Page 99 of Obsession

“Why?” he asked. “Most people are motivated by more than ideals. What’s in this for you?”

She blinked. Did she dare tell him one reason was that it would open the door to a promotion and her dream job? Emma lifted her chin. There was nothing wrong with having ambition. “I want to be a National Park Service historian, and competition for those positions is fierce.”

Corey smiled. “You would make a good one.”

“Does that mean you’ll put in a good word for me with your client?”

His blue eyes twinkled. “Yes, and I’ll see what I can do to smooth the way for you.”

“Who is this client?” Emma knew he wouldn’t tell her, but she couldn’t keep from asking.

He lifted an eyebrow. “You know I’m not at liberty to give you that information.”

“At least tell me why he doesn’t want the project done.”

The waitress picked that moment to bring their salads, and Corey smiled at her. “Thank you, Amy.”

Emma dipped a piece of lettuce in her raspberry vinaigrette. She was getting pretty good eating with her left hand because she hadn’t given up, and she was not giving up now either. “Is it because I’m not a person of color?”

He coughed and patted his chest. “Sorry. I swallowed wrong.”

“Was it something I said?”

“You are very direct,” he said. “Why is it so important to know who my client is?”

She laid her fork down. “If someone opposed something you very much wanted to do, wouldn’t you want to know about the opposition?”

Corey leaned against the back of the chair. “I suppose. Tell you what, I’ll talk with my client, and perhaps I can make him see that you would be the best person to conduct this project.”

“Would you really?” When he slowly nodded, a smile spread across her face. “Thank you!”

Talk dwindled to almost nothing until they were almost finished with their salads. “So, where did you go to law school?” she asked.

“The University of Mississippi Law School.”

“Ole Miss? Really? What years?”

When he told her, she tilted her head. “I think Trey Carter and Gordon Cole attended Ole Miss then. Did you know them?”

“Not then, but I’ve met them since I moved to Natchez. I didn’t know Trey went to law school.”

“He wanted to be a lawyer, but his dad, Sheriff Carter, had other ideas. Trey ended up with a degree in law enforcement and went to work for his dad as a deputy, and now he’s Nate’s chief deputy.”

Corey tilted his head. “How about you? Where did you go to college?”

“Mississippi State University. I just completed my master’s in American history.”

“I’m impressed,” he said. “How did you find the time?”

“I did most of it online, except when I defended my thesis,” she said. “And I think I’m qualified to complete the project at Mount Locust.”

“I would say you are. What if I took part in the project? Maybe as an advisor? I’m certain my client would drop their objections if you agreed.”

Before she could answer, their main course arrived. “This looks good,” she said, avoiding his question. If the client wanted someone of color to oversee the project, Corey didn’t fit the bill any better than she did. She paused with her fork in midair. Unless there was no client.

Corey looked up from his food. “What?”

Heat rose on her face. Why did these thoughts pop into her head?

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