the other in the battle for her attentions. She tolerated their overtures with humour. Adam was more overt than Dean. To hear Sophie tell it, the man was a hopeless flirt by nature.
“It drives Kim nuts,” she said, referring to Adam’s girlfriend. “She’s so insecure and clingy. It drives her crazy to let him go off by himself like this, not knowing what he’s getting up to.”
“That’s… sad,” Emmie commented. “Do you think I should put a stop to it with me? I never bothered before because I thought he wasn’t serious.”
“He’s not serious. You could try putting him in his place, but you’d be wasting your time. Adam flirting is like dogs pissing on trees. He can’t help himself.”
“I feel bad for his girlfriend, though.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Sophie pursed her lips. “She’s really nice, too. Not quite sure how those two ever got together in the first place, though. Don’t tell him I said so.”
As for Dean’s overtures, they were more disconcerting to Emmie than Adam’s. For the most part they, too, were innocuous. But every now and again, she detected in them the underlying hope that she’d return his subtle advances. He was a nice enough guy, but not her type. Too down-home redneck… in a charming way, of course. Besides, it wasn’t the right time for her. She dreaded the day she would have to come out and say it for certain. She’d regret having to disappoint him.
Adam and Dean led her out to the east field. Their original trenches had expanded and deepened. A truck from the University of Edinburgh came out daily to cart away their finds for examination and storage. Laid out on a long, plastic workbench that was set up beneath the tent were today’s artefacts, those that had been found since morning.
There were only four small pieces. Emmie gave them a cursory glance, but they were so encrusted with dirt, she couldn’t tell what they were.
A heavy churning had begun in her belly at some point after leaving the nursery. It had started off slow, like a huge turbine struggling to pick up speed. Now that she was out at the dig site, it was turning steadily, and had spread to her legs, weighing them down.
It was as though her body instinctively knew that, whatever it was they’d found, she did not want to confront it.
“Emmie.” Famke waved enthusiastically. Emmie waved feebly back.
Ewan was farther beneath the tent. He came to the edge of the table when Adam and Dean ushered her by the elbows to the things they’d pulled from the ground.
“Sorry to disturb you,” he said, “and I say that on behalf of Thing One and Thing Two, here, because I know they didn’t bother to apologize for strong-arming you away from you work.”
“I was going to,” Dean insisted, letting go of his grip on her.
“Not me, mate,” Adam countered, throwing an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close for a cheeky kiss on the temple. “Didn’t even occur to me. Sorry to bother you, Em. Shoulda said.”
Ewan shot Adam a disapproving look. “If you’re willing, we’d love to get your opinion. We’re not sure what it is, exactly, but it’s intriguing.”
Emmie hadn’t noticed that Ewan was holding something in his hands. When he thrust his palm forward, the object on it made her wince.
It was small, only the size of her index finger. A slender, silver protrusion was topped by a dirt-crusted ornament the size of a dime. They were right to be excited about it. The moulded design was elaborate. She couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it was Celtic. Probably dated to before the time of the Jacobite rising in the early seventeen hundreds, if she had to guess.
“Have you ever seen anything like it?”
Emmie swallowed thickly. “It’s a kilt pin.”
Famke, who had drifted closer, peered over Emmie’s shoulder. “A kilt pin? What’s that?”
“A pin to keep your kilt together,” Adam scoffed. “You know what a kilt is. Them funny skirts blokes wear in
“It drives Kim nuts,” she said, referring to Adam’s girlfriend. “She’s so insecure and clingy. It drives her crazy to let him go off by himself like this, not knowing what he’s getting up to.”
“That’s… sad,” Emmie commented. “Do you think I should put a stop to it with me? I never bothered before because I thought he wasn’t serious.”
“He’s not serious. You could try putting him in his place, but you’d be wasting your time. Adam flirting is like dogs pissing on trees. He can’t help himself.”
“I feel bad for his girlfriend, though.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Sophie pursed her lips. “She’s really nice, too. Not quite sure how those two ever got together in the first place, though. Don’t tell him I said so.”
As for Dean’s overtures, they were more disconcerting to Emmie than Adam’s. For the most part they, too, were innocuous. But every now and again, she detected in them the underlying hope that she’d return his subtle advances. He was a nice enough guy, but not her type. Too down-home redneck… in a charming way, of course. Besides, it wasn’t the right time for her. She dreaded the day she would have to come out and say it for certain. She’d regret having to disappoint him.
Adam and Dean led her out to the east field. Their original trenches had expanded and deepened. A truck from the University of Edinburgh came out daily to cart away their finds for examination and storage. Laid out on a long, plastic workbench that was set up beneath the tent were today’s artefacts, those that had been found since morning.
There were only four small pieces. Emmie gave them a cursory glance, but they were so encrusted with dirt, she couldn’t tell what they were.
A heavy churning had begun in her belly at some point after leaving the nursery. It had started off slow, like a huge turbine struggling to pick up speed. Now that she was out at the dig site, it was turning steadily, and had spread to her legs, weighing them down.
It was as though her body instinctively knew that, whatever it was they’d found, she did not want to confront it.
“Emmie.” Famke waved enthusiastically. Emmie waved feebly back.
Ewan was farther beneath the tent. He came to the edge of the table when Adam and Dean ushered her by the elbows to the things they’d pulled from the ground.
“Sorry to disturb you,” he said, “and I say that on behalf of Thing One and Thing Two, here, because I know they didn’t bother to apologize for strong-arming you away from you work.”
“I was going to,” Dean insisted, letting go of his grip on her.
“Not me, mate,” Adam countered, throwing an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close for a cheeky kiss on the temple. “Didn’t even occur to me. Sorry to bother you, Em. Shoulda said.”
Ewan shot Adam a disapproving look. “If you’re willing, we’d love to get your opinion. We’re not sure what it is, exactly, but it’s intriguing.”
Emmie hadn’t noticed that Ewan was holding something in his hands. When he thrust his palm forward, the object on it made her wince.
It was small, only the size of her index finger. A slender, silver protrusion was topped by a dirt-crusted ornament the size of a dime. They were right to be excited about it. The moulded design was elaborate. She couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it was Celtic. Probably dated to before the time of the Jacobite rising in the early seventeen hundreds, if she had to guess.
“Have you ever seen anything like it?”
Emmie swallowed thickly. “It’s a kilt pin.”
Famke, who had drifted closer, peered over Emmie’s shoulder. “A kilt pin? What’s that?”
“A pin to keep your kilt together,” Adam scoffed. “You know what a kilt is. Them funny skirts blokes wear in
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