Chapter 10
10
Jeremy had been kicking himself for the past hour. He’d driven to Virginia Beach after receiving a call from a friend with the state police where he used to work. The friend said he was having a small engagement get-together at a popular restaurant. He’d been tempted to decline. Staying home and dwelling on thoughts of a particular captivating medical examiner wasn’t appealing, but neither was socializing with a crowd he barely remembered. Still, here he was, regretting his decision.
The “small gathering” was much larger than expected, with more strangers than familiar faces. One familiar face, though, had latched onto him immediately—Liz Parker, a former receptionist he’d hooked up with once, years ago. She’d maneuvered him into a booth after the initial group began to dwindle. Now, it was just the two of them, and Jeremy was counting the seconds until he could politely escape.
Liz was in no hurry. She lingered over dessert, ordered another glass of wine, and then decided on coffee. Jeremy bit back a sigh and plotted his exit. As soon as the server returned, he’d pay for her meal and leave. The thought of heading home alone sounded infinitely better than this.
A burst of laughter from a nearby table caught his attention. He glanced over—and froze. There she was. Cora Wadsworth, seated with a lively group, her smile lighting up the room.
He’d come to understand her well enough to know that crowds weren’t her preference. As an introvert, she thrived in quieter settings, but here she was, leaning into a conversation with the silver-haired woman beside her, gesturing animatedly, her whole face alight. It was captivating. Her energy wasn’t forced or awkward—it was natural and unguarded. The kind of beauty that didn’t just draw the eye but pulled something deeper within him.
He wanted to walk over to say hello but had hesitated. He shook his head because hesitation had never been a word to describe him. Something about her drew him in. She was unlike anyone he’d met—reserved but sharp, professional yet quietly warm. He thought of how her expression softened when she talked about her cats or the spark of curiosity when she asked why he’d named his cat Tommy Girl. Cora didn’t pretend. She didn’t play games. She didn’t even seem to realize just how striking she was.
A movement across the table snapped him out of his thoughts. Liz pulled out her cosmetic bag, reapplied lipstick, and fluffed her hair, her every action deliberate. Jeremy suppressed an eye roll. Thank God this would be over soon.
“I thought maybe we could take this back to my place—” Liz began, but her voice trailed off as Jeremy’s head snapped around.
There she was. Cora, weaving her way through the tables, her gaze focused ahead until he called out, “Dr. Wadsworth!”
Her head turned sharply, her wide eyes landing on him before flicking to Liz. Something shifted in her expression—an instant of openness shuttered by polite reserve.
She smiled slightly as she greeted him with the familiar, “Detective Pickett.” He loved hearing his name from her lips, although he desperately wanted to hear her call him Jeremy.
“I would’ve said hello earlier,” he said, scrambling for a casual tone, “but I saw you were with a group and didn’t want to intrude.”
She explained she was there for a retirement dinner, her words carrying that easy cadence that always drew him in.
Liz cleared her throat. Jeremy glanced at her, irritated by the exaggerated wide-eyed look she threw his way as if silently demanding an explanation.
Irritated, he forced out, “This is Liz Parker. I was here to meet up with a friend having an engagement party and had the opportunity to say hello to a few old coworkers.”
“Hello,” Cora said, her smile still pleasant.
“And you are?” Liz asked, a hint of an edge to her voice.
Jeremy’s irritation shot straight to pissed. If Liz thought she was anything more than a member of their party who had drinks and dinner, she was sorely mistaken. And if she attempted to intimate it was anything more, he would shut that shit down quickly. “This is Dr. Cora Wadsworth. She’s our medical examiner. And brilliant at her job, I might add.”
His introduction seemed to surprise Cora because a slight chuckle slipped out as her lips curled upward. “I’m not sure about the brilliant part, but it’s nice to know my autopsies are appreciated.”
Now, the chuckle rumbled from him. There it was… Cora’s sense of humor only came out at times, and he felt he’d won the lottery that she shared with him.
But before he could reply, Liz huffed. “Oh my God! I know your work is necessary, but I can’t imagine working with dead people all the time.” She gave a visible and very fake shudder, placing her hand on her chest with what he was sure was an attempt to draw his eye to her cleavage. All it did was piss him off more.
His gaze darted up to Cora’s, wanting to mitigate any unpleasantness. But he could’ve sworn her eyes twinkled.
Cora nodded. “That’s right, I do. I was tagging people before it was cool.” She glanced over at him, her lips still twitching, and said, “Good night, Detective Pickett.”
He could have sworn she’d winked, and it was all Jeremy could do to keep from leaping from the table, pulling her in close, and kissing her until she felt him right down to her toes. Instead, his lips quirked up on one side, and he offered a chin lift. “Good night, Dr. Wadsworth.”
She walked away, and he made no secret that his gaze followed her until she was out of sight. There was no denying it—she had gotten under his skin in a way no one else ever had.
“What a creepy person,” Liz said, shaking her head. “Tagging people before it was cool? I don’t even know what that means!”
For approximately one second, Jeremy thought of explaining more coroner humor about placing toe tags on people long before people were using social media hashtags. Instead, he refused to give her any more time. Raising his hand, he called the server over. “I’m ready for the check.”
Turning back to Liz, he lifted a brow. “I need to head home. I assume you’re finished. If not, dinner is on me, and you can certainly finish your coffee.”
“I thought maybe we could go back to my place to continue?—”
“That was never in the plans.”
She stared blankly before a sneer marred her expression. “I wasted having dinner with you?”
Jeremy felt he was experiencing what women had been subjected to for ages—someone had dinner with them and expected them to sleep with them. Shaking his head, he said, “If you feel like dinner was wasted, that’s your problem.” He signed the receipt the server had brought back and stood, pocketing his credit card. “Goodbye.”
As he walked away, he knew her glare was burning into his back, but all he felt was relief. The weight of her company lifted the moment he crossed the restaurant’s threshold. He briefly entertained the idea of chasing Cora down in the parking lot just to talk to her for a few more minutes before they both headed back over the bridge. But the timing wasn’t right. She’d just seen him with Liz, and even though it wasn’t a date, it could easily be misunderstood. He wasn’t about to risk tainting the connection they’d started building.
Sliding into his SUV, Jeremy blew out a breath, the tension of the evening easing as the door clicked shut. He leaned back against the seat, his thoughts tumbling over the night’s events. What a disaster.
But then, as he adjusted his seat belt and settled in for the drive, the image of Cora’s face lit with humor resurfaced in his mind. That soft, subtle smile of hers and the way her eyes sparked when she delivered that dry, perfect line— I was tagging people before it was cool.
The memory hit him like a punchline, and a bark of laughter escaped him, rolling out in waves until his chest shook with mirth. “Damn,” he muttered to himself, his grin stretching wide.
For all the frustration of the evening, the chance to see Cora outside of work had been worth it. Watching her at ease, laughing and fully herself, only reinforced what he already knew—she had a way of pulling him in, her quiet confidence captivating in a way he couldn’t shake.
He couldn’t wait to see her again.