balance. One wrong step would have resulted in a twisted ankle at best, a split skull at worst. Dr. Stewart was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he was oblivious to my approach. I halted two boulders away from him. I wasn’t going to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. I debated how to announce my presence. Why are you avoiding me? made me sound like a snappish teenager. Why are you such an arrogant asshole? He’d think I was an angry bitch. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? Too passive and ingratiating.
“So this is where you’ve been keeping yourself,” I finally said.
It was satisfying to see him whirl around in surprise. He stared at me without speaking, as if I were some kind of strange lake creature that had climbed from the frigid water. I immediately regretted disturbing his solitude and found myself apologizing to a man who didn’t deserve it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” I blurted out.
But he had already regained his control. “It’s quite all right, Mrs. Nelson. What brings you out here?”
“Being cloistered in the library with a pious monk can feel claustrophobic after awhile.”
“I understand completely,” he said, displaying a warmth I hadn’t experience before. “I’ve always preferred being outdoors. When I was young, I used to sleep on the roof in the summer.”
He touched the fingertips of one hand to the rock he was resting on, gently brushing the dust from it. The gesture was surprisingly vulnerable. “That explains why you became an archeologist,” I said.
“I’ve been lucky. Most archeologists don’t spend as much time in the field as I do.”
“Isn’t it lonely?” I immediately regretted my words when an image of him with Nina on a remote mountain flashed across my mind.
“I’m sure it is compared to your life. You must not have much time to yourself with a husband and three children.”
The mention of my family sent a surge of guilt through me. “So you’ve been investigating my personal life as well as my professional background,” I said too harshly.
He rose from his perch. Because I was standing on the rock above, I was taller than him. He had to shade his eyes to look up at me. It felt good to be in this position. “Nina was the one who told me about your family, but yes, I did find your resume on-line after we met.”
“Before you even knew about the journal?”
An emotion that was hard to read rose like a bubble, appearing briefly on his face before dissipating in the atmosphere. “You intrigued me that night,” he admitted.
All of a sudden, I felt unsteady on my perch. “Why? I’m just your typical suburban mom.”
“And the symbol on your ankle is just a tattoo.”
I felt the world spinning out of control. I needed to right it. “You and I both agreed it was a coincidence.”
“Yes, and before I discovered Magoa, I could have also dismissed the discovery of a journal that you just happen to be able to translate as pure chance. But instead, here I am, sitting on a rock instead of focusing on my research.” He lowered his hand and the sun washed the color from his eyes. “There’s something about you, Mrs. Nelson. I can’t put my finger on it, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, or you.”
All of a sudden, the rock I stood on felt precarious. I willed my voice to stay calm and steady. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”
He looked vaguely surprised, as if I’d revealed something he hadn’t even admitted to himself. He shifted on the rock from one foot to the other. “It’s absurd, isn’t it?” he said. “We’re both intelligent people. We wouldn’t believe in Ley Lines in ancient Britain, or that the Nazca in Peru were drawing enormous animals for the benefit of ancient astronauts. Yet, somehow you’ve gotten tied up with Magoa in my mind, and it’s turned me into an ill-mannered old professor.”
“I wouldn’t call you old.”
He smiled, and the tension briefly
“So this is where you’ve been keeping yourself,” I finally said.
It was satisfying to see him whirl around in surprise. He stared at me without speaking, as if I were some kind of strange lake creature that had climbed from the frigid water. I immediately regretted disturbing his solitude and found myself apologizing to a man who didn’t deserve it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” I blurted out.
But he had already regained his control. “It’s quite all right, Mrs. Nelson. What brings you out here?”
“Being cloistered in the library with a pious monk can feel claustrophobic after awhile.”
“I understand completely,” he said, displaying a warmth I hadn’t experience before. “I’ve always preferred being outdoors. When I was young, I used to sleep on the roof in the summer.”
He touched the fingertips of one hand to the rock he was resting on, gently brushing the dust from it. The gesture was surprisingly vulnerable. “That explains why you became an archeologist,” I said.
“I’ve been lucky. Most archeologists don’t spend as much time in the field as I do.”
“Isn’t it lonely?” I immediately regretted my words when an image of him with Nina on a remote mountain flashed across my mind.
“I’m sure it is compared to your life. You must not have much time to yourself with a husband and three children.”
The mention of my family sent a surge of guilt through me. “So you’ve been investigating my personal life as well as my professional background,” I said too harshly.
He rose from his perch. Because I was standing on the rock above, I was taller than him. He had to shade his eyes to look up at me. It felt good to be in this position. “Nina was the one who told me about your family, but yes, I did find your resume on-line after we met.”
“Before you even knew about the journal?”
An emotion that was hard to read rose like a bubble, appearing briefly on his face before dissipating in the atmosphere. “You intrigued me that night,” he admitted.
All of a sudden, I felt unsteady on my perch. “Why? I’m just your typical suburban mom.”
“And the symbol on your ankle is just a tattoo.”
I felt the world spinning out of control. I needed to right it. “You and I both agreed it was a coincidence.”
“Yes, and before I discovered Magoa, I could have also dismissed the discovery of a journal that you just happen to be able to translate as pure chance. But instead, here I am, sitting on a rock instead of focusing on my research.” He lowered his hand and the sun washed the color from his eyes. “There’s something about you, Mrs. Nelson. I can’t put my finger on it, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, or you.”
All of a sudden, the rock I stood on felt precarious. I willed my voice to stay calm and steady. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”
He looked vaguely surprised, as if I’d revealed something he hadn’t even admitted to himself. He shifted on the rock from one foot to the other. “It’s absurd, isn’t it?” he said. “We’re both intelligent people. We wouldn’t believe in Ley Lines in ancient Britain, or that the Nazca in Peru were drawing enormous animals for the benefit of ancient astronauts. Yet, somehow you’ve gotten tied up with Magoa in my mind, and it’s turned me into an ill-mannered old professor.”
“I wouldn’t call you old.”
He smiled, and the tension briefly
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