Page 5 (1/2)

"Sorry," she o talk to ood idea"

Before leaving, Saonna let ht?"

Zoe's heart clenched, not just at Sam's plea but at her sudden polite tone That wasn't who Sam was and Zoe hated the anxiety and insecurity Sale day

"Go have fun Nobody'shair, and after Sa you can do to speed this process along, it'll be better for everyone, believeKatherine and everyone else in the government bureaucracy "I mean since that's what you're all about, and we are what Sam wants…" Zoe trailed off as Ryan's expression shut down

Apparently she'd crossed the line The Costas clan tended to do that too often Pleasing the social worker and worrying about confor that had the entire faroup and nothing, not even adopting a child, could change that

Thankfully Social Services had agreed to the foster placement and the past few et her mother to stall Sam's birthday present until Ryan Baldwin left, she'd feelI promise So, how about a tour of the house?" she asked with forced cheer, recalling that had been one of the first things the other social worker had requested

He seemed to relax and even crack a smile "Has anyone ever told you you're just like your mother?"

She cocked her head to one side "If you et what I want, then yeah, people do thinkthat you're both like a tornado of sorts" The corners of his eyes crinkled "But I have to ad"

"That's one way of putting it, and co from someone more stuffy than I ahed at that, two diuard down and his sain by how handsoe that she'd notice hiuy she'd normally be attracted to, but what the heck The rush of adrenaline proved she wasn't dead, as her

"I'd like to take that tour now," he said, changing the subject back to business

"Corabbed his hand and pulled hiht as she pointed out the spa and hoas completely separate from the house Entrances on opposite sides of the property et in or out of the house from the spa She showed him all the safety precautions they'd taken and couldn't help but show her pride in the business her family had made a success in such a short tihed a time or two at her jokes And all the while, she couldn't shake the heat his touch generated or the sense that his big hand had imprinted itself on her smaller one She hadn't liked the other social worker's unexpected visits but she could get used to this guy hanging around

They ended their tour in the kitchen and Zoe hopped up to sit on the counter "So what do you think?"