Page 40 of Troy Story
The back door of the Land Rover opened, and the two Turkish students settled in behind them. Hayat and Tufan were in their midtwenties; both were graduate students at the university in Çanakkale, studying under Kerim.
Stuart removed his hand from Dusty’s thigh and turned back to greet them. “Welcome aboard.”
“Thanks,” Hayat said, securing her long, dark hair into a ponytail. “I’m glad we got a spot in your vehicle. TJ and Emilia are in the other one and…” She let out an exasperated breath. “They never stop fighting.”
“Sitting with them for three hours could be painful,” Tufan added.
“They’re in the same vehicle?” Dusty said. “Not good. Never fear, Stuart and I get along just fine. But anyone who rides with me has to listen to music. Without it, I go a little stir-crazy.”
Once the rest of the crew had assembled, the two Land Rovers headed out, followed by Mort’s car. Stuart fiddled with the radio until he landed on a Turkish pop station with decent reception. He wasn’t a fan of pop music in any language, but the ancient Land Rover didn’t have a USB port or a spot to plug in an auxiliary cord. Hayat seemed to enjoy it, though, singing along in Turkish whenever she recognized a song.
After a half hour on the road, Stuart grabbed a Ziploc bag filled with Petit Beurre tea biscuits and offered it to the others. “Biscuit?”
Tufan made a face. “No, thanks. We need to talk about the snacks. On your next grocery run, I’m coming with you.”
“Same here,” Hayat said. “We can help you find something better.”
“I’m all for it.” Stuart didn’t like the dry, tasteless biscuits, either, but that didn’t stop him from eating two of them.
“No one actuallylikesPetit Beurre biscuits,” Dusty said, “but somehow, they’ve been the default snack on a bunch of my digs.”
“You’ve worked in a lot of places, right?” Hayat asked. “How do you like Troy so far?”
“I’m really enjoying it. Working with Kerim—I mean Dr. Özgen—has been a treat. He’s so knowledgeable about Turkish archaeology.”
Two weeks ago, Dusty’s words might have plagued Stuart with jealousy. Not anymore. Kerim might be an accomplished archaeologist, but he wasn’t the one who’d spent an hour with Dusty last night, locked in a passionate embrace on the patio.
“I wish I was still in his trench,” Hayat said, bristling with irritation. “Working with Dr. Hughes has not been pleasant. His behavior is very unprofessional.”
Guilt prickled Stuart’s conscience. Over the last week, Dr. Hughes’ attitude had improved markedly. Though he was still hell-bent on finding his lost cemetery, he’d stopped snapping at the students. He’d even praised one of Dusty’s drawings in full view of everyone. Because he’d eased up on the crew, Stuart hadn’t offered any objections when he’d asked if Hayat could join his team.
“I’m sorry,” Stuart said. “I didn’t realize there was a problem. Has Dr. Hughes said anything offensive to you?”
“Not about me,” Hayat said, “but he’s made inappropriate comments about Clarissa.”
Dusty turned to face Hayat. Stuart clutched onto his seat as they barely missed hitting a car that had slowed to turn off the highway. “What kind of comments?” she demanded.
Hayat drove out a harsh sigh. “Yesterday, when Clarissa was bent over, he nudged one of the workmen and said in Turkish, ‘Quite a view, isn’t it? If only I were twenty years younger.’ And that’s just one example.”
“What the fuck?” Dusty said. “Why hasn’t her dad said anything?”
“How could he? He doesn’t understand Turkish, and half the time, he’s not even at the site. The sun is hard for him to handle, so he spends more time drinking tea at the café than working with us.”
Dusty’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “You shouldn’t have to put up with Hughes’ sexism. Do you want me to say something? Because—”
“No.” Stuart placed a hand on her arm. Not only was she driving too close to the car in front of them, but she also had that fiery look in her eyes. A look that could get her into hot water. “It’s not your place.”
She let out her breath in a huff. “Then will you talk to him?”
He paused, trying to sort out the best course of action. He didn’t want Hayat to be miserable, but he wasn’t the one in charge. “I’ll mention it to Kerim. If he thinks it’s an issue, he can bring it up with Dr. Hughes.”
Hayat sighed. “Good luck with that. I doubt he’ll want to cause trouble.”
As they moved on to other topics, Stuart mulled over Dusty’s request, feeling the weight of her judgment. But he was in a precarious position. Unlike Kerim, who’d been teaching in ?anakkale for over a decade, Stuart was a brand-new hire who had yet to prove himself. Right now, he had everything to lose.
* * *
Dusty was disappointed in Stuart,but she held her tongue. Her last altercation with Dr. Hughes had taught her a painful lesson. No matter how much she wanted to call him out on his insufferable behavior, she needed to keep her mouth shut. Otherwise, she could end up with another target on her back.
