Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
AMELIA
Amelia’s mouth watered over with the amazing smells permeating the diner. She sat not so patiently awaiting her dinner—maybe she should go ahead and call it breakfast at this point. The server set a plate in front her, deliciousness emanating from it in waves.
No matter what she called the meal, whoever thought to marry fried chicken with thick, fluffy waffles and maple syrup was a fucking genius.
As she took her first bite of the perfectly fried chicken and let out a moan of appreciation, the door to the diner opened.
She heard the little bell over it jingle.
What she didn’t hear over the sounds of her appreciation for the artery clogging meal was the footsteps that stopped right next her table.
Amelia glanced up around a bite of buttery, syrupy waffle.
“What the actual fuck?” she sputtered, possibly spraying bits of food out of her mouth. She refused to acknowledge it if she did.
Standing over her, an amused smile teasing his lips, was the one man she thought she would never see again—for the second time in less than a day.
“Doctor Sundry. I had you pegged for a granola and yogurt eater, not chicken and waffles?”
She raised an eyebrow, ignoring the slight quickening of her pulse with his proximity. “You spent time thinking about what I eat for breakfast?”
Ameilia really hoped she sounded skeptical, rude or even bitchy but she suspected the words came out a bit flirty. Judging by his amused smile, maybe it came out a lot bit flirty…
She sighed and shoved another bite of food in her mouth to keep from saying anything else.
A.J. slid in to the seat across from her. “I am a detective, remember? I run on instinct.”
Amelia frowned. “Instinct brought you to the same diner as me in the wee hours of the morning so you could chastise my choice in nourishment?”
Fuck. She might have sounded flirty again.
Had he been looking for her? She kinda hoped the answer to that was yes. That would possibly mean he remembered her though and Amelia wasn’t too wild about that idea.
He picked up a menu and opened it. “Nope. That was my stomach.”
On cue, a loud growl emanated from his midsection. Despite the attempt to be indifferent to the man, Amelia laughed. She lifted a chicken leg from her plate. “The chicken and waffles are great.”
The server appeared, all smiles for A.J. “Well, bless your heart, Detective. It’s nice to see you again! It’s been a while. Would you like your usual?”
Although the server appeared old enough to be his grandmother, A.J. appeared to have no shame in his game as he openly flirted with the woman. “Stella! You’re looking especially lovely today. Did you miss me?”
“Oh, you know—I just notice when my favorite regulars ain’t been around for a while.”
“Yes, I would love my usual. Thank you.” He winked at her and then grinned at Amelia.
“Right away, darlin’. I’ll have a cuppa coffee for you in just a sec, too.
” Stella virtually glowed from the man’s attention, sparking an annoying emotion Amelia suspected was jealousy.
Back in less than a minute, her southern accent stepped up several notches as she set a mug of hot, steamy liquid in front of him. “Here ya go, sweetie.”
He lifted the mug toward the waitress then gave her a flirty smile. “Thanks, Stel, you’re the absolute best. Tell Harvey he’s a lucky man.”
Stella waved him off, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. “He better know it already.”
Envy once again jabbed at her gut as Amelia watched the older woman walk away.
Knock it off, girl. You have zero claims on him.
“I guess you eat here often,” Amelia said, taking a sip of her orange juice.
“It’s easier than cooking just for myself.” He leaned back against the booth and crossed his arms over his chest. “Especially after a day as long as this one. So, did your dead man tell his tale?”
Amelia took another bite of her waffles, chewing slowly and deliberately. When she finished, took a swallow of juice and then patted her lips with a napkin.
“You actually think I performed an entire autopsy in what—?” She glanced at her watch. “Two hours?”
He shrugged. “I’ve heard you’re good at what you do.”
His compliment threw her off her game a little. “Yeah, well, I like to think so.”
“I also think you already know more than you are letting on. What did I miss in that room, Doctor?”
Stella appeared with a stack of pancakes and a plate full of bacon, setting both down in front of A.J. “I had Darwin throw a few extra flapjacks on the stack for you, honey. Extra bacon too. Don’t want you fading off to nothing. I promised your mama I’d look after you, God rest her soul.”
Stella made a quick sign of the cross in the air in front of her, then dabbed at her eyes with a napkin she pulled from her apron pocket. “She’d haunt me from the ever after if I didn’t keep my word.”
