Page 2 of Daddy's Heart

Ryder shook his head and waved him off. “Well, go on back to your work. I can clear the rest of this out myself.”

“Actually…” George shuffled his feet, “there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

Ryder started folding up the chairs lining the walls and stacking them.

“Oh yeah? What?”

George rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “You remember me mentioning my college fraternity brother needing a place for his sister to crash for a few weeks?”

Ryder stacked another chair onto the pile and straightened his back. “Yeah?” He dragged out the word, a sinking sensation pulling at his spine.

“She’s coming next week. The thing is, my mom’s apartment is being worked on. The landlord finally got around to working on the electrical in the building and she’s gonna be without electricity for a few days.”

“In the middle of summer? Are they nuts?” Chicago summers were not the time to be without fans or air conditioning.

“He’s not the brightest. But I guess they failed the city inspection. Best course really is to get her a new apartment. And he’s willing to let her out of her lease if she’s able to get moved out by Friday.”

Ryder picked up another chair. “And she’s going to move in with you while you find her a better place, which leaves this frat girl out?”

“She wasn’t in the frat—never mind that, but yeah. I could give her the couch, but you have a spare room. And with your schedule, you’d never even see her,” George said.

“How long?” Ryder asked, snapping another chair closed.

“A week, maybe two at the most…I think. She just finished her degree and is moving up here from Indiana. She has interviews all lined up for libraries in the area and a few out in the ’burbs. If she’s still there after I get ma settled, she can come to my place.”

Ryder’s jaw clenched. “How old is she?”

“Twenty-five. Just finished her masters.”

Ryder sighed. “Just a week or two?”

“The most.”

“Is this why you’re pushing about me not playing here often?” Ryder raised a brow. He’d never pegged George for a matchmaker, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t start.

“No,” George protested. “Not at all. She’s a friend’s sister—out of bounds.” He pointed a finger at Ryder. “She needs a safe place to stay, not with someone trying to get down her pants at every turn.”

“Which is why you didn’t ask Jaxson.” Ryder laughed.

The severity left George’s eyes. “Yeah. He’d be all up on her, and she doesn’t need that shit.”

Ryder caught the undertone. “She coming up here ’cause she loves the city, or she coming to get away from Indiana?”

“She’s had a bad time of it, but she can tell you if she wants to. Not my place.”

Ryder let the silence linger for a long moment. “She can have the spare room. I’ll stay out of her way, and she can do what she needs. I’m sure I’ll be working longer hours with this new job coming up, she won’t have to worry about me.”

George heaved a sigh. “Great. Thank you. I’ll let her know the change in plans. I’ll give her your number and tell her to give you call. She gets into town on Saturday.”

Ryder ran his hand over his beard. “Okay, then. Just have her call me.”

“You good in here?” George was already backing out of the room as he asked the question.

Ryder waved him away. “I got this.”

“Great. You sticking around for the demo tonight or is that your gym bag you brought in?”

“My gym bag.” Ryder frowned. The match making might still be lingering in George’s mind. “Stop being an old hen and let me find my own fun. Just go clear your desk and put an ad out for a manager.”

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