Playboy Surgeon, Top-Notch Dad

“He had Ted up, dressed and in the kitchen when I got here, but then he took off. He left a little over an hour ago.”

When Blair turned, Dr Talbot and Stephanie were looking at her. Was what had happened written all over her face like a scarlet letter? Knowing she must look guilty, based on the growing concern in her friends’ eyes, Blair searched through the box of muffins, but her mind raced.

Had Oz left to avoid seeing her this morning?

Of course he’d left to avoid seeing her.

Because he was sending the message that what had happened between them really was no big deal.

If he’d cared, wouldn’t he have stuck around? Wanted to see her first thing this morning? Wanted to know how she was? How she felt?

Why did his doing exactly what she’d expected of him hurt so much?

But she knew. Deep in her heart she’d believed Oz cared about her. Cared more than his “cheap sex” comment let on. Cared about her as a person, as a woman, as his lover, and, yes, as his friend.

He didn’t. The sooner she accepted that, the sooner she quit fantasizing about a man who admitted he didn’t want a relationship that consisted of more than casual sex, the better.

“Was Dr Oz going sailing?” Addy pulled the paper wrapper off the chocolate chip bran muffin Stephanie had given her.

“Sailing?” Had Blair’s voice squeaked? Her gaze cut to her daughter. Why would Addy think Oz might be sailing? Had he mentioned plans to go sailing? Why would he go sailing on the day after she’d told him about Chris? That was plain cruel.

“I love sailing.” Addy didn’t glance up from her muffin.

Blair’s stomach plummeted. Her rib cage put a death grip on her lungs. “You do?”

Addy nodded. “Sailing is awesome. Dr Oz took me. He let me drive the boat!”

Legs weak, Blair plopped into a chair.

Addy had been out on a sailboat with Oz?

She’d driven the boat?

“We watched the sun disappear, and we saw dolphins,” Addy continued, oblivious to the fact Blair’s blood had all settled below her ankles.

“Oz took you sailing last night? In the dark?” Did her voice sound as breathless as she felt? As panicky as she felt?

“He wouldn’t let me feed the dolphins,” Addy complained, her lower lip momentarily pouty as she tore off a piece of her muffin.

“You went sailing with Oz?” Blair repeated, stunned, trying not to envision Addy leaning over the boat railing to feed fish.

“We sailed into the Gulf looking for treasure,” Addy informed matter-of-factly. “I got to be a pirate and Dr Oz was my first mate.” She giggled at some private memory. “I want to be a sailor when I grow up and sail around the whole world bilfering and blundering.”

“Pilfering and plundering,” Blair automatically corrected.

Oz had taken her daughter out in a sailboat without her permission. She’d trusted him with the most precious part of her life and he’d taken her out to sea, in the dark.

How could he have been so irresponsible?

How could he not have told her when she’d revealed how Chris had died? He’d had to know, yet he’d purposely not said anything. Then he’d had “cheap sex” with her. The bastard.

“Did Dr Oz go sailing without me?” Addy’s forehead wrinkled in consternation. “He promised to take Mommy and me with him the next time he went, but he didn’t.”

“Oz didn’t mention going sailing.” Stephanie stared at Blair with concern. “Just that he was going for a run, but he might have jogged to the marina. He’s been talking about buying a boat someone has for sale down there.”

Boo-boo, scratching at the back door, wanting to be inside the house, saved Blair from saying what she thought about Oz buying a boat. Addy jumped down from her seat to let the dog in.

“Never much cared for sailing,” Dr Talbot said from where he sat at the table, still eyeing Blair.