Chapter 15
15
Jeremy had walked down to the mortuary and was buzzed in by one of the technicians who had met him before. “Hey, I came to see Dr. Wadsworth. Is she available?”
“She was in a family conference, but I’m pretty sure it’s over. She should be just down the hall.”
“Thanks,” he said, flashing a quick smile before striding down the hallway. His gaze landed on Cora in a doorway with a male doctor standing way too fucking close, and the doc’s hands were on her shoulders.
A sharp jolt of white-hot jealousy burned through him, unexpected and unsettling. He paused, planting his hands on his hips as he worked to steady his breathing. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d felt this way—maybe not since high school, when the girl he’d crushed on shamelessly flirted with the star quarterback. As he waited, willing his gut and fists to unclench, he wondered where the emotion came from. We’re friends. Hell, we haven’t even kissed.
That thought made him look toward her, and his gaze now focused on her lips and how they were pinched together. He wanted to kiss her until her lips softened and turned red and he coaxed a smile from her.
He cleared his throat, and while both doctors turned toward him, his gaze shifted from the tall man to the woman who held his interest. His breath caught for a second until her eyes widened, and she smiled. It didn’t miss his attention that she hadn’t been smiling at the doctor, but she did aim that beautiful smile at him.
He loved the way her head tilted and her eyes sparkled. And when she used his professional title but said it in her lilting voice, he felt it right in his chest, and his breath snagged on its way out of his lungs.
“Detective Pickett,” she greeted, her tone curious but not unwelcoming. “What brings you here today?”
He came by the hospital to do his regular blood test and drug test that was regulation for all members of the sheriff’s department. He had told Pete that he was going to bring lunch for Cora before heading back to the office. But now, he quickly changed his decision. He wanted to sit with her, share a meal, maybe even knock Dr. Handsy out of her thoughts. “Well, Dr. Wadsworth. How about lunch?”
Her brow lifted slightly, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Oh... is it that time already?”
He chuckled softly, familiar with her tendency to lose track of everything when she was busy. “It is. I figured I’d save you from hospital cafeteria fare. If you’re too swamped to leave, we can eat outside on the courtyard patio.”
Her smile widened, lighting up her face. “That sounds perfect.” She shifted suddenly, almost as if she’d just remembered the other doctor stood nearby.
“Oh! Jeremy, have you met Dr. Lyles? Dan, this is Detective Jeremy Pickett, with the local drug task force.”
Jeremy extended a hand, his smile polite but cool. “Good to meet you.”
Dan offered his nod as he shook Jeremy’s hand, then glanced back over at Cora. “I’m glad everything is okay. Let me know when toxicology comes back in.”
Cora glanced at Dan and offered a quick nod, but her gaze quickly returned to Jeremy. He continued to smile, and with a grand sweep of his arm toward the exit, he led her out the door.
They made their way to the patio with several tables scattered just outside the small hospital cafeteria. The tables were occupied, but a low wall encircled the patio, and they found a sunlit section to sit on.
“I have a confession to make,” Jeremy said. “I did have to come to the hospital, but I made sure that instead of doing it first thing in the morning, I arranged to do it in the middle of the day because I was hoping to run into you.”
Cora tilted her head, her lips curving in that smile that made his chest feel like it was too small to hold his heart. “It’s a nice surprise,” she admitted. “I’m starving and having someone bring me lunch feels downright decadent.”
He laughed, pulling a small bag from beside him and handing it to her. “Well, Dr. Wadsworth, let’s make your day a little more decadent.”
Their fingers brushed as she accepted the bag, and the spark of contact sent warmth spiraling between them. She glanced up, her smile lingering, and Jeremy felt utterly at ease for the first time in hours.
She laughed as she pulled out the sandwiches and bags of chips. “I’m not sure I have enough conversation in me to have lunch with someone every day.”
He was in the process of unfolding the wrapping from his sandwich when he stopped and caught the flash of nerves that moved through her eyes.
“Cora, you don’t have to talk. I’d like to think we’re becoming friends. I like you. Like spending time with you. I’m not trying to turn you into someone you’re not. We can sit, enjoy the nice weather and the food I picked up from the diner. We can chat about work, what our cats have been doing, or absolutely nothing. I just…” He suddenly realized how much of himself he was exposing. Plunging ahead, he finished his thought. “I really like being with you. I’d like to spend a lot more time with you.”
