LJ stood and let out a low growl. “I know just where to go to get what I need.” Cassie was always a willing partner when she needed to rid herself of stress. Once she had a shower, she’d be in her truck and on to a night of casual sex with no strings attached. So what if it seemed that her destiny was
to always be alone—that was her choice after she’d lost Holly. No one would ever take her place. She picked up the last picture taken of them together and rubbed a thumb over Holly’s face. “I miss you.”
LJ had spent a restless Tuesday prowling her office, waiting for Wednesday to come. She found herself anxious about the arrival of her new assistant. The little voice that kept her emotions in check had been telling her that hiring the woman was a bad move. Kylie Wilcox had done something no one had in a long time—made her sit up and take notice. For LJ, that was disconcerting. Desperately wanting to distance herself from the woman, she decided being her usual cold and unresponsive self would do the trick.
After parking her truck in the empty, dark employee parking lot, LJ headed for the museum. She unlocked the side door, wondering if her new employee would arrive early or be the type to get there exactly on time
.
She seemed like the type to be early.
Not wanting to seem eager for the woman’s arrival, LJ decided it would be best to make herself scarce for a while. She took a quick look around the area, and when she was satisfied all was as it should be, she left to work on a new display featuring artifacts she found in Argentina. All the while, the question concerning her new assistant kept running through her brain—
what if…?
Although she’d just met the woman, she couldn’t deny the attraction. But she had made her choices, and Kylie Wilcox did not enter into the equation. All that mattered was that the woman did her job and kept her in the loop.
†
Kylie arrived at the museum a half hour early, not knowing if the door would be open before her prescribed arrival time. She was mildly surprised that it was. After she entered the building, she locked the door as instructed. Perhaps in the future Dr. Evans would trust her with a key, but she suspected she’d have to earn it and she wouldn’t hold her breath. The museum didn’t open until noon on Wednesdays, and the building was eerily quiet. Down the corridor, she saw a man running a dry mop over the floor. He didn’t seem to take notice of her, so she punched in the code for the door leading to the lower level, and when it swung open, she headed down the stairs. Once she found her locker, she put her things inside and affixed the lock she’d bought the day before to it.
Dr. Evans wasn’t in her office, so Kylie went to the large, brightly lit workroom, expecting to see her there. She wasn’t. “Guess I’m on my own.”
She began inspecting the items on the table. Each had an index card attached, describing the contents, the date of the find, and location at the site. A container with all the artifacts along with another card identical to the first accompanied the rest. A large envelope containing photos of the relics’ actual position at the dig was also there. After she checked each section and decided where to start, Kylie became lost in sorting through the first container on the table.
“Good morning, Mrs. Wilcox. Did you find everything you needed?”
Kylie looked up and smiled. “Good morning to you too, Dr. Evans. Yes, I have everything. I hope you don’t mind that I just started working.”
“Yes, it is okay. Carry on.”
Kylie watched her boss quickly turn and walk away. She shook her head and sighed. “She’s certainly an odd duck,” she mumbled before returning to the job at hand. The work was interesting, and it didn’t take long for her focus to settle once again on the pieces of pottery in her gloved hand.
For the first time in years, Kylie was content with what she was doing. During her married life, she never found any reward in all the volunteer work she did or the endless committees her husband conned her into joining. In fact, she only ever felt useful when she was with Ryan. Now as she tried to unravel the mystery of something centuries old, she felt alive in a way she never thought possible. Despite working with a dour woman, Kylie was happy to be there. She would manage the stoic Dr. Evans just as she always had in the past with people like that—with professional courtesy.
Not for the first time, she wondered if Dr. Evans had a life outside the museum. How had such an accomplished woman become so cold and heartless? She suspected it was a coping mechanism; now, she would have to figure out what she was coping with. The possibilities were endless, but with time and careful observation, she’d find out.
She pulled one of the large circular magnifying glasses over and held a sliver of pottery under it. “I know where that piece goes.” Kylie picked up the clay pot she was working on and used tweezers to gently place the fragment where it belonged.
†
Midmorning, LJ called a nearby small restaurant and ordered a sandwich and salad for delivery by eleven forty-five. She didn’t fully understand why she then walked quietly to the workroom and stopped at the doorway to watch her latest assistant at work. The woman was completely engrossed in what she was doing and didn’t even notice her standing there. LJ again realized just how attractive she was, but something else was drawing her to the blonde. LJ shook her head to rid herself of these feelings before leaving as quietly as she arrived.
Once she was back at her desk, the image of Kylie sitting at the table methodically doing her work kept reappearing. She immediately put the longing out of her mind. “Don’t even go there.” She went back to the task at hand, knowing that immersing herself in her work was the best way to get rid of unwanted thoughts and feelings.
A voice from the door called, “Delivery.”
“Over here.” LJ watched a young kid who looked like he was twelve walk lazily toward her.
“I got an order for LJ. Is that you?” he asked.
LJ nodded. She took the bag and noticed the him looking at her expectantly. “I already paid and added a tip. Is there something more I need to do?”
“No. Thought I’d wait and see if you got the right order.”
“Are you telling me that the people you work for are so inept that they can’t get a simple order right?”
“No, ma’am. They tell me to make sure the customers are satisfied.”
LJ opened the sack and saw a salad in a clear plastic container and a wrapped sandwich. “Everything is good.”
The kid didn’t move.
“You can go now.”
Once the boy left, LJ took the bag and walked briskly toward the workroom. She stopped next to the worktable, amused that her new assistant was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t even look up.
She instantly regretted being there. She’d told herself being nice and providing lunch on the first day was a way to ensure that Kylie would keep working for her. Now she questioned that decision. Deep in the recesses of her mind, she knew there was more to her gesture than being nice. Nice wasn’t what she did. She cleared her throat.
