If you’re just joining this story, you may want to start from the beginning.
This story follows the first in Jenn’s Rediscovered series, Last Assault on Oak Island.
Onward with the search for the Amber Room. . .
Even the air felt electric that March. A staticy aura that made heels skip faster over the museum's low pile carpet. Voices rose in an excited buzz. The grand opening had been eight months in the making.
It seemed like twice that long to Lauren. Dr. Karen and Paul were partly to blame. Especially Paul.
Some of the excitement on Lauren's part was for other reasons. Elden had arrived a day ago, complaining of Lauren not returning phone calls and breaking his heart in general. He was exaggerating, of course. He was quickly pacified with a lengthy tour of the Lady Simpson Room porcelain collection at the museum.
His easy nature was welcome. He had a casual, settled air about him Lauren would like to know better, if only he came around more than twice a year. At dinner the night before they'd promised to keep in touch, hoping for a long-distance friendship to provide better memories of the past summer.
Elden made the usual rounds of introductions at the museum, including Beth York, that morning. Not that she wanted to play matchmaker for Beth. Far from it. Elden was too nice to punish, but to her surprise, he seemed to have a calming effect of the normally tightly-wound student.
The simple introduction resulted in Elden sending the already envious Beth into a jealous steam until she realized there was nothing romantic about Lauren's relationship with him. Maybe it was the way Elden held her hand for a lingering moment, smiling warmly at her as Lauren introduced them. To Lauren, it seemed Beth's wrist actually went limp at his touch. Ever since Carlos and she had returned with the amber panels, Beth had been intolerably piqued to the point of near rigidity in several moments. Lauren had caught her once in the Penn State library reading up on what the Amber Room really symbolized. Beth had nearly spat every word at her since then.
Now, with Elden's introduction, Beth gave her an almost sheepish, kind smile. Lauren could only return a stunned half-smile for a few seconds before working up a nod and dismissing herself.
Lauren didn't bother trying to straighten her small apartment too much. In her present state of mind, she wouldn't remember where she put anything anyway. She had already fed her poor gold fish twice in an hour. Every thought was on the exhibition opening.
Well, not every thought. But most.
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