Page 148 of Burn Bag

“Well, don’t take too long. I need you focused on the job at hand. We’re making amazing discoveries. This is going to change everything. I can feel it,” she grinned, staring up at the stars.

Were we? Yes, it was amazing to find Queen Nefertiti, but new discoveries? About what? We had researched just as archaeologists before us. There was so much we already knew about ancient Egypt, their burial procedures, and a world of other interesting facts. I felt like I was on the same ride I’d been on a million times before, which was insane because I was literally part of a history-changing dig that could give us insight into one of the most amazing Egyptian queens. There was absolutely no reason for my glum attitude.

Other than the fact that I missed him.

After that, I laid down and stared at the stars, wishing I was with Bradley, back in my bed with him inside me. The feeling of him wrapped around me all night long kept me awake for the rest of the night.

My mother was runningme ragged. My mood had not improved over the next week. In fact, I was grouchier than ever, snapping at anyone who dared to contradict me or give me advice. I wasn’t sure why, other than I missed my husband desperately. Even my father was giving me a wide berth.

“Daphne, did you catalog the relics from earlier today?” my mother asked, walking into the tent where I was working my ass off to care for each and every one of the pieces of furniture my mother found in the antechamber. Each of them had to be logged and carefully transported to a lab where they could be further studied.

The museum would be so thrilled with all the amazing things we’d discovered. Mom had already been on the phone with them, telling them of some of the brilliant finds.

I grumbled under my breath as I thought about how many days it had been since I last spoke with Bradley. Each day was like a knife to the chest, and yes, I realized how dramatic that was, but everything was off in my world.

“Daphne!”

I spun, glaring at my mother. “What?”

Taken aback by my tone, she flinched. “What is going on?”

“Nothing,” I snapped, anger digging under every inch of my skin until I felt like I couldn’t take another second of the irritation. “I’m just trying to work.”

“Well, I just came to check on you.”

“Yes, as you’ve done every hour. I know what I’m doing!”

My phone rang in my pocket and I quickly pulled it out, grinning when I saw Bradley’s name on the screen. Ignoring my mother, I answered the call, practically bouncing with glee.

“Hey!”

“Hey, baby. How are you?”

Tears pricked my eyes at the sound of his voice. He had no idea how desperately I wanted to see him. I hid it from him as best I could. He’d wanted this for me, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.

“I’m great. Really, really great!”

“Yeah? How’s the search for the…mummy?”

I could hear the terror in his voice and laughed, grateful just to have something normal. “My mother is working on the antechamber right now, so I’m cataloging all the artifacts and preparing them for shipping.”

“Wow. Sounds thrilling.”

By the tone of his voice, I knew he didn’t find any of this exciting, but I appreciated the effort. “And you? How are things going in the protection world?”

“Dreadfully slow,” he admitted. “We’re trying to gain some intel on my old boss and it’s not going well.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be. So, tell me more about the dig!”

I forced the enthusiasm into my voice and told him every last detail I could think of. By the time I was done, I was pretty sure he was bored to tears, but at least it sounded like I was having an amazing time.

There was something seriously wrong with me that I wasn’t more thrilled about what I was doing. Had I really come to the point in my life where I just wasn’t into archaeology anymore? Or maybe I just didn’t crave being in the field as much as I used to.

“So, I have a confession,” Bradley said, his voice hesitant.

“Yeah? What did you do? Get more cats?” I teased.

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