Jurassic Heart by Anna Martin

the guy. Of course, Sam would never believe that I wanted us to talk like adults.
    River was back in the trailer, and I went to her first. She took one look at me, sighed, and told me Joseph was sitting out by his car.
    “Boner’s a waste of space, isn’t he?” she said as I turned to leave.
    “Yeah,” I said. “But we love him.”
    It didn’t take long to find Joseph; he was, as River had said, leaning against the hood of his car, working on a small tablet computer. He glanced up as I approached, finished what he was doing, and locked the screen.
    “Here to start another fight?” he asked.
    A very small part of me was pleased to see the faint bruising on his jaw, discoloring the skin. Because I was pale, I had a black eye from where he’d hit me, although there was no arguing I’d deserved it.
    “No,” I said honestly. “I wanted to talk to you.”
    Joseph’s eyebrows rose even farther. “Not bringing your dreadlock boyfriend for backup?”
    “Boner isn’t my boyfriend,” I said calmly.
    “Whatever.”
    “Someone needs to look after the site while I’m not there. He’ll do that.”
    Joseph stood and walked round to the side of his car, then opened the passenger door for me. I hesitated, apparently long enough for him to notice.
    “I’m not going to murder you,” he said.
    I nodded, climbed into the car, and buckled up, slightly wary about being in such an enclosed space with him. My heart started to beat a little faster.
    “We’re probably not welcome at Joe’s just yet,” Joseph said. “Especially not together.”
    “You want to go to a bar?”
    “Nah. Let’s go get coffee.”
    His nonchalance surprised me, but I didn’t say anything, letting him drive down into town to the coffee shop Boner went to most mornings. Part of me was relieved we were in a place where the girl serving coffee recognized me. Another part was slightly wary. The thought of being banned from two local establishments was not particularly comforting.
    “I’ve got it,” I said as we approached the counter. “What do you want?”
    “Soy latte,” he said. “Please.”
    “Soy latte,” I repeated to Cherry, the sweet redheaded girl who knew what I liked. In regards to caffeinated beverages, anyway. “And my usual.”
    “Sure thing,” Cherry said and turned to start putting the order together.
    “Do you want to find a seat?” I said to Joseph, not particularly wanting him hovering over my shoulder while I paid for the drinks.
    He nodded and wandered off into the shop, and I let out a little sigh of relief.
    “New boyfriend?” Cherry asked with a wink.
    “No,” I said. “God, no.”
    “I’m glad. You’re much better suited to the blond guy.”
    “He’s not my boyfriend either!” I said, laughing and handing over money for the drinks. “Just a friend. Colleague. Sort of.”
    “Maybe you should go for him, then,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
    I dropped a tip in her jar and shook my head. “Thanks for the drinks, Cherry.” She giggled as I walked away.
    Joseph was back in a corner, slightly out of the way but still visible in case things got hot and heavy again. I guessed he wanted witnesses too.
    “Thanks,” he said as I passed him his latte. “What did you want to talk about?”
    I took a sip of my coffee. “How we can try to coexist without killing one another?”
    To my surprise, he laughed. “That sounds like a noble cause.”
    “The one thing I just don’t get,” I said, “is why you’re picking on us.”
    “What on earth makes you think I’m picking on you?”
    “Not just me,” I said. “All of us. Diggers.”
    He pulled a quarter out of his pocket and turned it over and over in his fingers, in what I guessed was a nervous gesture. “It matters to me,” he said simply. “And if I don’t fight for it, who will?”
    I sighed. “But there are so many other important things to fight for,” I said. “Surely, in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t such a big