Her hands were no longer busy with unwrapping her sandwich as she turned her full attention to him. “You’re not prevaricating, are you?”
He snorted. “Life is too damn short to beat around the bush.”
She smiled and said nothing. But it was okay because Jeremy realized he recognized the emotions behind her different smiles. This one was heartfelt, and he had the feeling that spending more time with him was exactly what she was looking for.
“Do you want to tell me why Dr. Danny was so concerned?”
At his sarcastic title, she chuckled and shook her head. Then seriousness filled her expression, and she said, “I performed a postmortem on a man he had dealt with in the ER. The sister had expressed concerns as to why he died and said she was suspicious. Based on that and the fact that the other family members were so against anything, I decided to investigate. Let’s just say that his wife was not happy with me.”
His attention immediately snapped to her. “Was she threatening?”
She had just taken a bite of her sandwich when she patted his leg as she chewed and swallowed. “Down, boy,” she said. “The wife was upset, and understandably so. Of course, she threatened my job and to sue the hospital, but there was nothing personal in her attack against me.”
He still didn’t like the idea of her being threatened. It wasn’t that he thought Cora was incapable of taking care of herself, but he found that he wanted to be the one to do so if it was needed. Of course, the odds of him being around when she was threatened were minimal, so his mind jumped to the next solution. “Do you have security close by when you meet with family?”
“Jeremy! I’m hardly threatened on a daily basis!”
“Well, I don’t really know about that aspect of your job. I mean, I understand the basics of an autopsy and being in charge of a crime scene and morgue, but when I’ve seen you talk to someone, it’s been comforting. Now that I think about it, I realize that many family members aren’t happy with whatever you have to tell them, and in their state of mind, they could turn that unhappiness on to you.”
She hefted her shoulders and nodded. “You’re right. And a lot of times that happens. But not in a physical way. I usually get tears, or the ‘How dare you?’ or the ‘What did you do to my loved one?’ kind of questions. Of course, like today, when I’ve made a judgment to do a postmortem because of the possibility of foul play or a suspicious death, loved ones may not be happy with me. I do have another person close by. My intern, David, had left when Dan came by.”
“Dr. Dan seemed very familiar to you. Can I ask if you two dated?”
Her smile was soft. “We went out to dinner a couple of times when I first came to the Shore. But it was easy to see that we were nothing more than friends.”
His brow furrowed as he battled once again with the unfamiliar jealousy. “So I take it you weren’t friends with potential?”
By now, she had finished her sandwich and neatly folded the waxed paper wrapping it had come in. Shaking her head, she held his gaze. “We were always just friends, and that was it.”
“Good.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly as though she were ready to ask a question, but she shook her head and remained quiet. He wanted to know what was on her mind, but right now, considering he was dealing with newly felt emotions, he thought it was best not to push her.
They finished their bag of chips, then shared the extra-large brownie with chocolate-peppermint icing. By the time they finished, she had a tiny smudge of chocolate icing on the corner of her mouth. His gaze zeroed in on the dab, and he wanted nothing more than to lean closer, kiss it off, and let his tongue taste the chocolate on her lips.
She lifted her hand to her face. “You’re staring at my mouth. Do I have icing on it?”
He chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, it’s right here.” He used his finger to wipe off the chocolate gently. Then instead of grabbing a napkin, he popped the end of his finger into his mouth and smirked as her eyes widened.
“Damn, Jeremy,” she said, turning her head and casting a gaze around the patio. By now, it was almost empty, and she seemed to breathe easier when she realized no one was paying any attention to them.
“Well, friends would take care of each other, right? What kind of friend would I be if I let you walk back into work with chocolate on your mouth?”
Laughter bubbled forth from her lips, and he enjoyed the sound, knowing he’d like to hear it more often. She stood and sighed. “I hate to end our friendly lunch, but I have to get back to work.”
Standing, he took the trash from her and tossed it into the nearby receptacle. “Me, too. Pete’s waiting on me.” They returned to the hospital lobby, where he reached down and squeezed her hand. “See you soon, Cora. I’ll text or call when you get off work.”
She hesitated for only a second before smiling once again. Nodding, she returned the squeeze, then waved as he turned to head out to the parking lot.