starting to think that nickname is a perfect fit,” Ryder said, crossing his arms.
Eli stood. “I’ll give her the shirt. Maybe she could use some help.”
Ryder pointed a finger at Eli. “You’ll fucking stay right here, President Donnelley. That’s what you’ll do.” He turned and stalked down the hall, leaving Eli standing in the middle of the living room looking bewildered.
Fally laughed. “Territory marked.”
“Not if I can help it,” Eli muttered. “He already has a fucking harem. Didn’t he say it wasn’t like that with this girl? So why should he even care?”
“I don’t know, but I’d watch your ass,” Fally told him.
Eli sank down into the leather recliner. “I’d rather watch hers.”
Ryder took the shirt into the washroom for Zoe. Briar sat in a sink full of bubbles. Zoe scrubbed the chocolate from Briar with a washcloth, while Briar scrubbed the dolly.
“Thanks,” she said, taking the t-shirt. “Your sink is so large, I figured it would be easier than the tub.”
“No problem. Thank you for doing this.” Zoe began combing Briar’s hair into a ponytail. “Brandon was losing his mind. You saved the day.”
Zoe smiled. “Ah, it’s nothing. My niece, Paige, is four. She’s a handful, but I used to babysit her a lot. I’ve learned distraction works wonders.” She gestured to Briar, who continued to bathe her doll.
“I see.”
Watching Zoe and Briar together made his heart ache. His son would have been seven years old this year, yet Ryder had never gotten to experience anything like this. Bottles, baths or baby talk. He forced the thought from his mind. Dwelling on the past was useless.
Briar seemed completely content and behaved with Zoe. She babbled up a storm, talking non-stop about her doll. He couldn’t understand what she was saying, but Zoe had no problems figuring out her baby talk.
Briar reached around and touched Zoe’s hair. “Pretty,” she said. “Wed.”
Zoe smiled. “Thank you. Yes, it’s red.”
Ryder traced his finger down a silky lock of Zoe’s hair.
“Very pretty,” he said, lowering his voice.
Zoe dropped the hairbrush on the floor. As she bent to retrieve it, Ryder noticed her flushed cheeks.
“I need to finish up in here.” She showed Briar the mirror. “What do you think? Do you like it?”
Briar nodded and held out her doll. “Dolly hair.”
“Okay. I guess I have to fix dolly’s hair now.”
“I’ll see you out there, then.” He’d obviously flustered her. Still, he was glad to see she had some kind of reaction to him. He hadn’t been able to read her since she’d walked through the door.
A few moments later, Zoe brought a freshly cleaned Briar and her doll into the living room. Briar yawned.
“All clean,” said Zoe.
Briar stuck her thumb in her mouth and yawned again. “Cwean.”
“I’ll take her to one of the guest rooms,” said Brandon. He picked up Briar. “She might actually sleep until Stacey gets here. Thanks again, Zoe.”
“No problem. She’s adorable.”
“So where are you from, Zoe?” asked Eli, placing his hand on her back and guiding her to the couch.
“Tampa, Florida.”
“No way.” He sat next to her. “I’m from Clearwater.”
Eli leaned over and plucked a beer bottle from Ryder’s mini fridge. “My parents moved to New York when I was a kid, but the rest of my family is still down there. I go back every year.” He handed her a beer.
“Thanks.” Zoe accepted the bottle. “Mine too. I only moved here three months ago when I got a job offer.”
“What kind of job?” Eli asked.
Ryder frowned as he looked between Eli and Zoe. He’d slept with Zoe—hell she had stayed at his house—and he never bothered to ask her what she did for a living. What a dick move.
Smooth, Irish.
“I worked at a women’s shelter, but got let go a few days ago due to budget cuts. My degree is in social work, but I’ve always worked in women’s shelters. It’s my passion.”
She took a sip of beer. “I worked on the telephone crisis line when I lived in Florida, but here I floated between a few positions, helping out where I was needed.”
Ryder leaned back, taking a moment to absorb what she’d said. He sensed a kindness in Zoe when they first met, and witnessed it up close when she helped bathe Briar.
It took a special kind of person to work in her field. Dealing with situations that arose every day in a women’s shelter had to be a stressful job.
Zoe was different than the women he saw on a regular basis. Not that he spent much time