A.J. gave her a soft a smile and laid a hand on her arm, his demeanor shifting a tiny bit. “She knows you take good care of me, Stel. This looks fantastic. Tell Darwin he rocks.”
Amelia watched the exchange, feeling a tiny bit guilty for the jealousy she’d experienced a few minutes ago.
Obviously, the waitress had been dear to his mother and loved A.J.
The interruption also prevented her from having to say what she already knew about the body in her morgue. She knew who did it.
Or, at least, knew she’d seen it before.
Stella walked away, a little less bounce in her step.
“I’m sorry.”
A.J. looked at her, a forkful of pancakes halfway to his mouth. “For what?”
She gave a little laugh that fell flat. “I’m not sure. For the loss of your mother, I guess.”
“Are you sure it’s not because you were jealous of Stella for flirting with me?” He winked and then shoved the fork full of food in his mouth, watching her with humor in his eyes.
“I was not!” She glared at him.
A.J. ate some bacon, smiling around the salty treat. “If you say so. Now, when will you have those results for the autopsy?”
Amelia pursed her lips in mock thought. “Well, Detective, if you don’t mind, I think I might get a few hours of sleep before I get back in the morgue.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sleep there? I thought medical examiners just pulled out a drawer in the chiller, made up a bed and went to sleep.”
“I’m not a damn vampire!” Amelia said, much louder than she’d intended.
A.J. laughed so long and so loud, Stella and the cook, Darwin, asked him if he was okay.
“Vampires sleep in coffins—not body chillers!”
She smacked a hand on the table. “Well, I don’t sleep in either. I have a bed and I am very overdue for a date with it.” Amelia tossed some money on the table and slid out of the booth. “Good night, Detective Gibbs.”
She did her best not to storm out of the diner.
Mad at herself for letting him infuriate her so much she hadn’t even finished her meal, Amelia tried to maintain a little dignity.
She didn’t need him to know just how much he’d gotten to her when all Amelia wanted to do was climb him like a tree, right then and there.
A desire that was pissing her off more than she’d ever expected.
Of all the cities in the world, how did she have to end up in his?
A.J.
The line I hate to see you go but I love to watch you leave ran through his mind as Amelia practically sprinted out of the diner like she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
Never before had those words had more meaning for him than in that very moment. He’d seen every curve of her body up close and personal, even if it were practically a lifetime ago. His body remembered as much as his mind did.
Maybe he should get up and follow her to her car. Grab her up and kiss all those memories into reality.
Certain parts of him really liked that idea. His brain told those parts to shut up.
Amelia stopped in the parking lot and turned to look back at the diner.
A few flakes of snow drifted down in the beam of a tall lamp, dancing around her creating an ethereal picture.
Their gazes locked. Ameila pulled her jacket in tighter as she glared at him with an intense mix of annoyance and—something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Attraction? Recognition? Whatever it was, he really wanted to know more.
His blood heated and his pulse kicked up several notches as his mind and body dueled. Tossing his napkin on the table, A.J. decided to go for it. Now or never. She’d find out eventually, why not now?
“I got a feeling about you two.” Stella picked up the money Amelia had left, freezing him in his seat. “She likes you. And you obviously like her.”
“Aw, Stel, she would rather piss on my pancakes then work with me. I doubt there is any like involved at all.”
Stella shrugged. “You say tomato. I say potato. I’d bet a month of tips that woman is attracted to you.”
A.J. laughed. “That’s not quite how that saying goes. I’m pretty sure the only thing she likes about me is not having to deal with me.”
“I’ve been alive twice as long as you, young man. I might have learned a thing or two.” Stella ruffled his hair the same way she’d done since he was a toddler. “If you two don’t end up together, I might just eat my apron.”
The bell rang over the door, announcing a group of college students looking to carb up after a night out drinking and dancing. Stella patted his shoulder then walked over to greet the boisterous group.
Grateful for the distraction, A.J. ate the rest of his meal, contemplating the hundred different ways he could have steered the conversation rather than accusing her of being jealous of his dead mother’s 68-year-old best friend.
Why didn’t he just tell her who he was?
Because the whole idea of the party had been anonymity and if she knew he’d broken that rule…
The only option he had was to play it cool, keep everything purely business. And just pray that he could keep their past encounter in the past.