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Glad it was nothing serious and calmer now with Zoe in my arms, I shrugged. “No one ever forgets Bunnytwice.”
“I didn’t realize how attached she is to Bunny. She doesn’t cart her around the house all the time. But lesson learned.”
I snorted. “Painfully so.”
Briar widened her eyes at me but didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.
“Well, come on in. We haven’t set up much for Zo, but there’s plenty of room.”
“Actually,” Adam cut in, reminding me of his hovering presence. “I kinda promised Briar a trip to crafty. She packed snacks for Zoe but hasn’t had a chance to eat lunch herself.”
My gaze bounced between the two of them, and Briar shrugged with an apologetic expression. Like she was embarrassed she hadn’t eaten because of all the unexpected running around I’d made her do.
“No. Yeah, that’s fine.” I jostled Zoe in my arms so she could settle into my side. “Here, give me the bag.”
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Briar asked as I slid the oversized bag off her shoulder.
“Nah, we’ve got this. Don’t we, Zo?”
Zoe babbled something and whacked me in the face with Bunny.
I laughed and patted Bunny’s head. “I’m old hat at handling these two. Go grab some grub. We’ll see you later.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Briar smiled and turned toward Adam. “Lead the way. I’m starving.”
I climbed the stairs to my trailer with my arms full of Zoe and everything required to keep her alive and entertained for at least an hour. When I reached the top of the stairs, I couldn’t resist the urge to turn and watch Briar walk away with my assistant.
And then Zoe bonked me in the face with Bunny again, reminding me of my priorities. I smiled down at my daughter. “Are you hungry? Briar packed some snacks for you. Should we go see what they are?”
Zoe nodded. “Hungwy.”
“I got you, Zo-Zo. Don’t ever doubt that.”
I had over half an hour alone with my girl. She ate some snacks, we read a few books, and were playing with her tiny people farm animals when I heard her laughter again.
Not Zoe’s. Briar’s.
I tried to ignore it and the warmth it brought me, concentrating instead on making neighing noises for Zoe. But I couldn’t block the sound of their feet on the metal stairs. Only, they stopped and didn’t come inside.
“Are you not coming in?” Adam asked outside and just next to the open window.
“No, I’ll just wait out here for a little bit,” Briar answered. “King hasn’t had much time with his daughter this week, and he really doesn’t need me hovering over them. I’m fine out here.”
“Ah, okay.” Adam paused and cleared his throat. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll hang out here with you.”
I thought it was sweet that Briar wanted to give me extra alone time with my daughter, and I appreciated that she was thoughtful enough to see it. But at the same time, I felt a little jealous of their ease together. I couldn’t remember the last I felt that way with anyone.
Damn, I was such a sad sack.
I continued to play with Zoe. She was getting really good at animal sounds. Her eyes sparkled when she realized she’d made me laugh.
And all the while, I was aware of Briar and Adam talking outside. I was mostly successful at blocking out their conversation until I heard Adam clear his throat like he had something important to say.
“So, uh, I know you don’t have a whole lot of free time right now, but once King has wrapped this movie, would you be interested in going out? Me and you?”
The silence after his question was deafening.
And telling.
