Page 76 of Tour Wars
Rick exited the 101 freeway and turned into the In-N-Out drive-thru in Ventura. “The only thing I’m craving right now is french fries. Don’t tell Olivia, or she’ll get annoyed. She always thinks I’m going to spoil my dinner.” He chuckled. “Like I’d ever turn down anything she cooks? This is just an appetizer.”
“Can you get me a Diet Coke? I could use the caffeine.”
“You got it.” He inched his truck forward into the drive-thru line. “To answer your question—we like having you with us, and the cats adore you. Ever since they started sleeping on your bed, I get Olivia all to myself at night. You don’t mind them, do you?”
Emilia couldn’t help but laugh. Every night, she went to bed with three cats snuggled beside her. “I like the cats. They’re so sweet and cuddly. But that’s not the issue.”
“There’s no issue. We enjoy your company, and you’ve done wonders with the garden.” He moved his truck further down the line. “Unless you’d rather have your own place?”
“Not really. Even if it wasn’t beyond my budget, I think I’d get too lonely.” If it hadn’t been for Rick and Olivia, she would have found it too easy to dwell on the heartache of leaving TJ behind. “I guess a part of me still regrets leaving Pompeii without fighting back. Instead of demanding justice, I fled to the States with my tail between my legs.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. There are times when the odds are stacked against you, and it’s better to cut and run. That happened to me on a project in Crete two years ago. Like you, I was accused of shit I hadn’t done, all because the dig director wanted me gone.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. I didn’t fight him on it, either. Just took off and hoped the next project would be better.” He grinned. “And it was. I got a gig on a field school in Cyprus, and that’s where Olivia and I met up again. So maybe this is where you’re meant to be.”
Was it? She was pondering the thought when the staticky voice of the drive-thru operator came through the window. “Welcome to In-N-Out. What can I get for you?”
“One order of french fries and a large Diet Coke, please,” Rick said. He drove up to the window and paid the cashier before turning his attention back to Emilia. “Just to be clear—you’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Or at least until Olivia’s boss comes back. At that point, we’ll have to find a new place, too, but that’s not until June.”
Emilia let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks. I appreciate it. The job, too. It’s been great.”
“Good to hear. I know it can’t compare to working at Pompeii. Not gonna lie, digging in California will never hold a candle to Italy.”
“But you’re okay with it? You worked on projects all over the Mediterranean. Don’t you miss that life?” For as many dig stories as Rick had shared with her, he’d never shown any remorse over what he’d given up by coming back to California.
He shrugged. “Not that much. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with Olivia, and I’m still doing what I love. Ultimately, that’s what matters.”
A twinge of sadness tugged at Emilia’s heart. What would it be like to have a partner like Rick? Someone who cared enough about her that he’d be willing to compromise if need be.
She shook off the thought. Rather than dwell on what she was lacking, she should be thankful she’d landed on her feet. She’d left Italy in tears and disgrace but ended up with a decent job and a place to live. Even if doing contract archaeology in California wasn’t as glamorous as excavating in Pompeii, at least she was working in her field.
With each day that passed, she felt stronger as her anguish over leaving Italy gradually faded. Only two things still troubled her: she had yet to tell her father the truth, and she’d cut TJ out of her life. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but after she’d arrived in California, his texts had gotten so needy that she’d asked him to stop. But she still missed him terribly.
At night, when she was in bed, her thoughts drifted to him and the memories of their time together on the tour. Not just the steamy moments but the fun they’d had quizzing each other on the binder, bantering during their presentations, and talking late into the night as they planned out each day’s itinerary. No matter how tired or grumpy she got, he always managed to coax a smile out of her. She’d give anything to wake up and find that he’d miraculously appeared at the breakfast table with the coffee already brewed. Extra bold, just the way she liked it.
Once they’d gotten their order, Rick merged back onto the freeway. Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the bungalow. At the front entrance, a plastic skeleton sat in a lawn chair, wearing a pirate hat. Three elaborately carved pumpkins were piled at his feet. With Halloween a few days away, Emilia had insisted they set up a display to lure in trick-or-treaters. As she followed Rick into the house, she was hit with the mingled scents of cumin, chilies, and garlic, which made her mouth water.
Olivia stood in the kitchen, stirring a pot on the stove. At the sight of them, she laughed. “You two are positively filthy. We’ve got about twenty minutes before dinner’s ready, so you both have time to grab a shower if you make it quick.”
One of the few downsides of the bungalow was that it only contained one bathroom. Emilia turned to Rick. “You want to go first?”
“Nah. You go on ahead.” He sauntered over to Olivia and put his arms around her waist. “I’m going to harass the cook.”
“Hands off, mister,” Olivia said. “You’re way too dirty.”
He nuzzled her neck. “You like it when I’m dirty. Don’t you, princess?”
Emilia took that as her cue to leave. After shucking off her filthy clothes in the bathroom, she jumped into the shower. Under the warm spray, she let her mind wander as she imagined a different scenario. One in which she wasn’t crashing in anyone’s spare room but living in a place of her own, coming home from work each day to a loving, affectionate partner. Someone who respected and cherished her the way Rick did Olivia.
Someone like TJ.
* * *
Over a delicious dinnerof chicken enchiladas with mole sauce, black beans, and lime-cilantro rice, Emilia was lulled into a sense of complacency. As always, the food was amazing—Olivia had learned to cook from her parents, who owned a Mexican restaurant in San Diego—and the conversation was lively. Olivia was teaching a junior-level seminar on the Roman Empire at UC Santa Barbara, and some of her female students hadverystrong opinions about the patriarchy. But just as Emilia was taking a mouthful of rice, Olivia hit her with a question that chilled her blood.
“Em? I hate to put you on the spot, but there’s something I need to talk to you about. Are you up for it?”
