her abilities to him, she was also giving herself a little pep talk. “I also took a class to learn how to carve chocolate to create things like animals and designs, which also takes great patience and a light touch. And even though I haven’t done this in a while, I never stopped studying the art of conservation through documentaries and books.”
He reached over and wrapped his hand around her forearm. “Babe, I believe in you, or you wouldn’t be sitting there.”
“Thank you,” she said as he moved his hand from her arm. She was a little calmer, but acutely aware of Zev watching her.
No, that was wrong.
Admiring her, which made her even more nervous, though it was a good kind of nervous. This was his career, his turn to shine, and he was sharing it with her. He should be watching her every move.
She was not going to let him down.
She pushed all thoughts aside, becoming laser focused as she touched the air scribe to the concretion. She’d experienced few things as memorable as this moment, and as the scribe and her gentle, precise touch worked their magic, she knew she’d remember every second of it for the rest of her life.
HOURS PASSED LIKE minutes as they worked on the concretions. It was a meticulous, time-consuming process that required intense focus and left little time for small talk. The vibration of the tool in his hand had nothing on the excitement vibrating around them like a cable binding them together. Their shared energy was everything he remembered and more. His mother used to say that the strength of a relationship could be heard in the silence they shared. He finally understood what that meant. He was stronger, happier, and probably more interesting with Carly by his side.
He turned off the air scribe and stole a glance at Carly, hunkered down over the concretion, completely focused on scraping an area with a small pick. Noah had asked him what it was about her that had kept him hooked for all the years they’d spent apart, and he’d had a hard time putting into words the reasons he’d never felt whole or truly happy without her. He could have listed the obvious: she was beautiful, smart, funny, and they had common interests. But the things that had stayed with him were not that tangible. He’d finally said that when he was with her, he breathed deeper, felt everything more intensely, and loved harder.
He felt that way now as he watched her work. Her lab coat was filthy, but she’d never minded getting dirty. Her hair partially blocked his view of her face, but that beautiful sight was etched in his mind. He knew her brow was furrowed, her lips slightly pursed. Could this have been their lives if he hadn’t taken off? Could they have worked through their devastation? Would they have lasted through college, through their growing-up years? They’d never know, but they’d always lived in the now, enjoying every minute they’d had together.
This was their new now, and he was grabbing that brass ring with both hands.
“Zev!” she shouted, startling him from his thoughts. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she waved him over. “I found something!”
He went to check it out, his pulse ratcheting up at her excitement.
“Look! That’s iron, isn’t it?” She used the tip of the pick to show him an area of dark metal about as big around as a dime. “It is, right? That’s the spike? Or whatever that thing is in the X-ray?”
He grabbed the magnifying glass and inspected the area. “Holy shit, babe. I think you just uncovered the first visible piece of an artifact!”
She shrieked and jumped into his arms. Their protective face masks banged together. Bandit ran over, barking as their voices escalated.
“I can’t believe it!” she said as he set her on her feet. “A piece of the wreckage of our ship is really in there! I saw the X-rays, but this makes it real.”
“This is just the beginning, Carls. This discovery is going to be huge. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Me too! My heart is beating so fast. Whatever this is, it goes straight down. It could take weeks to get it out. Oh, Zevy. Thank you for letting me be part of this.” Her words flew too fast for him to respond. “I can’t believe you’re standing here right now and not out there using the metal detector to see if there’s more treasure