Chapter 3
Terry pushed through the doors of the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force offices, his mind still replaying every detail of his lunch with Sandra.
The way she'd laughed at his terrible jokes, how her eyes had lit up when she talked about her work, the electric moment when he'd touched her face.
All of it played on repeat as he tried to focus on the afternoon's responsibilities.
"Captain," Jeremy Pickett called out as Terry passed the bullpen. "We got the search warrant approved for the Tate case. Pete's coordinating with the sheriff's department for tomorrow morning."
"Good." Terry forced himself to shift mental gears from Sandra's smile to the drug operation they'd been tracking for weeks. "Six a.m. entry, everything by the book."
Detective Pete Bolton looked up from his computer. “Tomorrow, we shut him down. It’ll be good to close that case."
"Just remember, this isn't some street corner pusher," Terry warned. "Tate has gang connections. I want everything documented perfectly."
Two days later, Terry sat in his office reviewing the successful case closure when his phone rang. Sandra's name on the display made him smile before he even answered.
"Captain Bunswick," he said, noting Jeremy's raised eyebrows from across the bullpen.
"Very official, Captain." Sandra's laugh was warm in his ear. "I have good news about our mutual friends, the Johnsons."
"Yeah?"
"Judge Morrison ruled in their favor. Full dismissal of the eviction proceedings, plus Webb has to pay their legal fees." Sandra's voice carried triumph. "Your testimony was perfect, Terry. You made the difference."
Terry leaned back in his chair, feeling satisfaction that had nothing to do with his own cases. "That's fantastic news. How are they taking it?"
"Mrs. Johnson cried. Mr. Johnson just kept saying, 'Thank the Captain for us' over and over." Sandra paused. "I was thinking we should celebrate. This win belongs to both of us."
Terry felt his pulse quicken. "What did you have in mind?"
"Early dinner? I know it's short notice, but I'm too excited to wait until the weekend."
"I know just the place. Finn's Pub in Baytown. Five thirty? Fair warning, though—it's not fancy."
"Perfect. I know it well. See you there."
Finn's Pub occupied a converted bank on Main Street in Baytown. Terry arrived first and claimed a corner booth, his back to the wall out of habit. When Sandra walked in and scanned the room for him, Terry felt the same punch of attraction that had hit him during their first meeting.
"I love the mismatched character of this place," Sandra said, sliding into the booth across from him.
Terry nodded. "The burgers are incredible, and nobody here cares if you talk shop."
They ordered drinks and food, and Terry found himself relaxing in a way he rarely did outside his own home. Something about Sandra's presence made him feel like he could drop the professional mask.
"So tell me how you ended up on the Shore," Terry said after their server left.
Sandra's expression grew thoughtful as she took a sip of her wine.
"I went to William and Mary for law school and fell in love with the Chesapeake Bay area during visits to Virginia Beach with friends.
After graduation, I did what I thought I was supposed to do…
took a position with a big law firm in Alexandria. "
"Let me guess—not what you expected?"
"God, no." Sandra laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Sixty-hour weeks making rich people richer. I was good at it and made decent money, but I was dying inside. Then one of my law professors, who had moved to the Shore after retirement, called and told me about the Legal Aid opening."
"And you just packed up and moved?"
"Pretty much. Took a 70 percent pay cut, moved to a place where I knew exactly one person, and never looked back." Sandra's smile was genuine now. "Best decision I ever made. I love my little rental house, I love the work, and I actually feel like I'm making a difference."
Terry felt something shift in his chest, recognizing a kindred spirit. "Most people wouldn't give up that kind of money for principle."
"Most people probably have more sense than I do." Sandra grinned.
Their conversation was interrupted by Terry's phone ringing. He glanced at the display and saw Emma's number, his stomach immediately dropping.
"Sorry, I have to take this," he said apologetically. "It's my daughter."
"Of course, go ahead."
"Hey, sweetheart, is everything okay?"
“Yeah, Dad. I wasn’t sure when you’d get in today.”
Terry felt relief wash over him. "It won’t be too long.”
"Okay, then, I can just ask you when you get home. It’s algebra again. I was afraid that if you were going to be late today, I’d need to call a friend.”
"No problem, sweetheart. I won’t be too long, and I can help you when I get there. In fact, I’ll bring dinner home so we don’t have to cook."
“Oh, Dad, you’re the best!”
"Love you, Em. I'll see you at home later."
"Love you, too."
Terry hung up and looked across the table to find Sandra studying him with an expression he couldn't quite read.
"Sorry about that," he said. "Emma's a perfectionist. She'd rather call me for help than turn in incomplete work."
"Don't apologize." Sandra's voice was soft. "That was beautiful to watch."
"What do you mean?"
"The way you just... shifted. One minute, you're this tough drug task force captain, and the next, you're patiently talking to your daughter like she's the most important thing in the world."
Terry felt heat creep up his neck. "She is the most important thing in the world. Both my kids are."
"I can tell." Sandra leaned forward slightly. "Most men I've dated would have been annoyed by the interruption, or would have told her to figure it out herself."
"Then you've been dating the wrong men."
Something passed between them at that moment, and Sandra instinctively reached across the table and covered his hand with hers.
"Sounds like you're a good father, Terry."
The simple statement hit him harder than any compliment about his professional achievements. "I try to be. Sometimes I feel like I'm making it up as I go along."
"Aren't we all?"
Their conversation flowed from there, moving seamlessly between personal stories and comfortable silences.
Terry found himself sharing more than he usually did with anyone outside his family.
He talked about his military service, the challenges and rewards of parenthood, and the purpose he found in his work despite its frustrations.
"Can I ask about your ex-wife?" Sandra said carefully. “Is she in the picture?”
"Patricia isn’t a bad person, just not cut out for the daily grind of parenting. The kids see her one weekend a month, and it works."
"That must have been an adjustment."
"Best thing that ever happened to me," Terry said honestly. "Emma and Toby are my world. Everything else is just details."
Sandra's expression grew thoughtful, and Terry found himself holding his breath, waiting for her reaction to the reality of his life.
"You light up when you talk about them. It's beautiful to see. My parents were always kind, but I’m not sure they lit up when someone asked about me.”
Terry felt something loosen in his chest, a tension he hadn't realized he'd been carrying. "My kids are pretty incredible."
The conversation continued as Terry found himself reluctant to end their time together.
When the server brought his to-go bag of chicken strips and fries along with the check, he felt genuine disappointment.
He looked across the table at the woman who'd just made an ordinary day feel extraordinary. "Sandra?"
"Yeah?"
"I had a really good time today."
Her smile was radiant. "Me too."
As they walked to their cars in the early evening, Terry felt hope blooming in his chest. The Johnson case had brought them together professionally, but what was developing between them was personal and entirely worth pursuing.
For the first time since his divorce, Terry allowed himself to believe that maybe he could have it all… a career he loved, the children who were his world, and a woman who might just understand that loving him meant accepting the beautiful chaos that came with his life.