He glanced down the hall to her room, saw the closed door, and let out the breath he’d been holding. He didn’t know what to say about yesterday’s fiasco with Penny, except that he wanted to protect his daughter from hurt, and he didn’t understand Carly and her faith at all. Relieved to avoid the conversation, he left the house quietly, cruised through a drive-thru, and arrived at the office an hour before the first patient. With breakfast in hand, he retreated to his desk to read e-mail and scan the news. He was halfway through the bagel, which wasn’t as good as the ones Carly made, when his phone buzzed with a text. This early in the day it had to be her. Frowning, he glanced at his phone. Instead of the photo he’d snapped when Carly wasn’t looking, he saw a message from Denise. Am in LA!! Big news!!! When can we talk w/o Penny? He couldn’t imagine what the news might be. A promotion seemed likely, or maybe she was getting married and would finally get out of his hair.
