Page 4 of Her Wild Coast Promise

He raises his eyebrow, as if challenging me to dispute what he sees as obvious. “I will not be coerced into looking the other way while you bend the rules out of laziness.”

Hot needles prickle my throat. “Can we back up a step, sir? I—”

“I found these dangling from my lamp this morning,” Director Litmauer continues, removing something from his drawer and sliding it to the edge of his desk.

I stare at it, unable to believe what I’m seeing.

“I’ve known you were trouble since the day you started. You find ways to subvert our very carefully curated process. I’ve warned you numerous times.” He nods at the plastic baggie on the edge of his desk with the black satin panties balled up inside it. “Then this.”

I press my eyes closed for an instant, wishing I’d never confided in my coworker that I keep a spare pair of underwear in my desk drawer. That these were left on Mr. Litmauer’s lampandthat he knows they are mine means someone took an offhand comment—I mean, who doesn’t need a spare pair every now and then?—into an office prank gone horribly wrong.

It also means I’m so embarrassed I’m not sure how I’m going to walk out of here.

I straighten my spine and look him in the eyes. “I can explain.”

He stares back, his jaw tense. “I’m sorry, Cora, but you’ve left me no choice. You have until the end of the day to update your cases and clear out your desk. I’m recommending you for remediation so you can learn to control your urges.”

I stand up so fast the room spins. “That won’t be necessary, sir.” Urges?

His eyes soften, which only makes this whole exchange more surreal. “I want to help you, Cora. You’re a bright girl with so much potential.”

“Will you please assign the Goetz case to Leona?” My nose stings with the emotions churning inside me. “She would be the best fit.”

Director Litmauer lifts his chin, as if he’s going to turn me down. “I will take your request into consideration.”

The dry air seems to press on me in the silence that follows.

“I wish you well, Cora.”

“Thank you,” I manage, and spin for the door.

Back at my cubby, I drop into my chair and log into my computer. After dabbing my eyes, I get to work. My coworkers leave for lunch and the office quiets. Which one of them played this panty prank on me? And why? I’ve tried to do good in this job. Maybe I’m not as much of a team player as others, but my loyalty is to the families and children in need. Has this made me a target?

Focus, Cora.

After three deep breaths, I go through my cases carefully once more. But by the time I send my final email, I’m like a kettle ready to boil.

I clean out my desk and unpin the pictures on my cubby wall. There’s the one of me at the horse rescue ranch with Oreo, a sweet-tempered roan who loves peas. There’s a picture of my family at Noah and Vonnie’s wedding last summer, a series of me and Libby eating ice cream, ticket stubs from the summer concert series, funny postcards, and a Peanuts comic strip that always makes me smile. When I get to the final picture, the one of me and Seth, I nearly rip it from the peg.

“What’s going on?”

I spin. Behind me are two of my coworkers, Chad and Clarissa.

“I’m leaving.”

Clarissa’s eyebrows knit together. She glances at Chad, but he’s looking at me.

“Did something happen?” he asks.

Chad and Clarissa are one of those couples who do everything together. They even look alike. Some of my officemates refer to them as “Cladissa” and they seem to like it.

I’m still holding the picture of me and Seth smiling for the camera, our faces flushed from dancing. We had so much fun that weekend. Maybe too much.

I drop the picture into the grocery bag containing all the items from my desk, and pick it up. It’s surprisingly light.

“See you guys.” I sling my purse over my shoulder and breeze by them, my head held high.

“Can I have your chair?” Chad asks.

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