“Yes, that’s the name Sheila gave the kid for now. She said it sounded better than Jane Doe and I agree.”
There was a slight pause and then Brad asked, “And this Sheila Hopkins agreed to do it?”
“Yes, until the results of the paternity test come back, so the sooner you can do your part the better.”
“I’ve made an appointment to have it done tomorrow.”
“Good. And I’m going shopping with Sheila for baby stuff. She’s single and doesn’t have any kids of her own, so she’ll need all new stuff, which I’m billing you for, by the way.”
“Fine.” There was a pause, and then Brad said, “I was thinking that perhaps it would be best if I hired a nanny and keep the baby instead of—”
“Hold up. Don’t even consider it. We don’t want anyone seeing your kindness as an admission of guilt, Brad. The next thing everyone will think is that the baby is really yours.”
“Yes, but what do you know about this nurse? You said she’s single. She might be pretty good at taking care of patients, but are you sure she knows how to take care of a baby?”
“I’m not sure about anything regarding Sheila Hopkins, other than what Warren told me. She’s worked at the hospital about a year. But don’t worry, I’ve already taken measures to have her checked out. Roy is doing a thorough background check on Sheila Hopkins as we speak.”
Suddenly Zeke heard a noise behind him and turned around. Sheila was leaning against his door with her arms crossed over her chest. The look on her face let him know she had heard some, if not all, of his conversation with Brad and wasn’t happy about it.
“Brad, I need to go. I’ll call you back later.” He then hung up the phone.
Before he could open his mouth, Sheila placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Please take me back to the hospital to get my car. There’s no way I’m going anywhere with a man who doesn’t trust me.”
Then she turned and walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her.
Sheila was halfway down the walkway, when Zeke ran behind her and grabbed her arm. “Let me go,” she said and angrily snatched it back.
“We need to talk and I prefer we don’t do it out here,” Zeke said.
She glared up at him. “And I prefer we don’t do it anywhere. I have nothing to say to you. How dare you have me investigated like I’m some sort of criminal.”
“I never said you were a criminal.”
“Then why the background check, Zeke?”
He rubbed his hands down his face. “I’m a P.I., Sheila. I investigate people. Nothing personal, but think about it. Sunnie will be in your care for two weeks. I don’t know you personally and I need to know she’s not only in a safe environment but with someone both Brad and I can trust. Would you not want me to check out the person whose care she’s been placed in?”
Sheila sighed deeply, knowing that she would. “But I’d never do anything to harm her.”
“I believe that, but I have to make sure. All I’m doing is a basic background check to make certain you don’t have any past criminal history.” After a moment he said, “Come on in, let’s talk inside.”
She thought about his request then decided it might be best if they did talk inside after all. She had a tendency to raise her voice when she was angry about something.
“Fine.” She stalked off ahead of him.
By the time Zeke followed her inside the house, she was in the middle of the living room pacing, and he could tell she was still mad. He quietly closed the door behind him and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest, with one booted heel over the other, as he watched her. Again he was struck by just how beautiful she was.
For some reason he was more aware of it now than before. There was fire in her eyes, annoyance in her steps, and the way she was unconsciously swaying her hips was downright sensual. She had taken center stage, was holding it and he was a captive audience of one.
Then she stopped pacing and placed her hands on her hips to face him. She glared him down. The woman could not have been more than five-four at the most. Yet even with his height of six-four she was making him feel shorter. Damn. He hadn’t meant for her to overhear his conversation with Brad. Hadn’t she told him she hadn’t wanted to come in?
“You were supposed to stay outside. You said you didn’t want to come in,” he blurted out for some reason.
He watched as she stiffened her spine even more. “And that gave you the right to talk about me?”
His heart thudded deeply in his chest. The last thing he had time or the inclination to do was deal with an emotional female. “Look, Sheila, like I said before, I am a private investigator. My job is to know people and I don’t like surprises. Anyone who comes in contact with the baby for any long period of time will get checked out by me.”
He rubbed his hand down his face and released a frustrated sigh. “Look. It’s not that I was intentionally questioning your character. I was mainly assuring my client that a child that someone is claiming to be his has been placed in the best of care until the issue is resolved by way of a paternity test. There’s no reason for you to take it personally. It’s not about you. It’s about Sunnie. Had you been the president’s mother-in-law I’d still do a background check. My client is a very wealthy man and my job is to protect him at all costs, which is why I intend to find out who is behind this.”
He paused for a moment. “You do want what’s best for Sunnie, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“So do I, and so does Brad. That baby was abandoned, and the last thing I would want is for her not to have some stability in her life over the next couple of weeks. She deserves that at least. Neither of us know what will happen after that.”
His words gave Sheila pause and deflated her anger somewhat. Although she didn’t want to admit it, what he said was true. It wasn’t about her but about Sunnie. She should be everyone’s main concern. Background checks were routine and she would have expected that one be done if they’d hired a nanny for Sunnie. She didn’t know Zeke like he didn’t know her, and with that suspicious mind of his—which came with the work he did—he would want to check her out regardless of the fact that Dr. Phillips had spoken highly of her. But that didn’t mean she had to like the fact Zeke had done it.
“Fine,” she snapped. “You’ve done your job. Now, take me back to the hospital so I can get my car.”
“We’re going shopping for the baby stuff as planned, Sheila. You still need my truck, so please put your emotions aside and agree to do what’s needed to be done.”
“Emotions!” Before thinking about it, she quickly crossed the room to stand in front of him.
“Yes, emotions.”
His voice had lowered and he reached out and tilted her chin up. “Has anyone ever told you