Kylie lifted her head with a puzzled look on her face.
LJ held out the bag and made her best attempt at a smile. “Time for lunch. I didn’t know what you would want, so I have a turkey sandwich and a salad for you.” When Kylie looked at her in bewilderment, she asked, “Don’t you like it? I had them put all the condiments on the side. There are three choices of salad dressings.”
“No. I mean, yes. I do like it. I just didn’t know it was lunchtime already. Let me get my wallet out of my locker and I’ll pay you.”
Confusion rattled LJ’s brain. “You don’t need to. This is a benefit of the job. Paid lunch means the lunch is paid for too.” Uncomfortable and once again feeling like a square peg in a round hole, LJ looked away. “I’ll print out the menu for you so you can tell me what you’d like each morning.”
“Thank you. I lost track of time.”
There was that smile. LJ had a hard time keeping herself from trying to smile in response. She placed the bag on a nearby chair. “There is a table over there where you can eat. I don’t want the artifacts contaminated with food.” She walked toward the worktable. “Have you found any discrepancies? My team of grad students arranged all of this after we got back from Peru last summer.”
“None so far. This is so fascinating. I was holding something that someone hundreds of years ago held, and it blew my mind.” Her eyes widened. “I remember the first dig I was on. I found a grinding stone with the rock used for grinding nearby. I couldn’t even begin to describe how amazing that felt. I bet you feel that way all the time.”
Uncomfortable, LJ looked at her feet.
“I’m sorry for rambling like that. It’s just that I’d forgotten how incredibly exciting archaeology is.”
“Yes, it is.” LJ fought the urge to settle in and have a conversation about what she’d found over the years and how she felt about those discoveries. “It also involves a lot of tedious work.”
“It does, but the rewards far outweigh that. Do you know anything about these artifacts yet?”
LJ cocked her head and actually let a genuine smile curve her lips. “I’m sure you know that
the
Incan
Empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The Wari’ tribe predated them.”
“I’ve heard about them. Weren’t they into agriculture and at their peak had an immense empire? They were a remarkable civilization,” Kylie added.
“Yes, that is right. I’m certain there are many
Wari’
villages such as the one we found still waiting for someone to discover them.
Once we assemble these fragments, we will know more about this particular Wari’ tribe.” LJ picked up a piece, held it in her hand, and inspected it carefully. “The jungles of Peru hold many secrets. It is just a matter of finding them and deciphering the clues.” She let her eyes scan the table and waved her hand at it. “Any one of these items might hold the key to unlocking the mystery that surrounds an entire civilization’s disappearance.” She pursed her lips. “Of course, they didn’t disappear completely since most of the people in Peru today are Wari’ and Incan descendants.” She heaved a sigh. “The empire itself, though, was lost.”
“I find this all so exciting. I can remember as a child finding a cache of arrowheads with my grandfather. I was hooked then.”
LJ found her assistant’s enthusiasm refreshing, and she stood there uncomfortably. Her plan was to deliver the lunch and leave. Instead, she wanted to spend the day talking with the fascinating woman about archaeology. But that wouldn’t be acceptable. “Hope you enjoy your lunch, Mrs. Wilcox,” she said in her coldest voice before turning and leaving. All sorts of red flags were waving, telling her to keep away even though part of her desperately wanted the contact.
Kylie sat in confusion as she watched the doctor walk back to her office. She would have remembered if an actual lunch was included in her job description. Now the sandwich she’d made along with Ryan’s that morning was sitting in her locker and would go uneaten.
She was certain her new boss was uncomfortable with her being there. When she spoke of her work, though, she was relaxed and engaged, and her voice changed from cold and impersonal to warm and enthusiastic, showing her passion for the subject.
A slight smile curled her lips. She knew that given the opportunity she would have happily spent the day just listening to the melodic sound. “Like that’ll ever happen.” She grabbed the bag off the chair and opened it, pulled out the contents, and heard her stomach rumble. She was suddenly famished.
The sandwich was excellent, and she appreciated the thought of putting all the condiments on the side. Often, turkey sandwiches came slathered with mayonnaise, and she preferred only a small amount. The salad was a mix of spinach and kale, and although she’d never tried that combination, she found it very tasty, especially with the addition of strawberries and mango.
If that were the caliber of food she’d have every day, she’d always look forward to lunchtime. Of course, that meant she’d get to spend more time with her boss, and she found herself smiling at the thought. With trepidation, Kylie mused over the thought of getting to know more about Dr. LJ Evans.
I wonder what LJ stands for? That might be the beginning.
†
The next day LJ arrived in the workroom with Kylie’s lunch in hand and sat it on a stool before looking over Kylie’s progress.
“How am I doing so far?” she asked.
“You’ve only been working for a day and a half, and that isn’t enough time to make any sort of judgment on your capabilities,” LJ said with what sounded like uncaring stiffness. “But so far it seems as though you have a grasp of what is needed. Time will tell if that will warrant praise.”
Kylie couldn’t help thinking that she’d somehow offended her boss.
I should have just kept my mouth shut.
The last thing she wanted to do was give Dr. Evans a reason to fire her. “Thank you for the lunch.”
“It’s what you ordered, isn’t it? A roast beef wrap and a kale-and-spinach salad along with a bottle of water.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
LJ turned to leave, then spun back around. “Just give me your order for tomorrow before you leave today so I can order it when I arrive in the morning.”
“I know you’re busy, so I can do the ordering so you won’t have to,” Kylie offered.
“It comes out of my discretionary spending budget, so I must do it.”
“Okay.”
“If you want to take a break and eat outside, there are picnic tables outside the back door that I’ve seen other employees using.”