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The flash of hurt in Shannon's gaze tore at her heart and she stumbled, almost giving in to the need to stop and beg forgiveness. Hardening her heart, knowing the pain Shannon felt now would be far less than if she dragged this on longer, Jillian lengthened her stride and ran faster than usual the rest of the way home.
As she emerged from the shower, she heard her cell phone ring and knew the caller was Alec even before she saw his name flash on the screen. When she didn't answer, he left a message.
“Jillian, please call me when you have a minute. I tried to explain to Shannon why you wanted to finish your run, but I'm afraid her feelings are hurt. Maybe we can meet in the park before work, so Shannon knows your brush-off wasn't personal.” There was a hint of accusation underlying his tone.
And she didn't blame him for that. She hesitated, unsure of what to do.
With a trembling finger, she pushed the delete button, eliminating the message without calling him back.
* * *
“Daddy,I don't think Dr. Jillian likes us anymore.”
The expression of utter dejection in his daughter's face rekindled the simmering anger Alec felt toward Jillian.
She hadn't called him back. She was avoiding him and avoiding Shannon. Worse, he didn't understand why.
If he hadn't seen Jillian's brush off with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. It was one thing to give him the cold shoulder, but to be so cruel to a six-year-old especially one who'd put her up on a pedestal, was unforgivable.
He forced a smile. “Hey, munchkin, don't worry about Dr. Jillian. I think she's just really busy right now. We're having fun without her, aren't we?”
“I guess.” Her less than enthusiastic response as she ideally plucked blades of grass, wasn't reassuring. Her tiny brow furrowed in a frown as she glanced up at him. “Did you do something to make her mad, Daddy?”
Nothing that he was aware of. If anyone had the right to be mad it was him. And this was why he hadn't wanted to get involved in a relationship. He'd crushed his promise of not creating havoc in Shannon's life by bringing Jillian into their inner circle, and that had been a huge mistake. His daughter had been through so much she didn't need to be hurt like this. He could ignore his own pain, but not Shannon's.
“Sweetheart, let's not worry about Dr. Jillian.” He reached over to take Shannon's hand in his. “We are a father daughter team, aren't we? We're the A-Team, right?”
A reluctant smile curved her lips. “Right.” Just then the dog climbed into her lap and licked her chin, making her laugh. “But don't forget Daisy. She's part of our team, too.”
“Absolutely. I'll never forget Daisy,” Alec agreed. The conversation moved on to school, shopping and Bethany's birthday party coming up in a few weeks, but even though he was relieved to see Shannon smile, he's silently vowed to see Jillian in person, to figure out the motive behind her behavior. And yes, to let her know he did not appreciate how she hurt his daughter.
As he dressed in his uniform for work, the memory of the romantic dinner they'd shared at DiCarlos’ flashed in his mind. Their date had been the highlight of his month, and he'd really thought they might have a future together. The way Jillian had turned her back on him and his daughter was incomprehensible.
Rudely shoving thoughts of Jillian aside, he clipped his handcuffs into the holder on his belt and secured his weapon. He and Rafe were heading out to arrest a kid by the name of Nelson Collins. So far, the few football players who had come forward had named this Nelson Collins as the supplier of the percocets. Which was odd because from what he and Rafe could tell, Nelson didn't have a contact inside the hospital.
The drugs had to be coming from someone with access inside the hospital, which narrowed their list down to Eric Hanover, Lacy's younger brother, or Gerald Green, Susan’s son. Both nurse’s names were at the top of their suspect list. They had more interactions in the medication dispensing machine than anyone else. But that was not proof that either of them had shoved medication into their pockets.
Still, his gut told him they were on the right track. If all went well, they would have this case closed by the end of their shift.
Thank heavens he could occupy his mind with something other than Jillian’s betrayal.
“Daddy?” Shannon called out as he prepared to leave.
“Yes?” He turned to his daughter.
She jumped up from the table and rushed over to him. “I need a hug.”
He lifted Shannon into his arms, his throat thick with emotion as she clung to him. He held her close for a long minute, smoothing a hand down her shiny brown hair.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” she mumbled against his shoulder. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too.” He put her down with regret. This past weekend he’d talked to Shannon about his job and she’d seemed fine afterwards. Maybe his daughter was still upset over Jillian. He wished he could stay home with her, but he couldn’t. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
She nodded, her expression solemn. “Be careful, Daddy.”
“I will.” He left the house, waving at Shannon as she watched him from the doorway. It wasn’t until he’d radioed in and made arrangements to meet Rafe to discuss their upcoming arrest warrant for Nelson Collins that his brain registered just how worried Shannon had seemed.
