CHAPTER TWO
Jill Morgan stared at her handsome father as he buttoned his coat over his uniform. It was freezing outside with wind chills minus ten. School was called off, and most people were staying home today. Not her father. He was a police officer in their city and seemed to always be on duty.
“Dad, why are you going in? Can’t you stay home and build a snowman with me?” she asked.
“I wish I could, silly Jilly,” he smiled, calling her his pet name. “Crime doesn’t stop because it’s cold. In fact, sometimes it gets worse with the cold. People who don’t have a warm place to stay get desperate and start doing silly things.”
“What kinds of silly things?” she asked.
“Oh, they steal from people, usually food or clothing,” he said, trying to give her the lesser crimes he was likely to see tonight.
“Why don’t people give them food and clothing if they need it?” she asked. He smiled at her, loving her innocence and belief in others.
“It’s a very long story for another time, Jill. Mrs. Clausen is downstairs fixing dinner for you. When dinner is done, make sure all your homework is finished and get to bed early tonight. Stay warm, and don’t go outside. Okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” she smiled, hugging him. Jill followed him downstairs and watched as he spoke to Mrs. Clausen.
“We’ll be fine, sir,” she smiled.
She was as round as she was tall, but Jill loved the older woman. When her mother left her with Mrs. Clausen on a hot summer morning three years ago, she thought she’d be back before her father got home from work. But she wasn’t. In fact, she never came back. Jill didn’t know why and didn’t care. Her father was there for her, and that’s all she cared about.
“See you in the morning,” said her father, waving at her. Jill waved, then had a horrible pit fill her stomach. She raced toward her father, jumping into his arms and squeezing. “Hey. Hey, Jilly, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” she sniffed. “I just wanted another hug.”
“I’m always happy to give another hug,” he smiled, kissing her nose. “Go eat. Mrs. Clausen made her famous roast beef and potatoes.” Jill nodded, stepping back to hug Mrs. Clausen. When the door was closed, they locked it and sat at the dinner table.
“It’s alright to be sad when your father leaves for work,” smiled the older woman. “He’s an important man and does important work.”
“That’s not it,” said Jill.
“Then what is it?”
“I-I don’t know,” she whispered.
They ate in silence, enjoying the flavorful beef with carrots, peas, and potatoes. Mrs. Clausen always had something ready for dessert, and tonight was no different. She’d made a delicious lemon cake with thick buttercream icing.
When she was done, Jill took her bath, finished her homework, and watched a few moments of television. Then, Mrs. Clausen whisked her off to bed.
She wasn’t sure what time it was when the noise started. Someone pounded on the door, and Mrs. Clausen told them to wait a minute. It couldn’t be her father. It was still dark outside. Then she heard whispering and a loud cry that sounded like it came from Mrs. Clausen.
Jill tiptoed to the steps and slowly made her way down them. At the bottom of the stairs was Sgt. Brenner and Sgt. Corvis. They looked up at her face and stared at her, then looked away.
“Where’s Daddy?” she whispered.
“Come here, child,” whispered Mrs. Clausen.
Jill shook her head, and Mrs. Clausen waved her forward again. Slowly taking the steps, hoping to prevent whatever was about to happen, she finally stood in front of the adults.
“Jilly, your dad did something very brave tonight,” said Sgt. Corvis. “A mother and her little boy accidentally drove their car into the river. Your dad dove in and saved them.”
“H-he’s very brave,” she said in a barely audible voice.
“Yes, he was,” said Sgt. Brenner. Jill shook her head. “Jill, the water was really cold, and the ice closed over him, honey. They’ve been searching for hours, but there’s no way he could have survived that.”
“He did survive,” she said, shaking her head. “I know my dad. He survived!”
No matter what they said to her, the little girl was certain that her father could have survived the ice and frigid river. They waited three days before declaring him dead. On the fourth day, Jill had to face the truth. His body was found downriver, completely frozen.
Years later, Jill learned that the woman intentionally drove her vehicle into the river. She often wondered why she wasn’t charged with the murder of her father, but no one could seem to give her answers.
Mrs. Clausen became her permanent guardian, raising her to become valedictorian of her high school, college, and grad school. Jill Morgan was a brilliant young mind and lawyer.
“I’m so proud of you, Jill,” said the old woman, hugging her.
“I owe it all to you,” she smiled. “Do you have everything packed and ready for Florida?”
“I do. My sister is excited that we’ll finally be spending more time together. Will you come and visit when you can? I know you’ll be busy at the Pentagon, but maybe you can find time.”
“I’ll find time,” she smiled.
She was remembering that conversation today, on the fifth anniversary of Mrs. Clausen’s death. She’d gotten so wrapped up in work and then Tim, her boyfriend, she lost sight of what was really important.
Tim was an Army Ranger whom she’d met during a dinner with friends. They hit it off, started dating, and before they knew it, they were living together on and off.
Jill believed that things were progressing as they should. Date, fall in love, move in, and get engaged. But Tim seemed less and less happy, and she couldn’t figure out why. The morning she met their new neighbor, something in Jill changed.
She was leaving for the Pentagon, and Tim was headed back down to Norfolk for the week. They’d had another argument about the amount of time they were spending apart, and she just wanted to get to work and forget about it. She never imagined she would run into a six-foot-seven brick wall.
“Hi,” she smiled. “You must be the new neighbor. I’m Jill Morgan.” She extended her hand, feeling it shake with strange nerves. Watching the man, he shuffled the box beneath one big, rippling, muscled arm, and she couldn’t help but raise her brow in appreciation.
“CJ. CJ Abbott,” he said, taking her hand. There was a strange feeling working its way up her arm, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. She’d never felt anything like it before in her life.
“Nice to meet you, CJ. I have to run to the office, but maybe we can chat later,” she smiled. Behind her, Tim stepped out in his uniform and gave him a nod. “Oh, Tim. This is CJ.”
“Hey. I have to run, Jill. I’ll see you later.” Jill wanted to scream at him because he was so rude to their new neighbor. Turning, he left her standing there without even a kiss on her cheek.
“Brother?” asked tall, dark, and handsome. She almost wanted to lie and say, ‘sure.’
“Uh. No. I mean, no.” She was confused and hurt by Tim’s dismissal of her and their neighbor. He never used to be so cold and callous. “No. He’s my fiancé.”
“Ah. Well, he’s a lucky man,” said CJ.
“Yeah?” she said with a sad grin.
“Definitely. Nice to meet you, Jill.”
“You too, CJ.”
She walked toward her car wanting to turn and say more than hello to the man on the steps of his condo next to hers. She wondered if he’d heard them arguing that morning but knew that she never raised her voice, even when arguing. Her superpower was always being able to remain calm.
As she tossed her briefcase and coat into the passenger seat, she caught sight of Tim’s truck at the traffic light. He should have turned left, but he didn’t. He went right.
“What in the world?” she whispered. She could feel her new neighbor’s eyes on her, watching.
“Need any help?” asked the sexy voice. She jumped, turning to see CJ grabbing two more boxes from his truck.
“Oh, no. Just wondering about something.”
She waved and quickly put Tim out of her mind. Her job at the Pentagon kept her busy all the time, and it was part of the reason she and Tim had argued. Her work was important, and she was passionate about it.
With a full load of cases to review at the Pentagon, including a young sergeant whom she was sure was innocent of what he was being accused, she wanted to get there early. She never imagined that she would get a call a few days later from an old friend, that would change her life forever.
The weather was getting worse by the minute, and she would most likely be spending the night alone.
“Welcome to my world,” she whispered to herself.