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"Sounds great. Count me in!"

"That's great," Cleo says. "But you don't have to commit to anything just yet. Listen, here's all I'm proposing. You come out to Congo this summer when the digging starts, no commitments at this stage. You can bring your buddy Sam if you want, they seem like the adventurous type. Just spend a few days there, take a look at what we're doing. If you like what you see, we can talk about moving forward. Bringing Tulane on board next year. It'll be great for the dig, and maybe it'll be bigger than that, too. Tulane and Xavier, working together. That kind of thing sends out a message."

You can't think of any good reason to decline, so you don't.

The rest of the meal flies by. As the server brings you the check, you dig out the department's checkbook (hooray for expenses).

Cleo fixes you with a piercing stare, mischief in her eyes. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to call it a night. So whaddya say, shall we have some fun? Tell me, Dr. Spillane. What do you know about the blues?"