‘What if it isn’t?’ she breathed.
His hair had fallen slightly over his forehead, his eyes were more grey than blue.
‘Then it isn’t,’ he said quietly, ‘and we keep looking.’
Laurel nodded and rested her hands on her thighs, trying to keep out of his way. But she wanted to see, she wanted to catch a glimpse of whatever it was.
Nate bent forward and blew gently at the dirt. It was there, a curved edge of dull metal, a tinge of dirty red just below it. He brushed at the earth painstakingly for four long, long minutes, and Laurel tried not to breathe. His deft fingers worked the earth, slowly clearing away time.
‘Anwar,’ he said without looking up, holding his hand out to him. Anwar placed a round-edged palette knife in Nate’s hand. ‘Laurel, can you see?’ he whispered.
She edged closer, put her hand on his shoulder and leaned against him. Definitely just to stay out of his light.
The dull curve of metal had become a full circle with a raised edge and something defiantly red in its middle. Nate looked over his shoulder and gave her two very small nods. He wiggled the palette knife in the earth below the edge and levered it up, careful to make sure he was moving the earth below the item, not catching the possibly precious metal itself. Nate must have been able to feel her heart beating as she leaned against him, and she tried not to breathe so closely to Nate’s ear.
This. Was. Everything.
It was more than the Pictish Stylus. This would change her life, her family’s life, everything. If only Nate would confirm what she thought, what she knew, deep in her bones.
Nate ran his thumb tenderly around the edge of the piece, across the small mound of red in the middle. The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile and he turned to her, closer than they should be, chest rising as he caught his breath. She tucked her hair behind her ears.
‘It’s a brooch, Laurel. Could signify a burial.’ He turned to her with shining eyes. ‘It is. We’ve found it.’
His face split into a grin and tears sprang unbidden to her eyes. A cheer went up from the students and she flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly because she couldn’t speak, she didn’t have the words. Nate hugged her back, one arm tight around her waist, the other buried in her hair. He laughed, tears were flowing down her face, the students were clapping and cheering, and it was magnificent.
Nate pulled back, because regardless of how good she felt with his arms around her, he couldn’t just hug her forever.
‘Hey, hey, don’t cry,’ he said, pushing tears away from her cheeks with dirty fingers. All she could do was nod and sit back on her heels.
Nate pushed himself to his feet.
‘This is trench one now,’ he called to the students. ‘Bring me a finds box and get the tarpaulin.’ His hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up at him, dazed. ‘Are you okay?’
She nodded as the students burst into action around them.
‘First round is on me tonight!’ he called, and a little cheer went around the students. ‘Anwar.’ Nate motioned to the find and Anwar fell on it eagerly with his fine brush. ‘Hey, I have to...’ He motioned around them.
‘Yeah, yeah, go,’ Laurel said, smiling up at him. Anwar was crouching, dusting the metal. Nate climbed effortlessly out of the trench, digging his mobile from his pocket.
Laurel watched Anwar silently, making sure her hair was securely tucked behind her ears. It was everything that had been sitting in the periphery of her mind ever since the moment that human bone had been waved around in her office. This find, this site, would change her life, change her family’s life. It could be more, it could be a burial, it could be a horde. Whatever it was, there was something here on her farm, and it was something amazing.
Anwar shuffled around in the trench, and she was in the way. Like a baby gazelle, she flailed herself out of the trench and stood for a moment, soaking in the buttercup excitement. Everyone else had something to do, and she was a spare part here. Nate was smiling and gesturing on the phone, probably to Cesspit Alex and besides, she had to get the tractor back. Her smile faded and purple jealousy bloomed hazily in her stomach. She wanted this life, this excitement, not to have to retreat into her office and look at spreadsheets and reports and social media campaigns. Laurel’s shoulders drooped as she headed back towards the side gate.
‘Laurel.’ She looked over her shoulder at Nate jogging toward her, his face still split in that grin.
He crushed her to him in another hug, that hand tangling in her hair again at the nape of her neck. This was a different hug from the one in the trench. This was thought about, unobserved. Intimate. He whispered, hot breath in her ear.
‘We did it, Laurel. We did it.’
Whatever they’d done, being pressed against Nate’s body made heat rush to her core. His stubble scraped against the soft part of her neck and she bit her lip. Good lord, he smelled good. What was that noise? Did awhimperjust escape her throat? How frigging embarrassing.
Nate pulled back, frowning at her. ‘Are you okay?’
With his hand still wrapped in her hair at the nape of her neck, his arm wrapped around her waist and his lips inches from hers, she was anything but okay.
‘Mmm hmm.’
Her hands rested on his chest, and they were still hip to hip. Well, her hips to the top of his thighs, his hips to the bottom of her stomach. His hips andeverythingelse.
