Chapter Seven
Three's a Crowd
Part One
The following morning was tense. Grant ignored the couples' existence as he filtered through the rooms before finally slinking out the door at the first sign of daybreak. Ellie watched him leave with a heavy heart and tears sprung to her eyes as she thought about him sitting alone for an hour in the diner waiting for her. The rejection and betrayal he must feel were slowly eating away at her heart.
She closed her eyes and remembered the way he had asked her out. He had bowed his head shyly and asked in such a timid voice for a man who feared nothing. Then the pained, clouded look on his face when Mike told him the truth flashed through her mind and she wept into her hands. How could she have stood him up? She should have at least called him. She felt like she had cheated on him and this made her feel like a bitch.
By the time Mike had finished his shower, Ellie had masked a look of calm over her breaking heart. She forced a small smile his way when he kissed her on the lips. "So, what are you going to do today? I have a ton of work I have to catch up on, so you'll have to entertain yourself."
"I was thinking about tagging along with you today. I'm curious about what you do, Ellie. I wonder if there really is something to digging up fossils or if you and everyone else here are just crazy," he joked, stealing another kiss. "Of course, that's if it's all right with you, honey. I wouldn't want to interfere with your work."
Ellie suddenly felt trapped and she pushed herself away from Mike as casually as possible. "I don't see why not as long as you don't touch anything and stay out of the way." God, why am I letting him follow me around?
Part Two
Grant was in another heated debate with James Williams about the ever-present discussion whether or not dinosaurs evolved into birds. Grant was winning the upper hand when from the corner of his eye he spotted Ellie trudging up the hill…with Mike close behind. This will only be as awkward as you make it. He excused himself from James and ambled his way steadily over to Ellie and Mike. He was stunned when he saw that she was wearing one of his shirts. Was she even aware of it? "We'll be digging at Site D today," he said crisply as he walked past.
"Why," Ellie called to him. "It thought you wanted to finish Site E's grid first."
Without looking back he tossed over his shoulder, "I changed my mind. People do that you know."
Ellie felt the stab of the double meaning and peered over at Mike, but he was clueless. "Let's go," she whispered to her fiancé, beginning to walk after Grant before the words were completely out. "Alan, what about the equipment?"
"I already had it moved."
Part Three
An hour later, Ellie had managed to hand off Mike to the technicians and told him to wait for her under the canopy. She hesitantly approached Grant from behind. He was crouching down next to a beautiful student, Melinda Roberts, from Nevada University: Las Vegas and showing her the differences in rock and fossil texture. It was Linda's first day and she was feeling flustered, but grateful for Dr. Grant's help. Ellie noticed the admiration in the younger woman's eyes as the same that mirrored in her own. No matter what, Grant was a remarkable man.
Grant finally stood, dusting himself off out of habit. He squinted into the sun, his hands on his hips before dropping his arms to his side and turning around. His face turned to stone as he desperately tried to lock away the confusing emotions racing through him. He came to stand in front of her and whispered, "You're wearing my shirt."
"I didn't think you would mind." She felt strange having this conversation. After a year of silent communication over the shirts, discussing it now was foreign and uncomfortable. Did he mind that she was wearing it? She licked her lips, nervously twisting the hems that were tied together. "Do…do you want me to change?"
There was a moment of tense silence. "No," he whispered, then indicated Mike standing fifty yards away. "But he might."
"Alan, about last night. I…"
"Don't." He shook his head, looking everywhere but her.
Ellie felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She gently placed her slender hand over his forearm. "Will you forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive. You're only twenty-eight and a past student. I shouldn't have asked in the first place." He forced a small grin. "And don't worry, you're still welcome to live with me. I wasn't planning on kicking you out over this…embarrassing incident. Just promise me you won't….you know…in the trailer." He winked at her causing her to blush.
"Dr. Alan James Grant!" She playfully punched him in the arm. "I never knew you had such a dirty mind."
"There's nothing dirty about sex. Every creature not asexual must mate in order to propagate. It's part of the basic orientation of life."
"Thank you, Dr. Grant, for the biology lesson."
He chuckled softly, causing something in her stomach to flutter. Mike doesn't have that husky, quiet chuckle. Ellie cringed. Why did she just think that? She risked a glanced into Grant's eyes and a string pulled at her heart. Why does he always have that pain in his eyes?
As if sensing her thoughts, Grant hastily looked away. "Sometimes there isn't an answer," he muttered before walking away.
End Chapter Seven