onsite that depicts ancient rites. He’ll bring a lot of insight to the project, and the experience is a windfall for him.”
The old elevator seemed to take forever to reach the fifth floor. She looked up at the numbers over the door. The “3” went dark, and the “4” lit up.
“Five days isn’t enough time to excavate a site near Pompeii ,” he said. “The number of finds could be vast.”
“I agree, but we can’t do anything about that. What Chaz and I can do, if we’re onboard, is make sure everything is properly documented.”
“Could they use someone with more experience? I’ve authored books on Roman pottery, silver and glass.”
Her gaze shot to meet his. Did he really think she would give up her place to him? As many doubts as she had about the show, she wasn’t about to let him steal an opportunity like this from her. She lifted her chin. “I believe the regular cast includes a Roman expert.”
Finally, the elevator stopped on her floor. She stepped out into the hall, while he remained inside. As the doors started to close in front of him, he called, “Tell them I’m available if needed!”
The doors closed, and she stood there in disbelief. He wanted her to get him on the show in addition to her and Chaz? Shaking her head to herself, she walked away. Having him on the team to find fault with her continually would almost be worse than him taking her place.
At least now he knew, she thought as she entered her room.
Once settled in, she got started on her remaining list of things to do. Rearranging her plans with the hotel and airline went surprisingly smoothly. If Farber wouldn’t approve any funds for her costs, she didn’t mind dipping into her own savings. Living alone was expensive, but the book had brought her some extra money.
Next she had to let her sister know about her change in plans. She picked up her phone and sat on the bed, staring at it. Christina always meant well – or seemed to mean well – but she had a way of pushing Winnie’s buttons like no other person on the planet. Even when Christina tried to be supportive, she usually ended up saying something hurtful.
She pulled up the number on her phone and punched it. As she waited for it to ring, she glanced up at a Romanesque Madonna and Child print hanging above the bed. The stylized, emotionless figures of medieval painting rated among her least favorite types of art. Oddly, she did like Egyptian artwork, which was just as stylized. She guessed her father’s interest in Egypt had influenced her.
“Hello?” her sister’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Hi, Christina. It’s me.”
“Hey, I’m glad you called.” She sounded more tense than glad, though. “How did your lecture go?”
Winnie leaned back with one elbow on the pillow. “Pretty well. Will Farber didn’t even attend, but a few of my peers complimented me on it.”
“I knew you would ace it. Maybe it will open up some doors for you.”
“As a matter of fact, an amazing opportunity came up. I’m going to need to stay here a couple more weeks.”
“A couple weeks?” Christina’s tone hardened. The note rang all too familiar. “Are you sure it’s important?”
Winnie let herself flop back on the bed. “Why? Is something wrong at home?”
“I’m worried about Sam. I think he’s on one of his downslides.”
A knot wound in her stomach. Bipolar disorder had probably had a hand in destroying their father, and mood swings had stalked their brother since childhood. “He’s disappointed that he didn’t find anything among Dad’s papers?”
“I don’t know what’s going on. He left Mom’s three days ago, but he hasn’t been home, as far as I can tell. I tried both his house and cell, then stopped by his place this morning. My message was still on the machine.”
“Did Mom say he was upset when he left?”
“He seemed fine to her. But she didn’t ask him anything about going through Dad’s things. She didn’t want to
The old elevator seemed to take forever to reach the fifth floor. She looked up at the numbers over the door. The “3” went dark, and the “4” lit up.
“Five days isn’t enough time to excavate a site near Pompeii ,” he said. “The number of finds could be vast.”
“I agree, but we can’t do anything about that. What Chaz and I can do, if we’re onboard, is make sure everything is properly documented.”
“Could they use someone with more experience? I’ve authored books on Roman pottery, silver and glass.”
Her gaze shot to meet his. Did he really think she would give up her place to him? As many doubts as she had about the show, she wasn’t about to let him steal an opportunity like this from her. She lifted her chin. “I believe the regular cast includes a Roman expert.”
Finally, the elevator stopped on her floor. She stepped out into the hall, while he remained inside. As the doors started to close in front of him, he called, “Tell them I’m available if needed!”
The doors closed, and she stood there in disbelief. He wanted her to get him on the show in addition to her and Chaz? Shaking her head to herself, she walked away. Having him on the team to find fault with her continually would almost be worse than him taking her place.
At least now he knew, she thought as she entered her room.
Once settled in, she got started on her remaining list of things to do. Rearranging her plans with the hotel and airline went surprisingly smoothly. If Farber wouldn’t approve any funds for her costs, she didn’t mind dipping into her own savings. Living alone was expensive, but the book had brought her some extra money.
Next she had to let her sister know about her change in plans. She picked up her phone and sat on the bed, staring at it. Christina always meant well – or seemed to mean well – but she had a way of pushing Winnie’s buttons like no other person on the planet. Even when Christina tried to be supportive, she usually ended up saying something hurtful.
She pulled up the number on her phone and punched it. As she waited for it to ring, she glanced up at a Romanesque Madonna and Child print hanging above the bed. The stylized, emotionless figures of medieval painting rated among her least favorite types of art. Oddly, she did like Egyptian artwork, which was just as stylized. She guessed her father’s interest in Egypt had influenced her.
“Hello?” her sister’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Hi, Christina. It’s me.”
“Hey, I’m glad you called.” She sounded more tense than glad, though. “How did your lecture go?”
Winnie leaned back with one elbow on the pillow. “Pretty well. Will Farber didn’t even attend, but a few of my peers complimented me on it.”
“I knew you would ace it. Maybe it will open up some doors for you.”
“As a matter of fact, an amazing opportunity came up. I’m going to need to stay here a couple more weeks.”
“A couple weeks?” Christina’s tone hardened. The note rang all too familiar. “Are you sure it’s important?”
Winnie let herself flop back on the bed. “Why? Is something wrong at home?”
“I’m worried about Sam. I think he’s on one of his downslides.”
A knot wound in her stomach. Bipolar disorder had probably had a hand in destroying their father, and mood swings had stalked their brother since childhood. “He’s disappointed that he didn’t find anything among Dad’s papers?”
“I don’t know what’s going on. He left Mom’s three days ago, but he hasn’t been home, as far as I can tell. I tried both his house and cell, then stopped by his place this morning. My message was still on the machine.”
“Did Mom say he was upset when he left?”
“He seemed fine to her. But she didn’t ask him anything about going through Dad’s things. She didn’t want to
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