and Laurel looked up at her. Lord, she was staring at the blood, her face turning the ghastliest white. “Don’t faint on me now.” That was the last thing either of them needed, and Laurel quickly tried to move her into a sitting position.
“Sit up and put your head between your knees.” It wasn’t easy to press on the wound at the same time she pushed the girl’s head down with the other. “Deep breaths. I’m going to press hard on your leg to stop the bleeding, so be prepared.”
Becka thankfully followed directions. Every muscle tense, Laurel tried to gently bring the edges of the wound together, then pressed hard again. Becka cried out, biting her lip until Laurel was afraid it might start bleeding too. “I’m sorry. Hang in there. Once I get it wrapped up, I’ll take you to Dr. Drakoulias.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her heart knocked again. What if the man wasn’t in Kastorini, but back at the Sophia Elias hospital or somewhere else? Then she remembered she had his phone number. She’d call him as soon as she could get a cell signal.
The fear filling her chest eased a bit, and she took a deep breath. It would be okay. No matter where he was, she’d be able to ask for his help. How much that thought calmed her was a little shocking, considering she hadn’t relied on anyone else for much help in a long time.
She just hoped he wasn’t still annoyed with her the way he’d been last night. Then wondered why she’d let it bother her. Her job, her responsibility to her parents and the future they’d wanted for her were all wrapped up in this dig, and she couldn’t care if anyone approved of how they finished things up or not.
“Can you press down on it the way I was while I wrap it? Try not to move the gauze I already have on there.”
“Okay,” Becka said in a strained voice, reaching down to do as Laurel asked. Finally she had it tightly wrapped, hoping to heck it wasn’t so tight that it cut off the poor girl’s circulation. She sat back on her heels and stared at the gauze, relieved that it wasn’t turning red with more blood.
“Okay, let’s go. I’ll help you stand, then we’ll grab Jason so he can help us.”
With Becka’s arm across Laurel’s shoulders, they awkwardly moved down the path toward grid eight. She couldn’t see Jason, and prayed he was down in the pit where he should be. By the time they got to it, Laurel already felt nerves and muscles pinching from trying to hold Becka’s weight as she limped. “Jason! Are you here?”
“I’m here,” a voice said.
Laurel nearly sagged in relief. “Becka’s hurt. I need your help.”
In an instant, Jason came running up the makeshift stone steps from the pit, a worried frown on his face. “What happened?”
“I stupidly put my trowel in my shorts pocket, and it cut through and dove into my leg,” Becka said through clenched teeth.
“Rookie mistake.” Jason gave Becka a little smile as he lifted his hand and stroked her cheek, the gesture tugging at Laurel’s heart. She’d thought maybe the two college kids were becoming sweet on one another, but hadn’t paid that much attention. “You okay?”
“I think so. Hurts like crazy, though, and I’ll probably have some ugly scar.”
“Scars from a dig are a badge of honor. Makes you all the more interesting.”
“You think?” The girl rolled her eyes at him, finally looking less freaked out.
“Oh, yeah. Not that you needed to be more interesting.”
“Okay, enough of the mushy stuff, you two,” Laurel joked, glad to be feeling less freaked out too, after the first shock of it all. “Let’s get her down the mountain to my car so I can take her to the clinic. It’s pretty deep, and I’m sure she’ll need stitches.”
It was easier with Jason’s help, or, really, with Laurel helping Jason, who took on most of Becka’s weight. Laurel called Andros a few times, relieved when she finally got a signal and he answered.
“Is something wrong, Laurel?”
How had he known it was her? The man must have put her contact information in his phone. That thought shouldn’t have affected her, since he probably did it for professional reasons, but she couldn’t help feeling absurdly pleased about it. “Becka has a serious gash in her leg from a trowel. Are you at the clinic?”
“I’m here. Bring her right in.”
Jason got Becka tucked into the car and hovered there as he fastened her seat belt. “I’d like to come with you, but I better get back to work. At this rate, we’re not going to finish what we’ve started if I don’t.”
“I’ll be coming back to the dig after we get her fixed up and settled in at the hotel. I’ll let you know how she is,” Laurel promised, partly to relieve his mind and partly to get going before there wa
s some long, drawn-out goodbye. Becka’s leg needed prompt attention. And he was right—they’d never get finished at this rate unless everyone who could still work did overtime.
Andros must have been watching for them, because as soon as she pulled up in front of the clinic, he strode out of the door and helped Becka inside, Laurel following.
“You can come along if you want, or you can stay in the waiting room,” he said, speaking to Laurel over his shoulder.
“I’ll come.” If Becka was anything like Laurel’s sisters, she’d want someone by her side. They might believe they were all grown-up, but inside they still needed someone to turn to for comfort.
Laurel’s chest felt heavy when the memories unexpectedly bombarded her. She’d been Becka’s age exactly when she’d fallen into the dark hole of grief her parents’ deaths had left her and her sisters with. All those summers she’d been stuck home watching her sisters while her parents were working had seemed hard. Then she’d learned that had been nothing compared to what it felt like for that comforting support to be forever gone.
“After I take a look, I’ll have to thoroughly wash it out, okay?” Andros settled Becka by a low sink that was really more like an open shower, before his eyes met Laurel’s. “Christina’s not here right now. Want to help me get some supplies?”
“Of course.”
She followed him into an exam room, and he pulled gauze, pads and a bottle of some liquid from a closet, handing them to her. “Were you with her when it happened?” he asked as he grabbed some sealed bags of what looked like syringes and suture kits and who knew what.
“Yes. It’s a long, pretty deep gash. Not sure exactly how deep, but it bled a lot.”
“What did you do for it?”
“Tried to bring the edges of the wound together, then pressed on it a while to stop the bleeding. Seemed to work well enough, then I bandaged it and brought her here.”
“Sounds like maybe you should have forgotten about digging for a living and become a doctor.”