'Yes, she is. I'm sure the picture in Social Services files doesn't do her justice,' Zoe said.
He muttered a noncommittal reply.
Their conversation ended when the 'Happy Birthday' song began. The monkey blew out the candles before Sam could get to them. Laughing, she gave the animal a high five and in turn the monkey blew her a raspberry and then shot her a huge grin followed by a kiss.
The routine seemed practiced. 'It seems like she knows the monkey,' he said, wondering if he sounded as stupid as he felt.
'She does,' Zoe said, unfazed. 'Spank lived here for a while.'
'Spank?'
'The monkey.' Zoe rolled her eyes. 'Please don't ask, okay? She's gone. She lives with her trainer and we're not violating any laws or rules and we would never, ever put Sam or any other child in danger.' Zoe's once self- confident voice took on a pleading tone as she obviously realized she'd slipped with her admission.
Once more, he sought to reassure her. 'I can see that you wouldn't.' Unable to stop himself, he reached out and touched her hand.
The spark of awareness was instant and energizing. His gaze immediately flew to hers and in those green eyes, he saw equal doses of surprise and pleasure.
He felt the same and knew he shouldn't because of who he was. But he let his fingertips linger. Her skin was soft, the texture as intriguing as the woman herself. He'd never felt such instant desire. How ironic it would be with a woman he couldn't allow himself to get close to.
She met his gaze and smiled, a full, honest, interested smile. Ryan didn't find trouble often, but he'd found it with Zoe Costas.
'Do you want to meet Sam? See for yourself how happy she is with my parents?' Her voice was a touch hoarser than before. The desire and awareness between them might be unspoken but it was now a tangible thing.
He nodded. 'I'd like to meet her.'
'Sam!' Zoe called and the girl came running.
Her eyes lit up as she reached Zoe. 'Hey, sis. Having fun?'
'The best. I want you to meet someone.' Zoe gestured toward Ryan.
He straightened his shoulders, suddenly feeling stiff and uncomfortable as Sam looked him over from head to toe, then frowned. 'I hope he's not your boyfriend.' She wrinkled her nose in the disgust only a teenager could demonstrate.
Clearly he'd come up lacking. He tried not to let it bother him since she didn't know him yet.
'Sam, that's not nice,' Zoe chided. 'And Mr. Baldwin happens to be Katherine's replacement. He's your social worker, not my boyfriend.'
'Oh, man, I'm sorry.' The young girl glanced down and began fingering old keys that dangled from a chain around her neck.
Scared? Chastised? He wasn't sure but finally she looked up again, meeting his gaze.
'Hey, mister, I bet I can tell you where you got them shoes,' Sam said, her joke an obvious attempt at bravado in the face of her mistake.
He shot Zoe a questioning look.
She grinned, clearly amused but not giving away any of Sam's secrets.
He shrugged. 'Okay, I'll play. Where'd I get my shoes?'
'You got 'em on your feet,' Sam said and burst into belly-aching laughter at her own joke.
He didn't catch on immediately and when he did, he realized Zoe was laughing along with Sam.
Zoe shook her head and tried to control herself. Sam's old, tired joke wasn't what had her laughing but poor Ryan Baldwin and his blank, lost stare. She wondered if it was painful to be that uptight and straitlaced. Oh, well. As Sam's new social worker, a couple of days with the Costas clan would cure him in no time.
She had to admit that his sandy-blond hair and brown eyes made for a darn cute package, despite that he was a social worker and by definition a stickler for rules. She reminded herself that he was a man who would no doubt make her feel strangled and constrained way more than even the safe house had done. Still, she found herself tempted to test the waters and wondered how he'd react if she reached out and pinched his-
'He's got a stick up his butt- ' Sam said in a stage whisper.
Ryan's eyes opened in shock.
Zoe refrained from laughing and instead leveled Sam with a stern glare. Thankfully Sam got the message and gazed downward, appearing contrite for Ryan's sake. Zoe knew she was probably anything but.
'Sorry,' she muttered.
'That's okay,' Ryan said.
'I've got to go talk to my friend Stacey,' Sam said.
Zoe nodded. 'That's a good idea.'
Before leaving, Sam glanced at Ryan. 'Nice meeting you, Mr. Baldwin. You're gonna let me stay with Elena and Nicholas, right?'
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 Sam was forced to live with every single day.
'Go have fun. Nobody's making any decisions today.' Zoe ruffled the girl's long hair, and after Sam had sped away, she turned to Ryan.
'If there's anything you can do to speed this process along, it'll be better for everyone, believe me. In the best interest of the child,' she said, parroting Katherine 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 conforming to someone else's standards was the one thing that had the entire family on edge. They were an out-of-the-box sort of group and nothing, not even adopting a child, could change that.
Thankfully Social Services had agreed to the foster placement and the past few months had been uneventful. Now if she could just get her mother to stall Sam's birthday present until Ryan Baldwin left, she'd feel much better.
'I'm sorry. No more pushing. I 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 mean because I'm pushy, tend to ramble, and usually get what I want, then yeah, people do think my mother and I are alike.'
'I was thinking that you're both like a tornado of sorts.' The corners of his eyes crinkled. 'But I have to admit, you two can be somewhat refreshing.'
'That's one way of putting it, and coming from someone more…How shall I put this delicately? Coming from someone more stuffy than I am, I think I'll even consider it a compliment.'
He laughed at that, two dimples suddenly becoming evident. With his guard down and his smile genuine and unstrained, Zoe was struck again by how handsome he truly was. It was strange that she'd notice him at all, since a 'suit' was the last kind of guy she'd normally be attracted to, but what the heck. The rush of adrenaline proved she wasn't dead, as her mother accused her of being.
'I'd like to take that tour now,' he said, changing the subject back to business.
'Come.' Zoe grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the house.
She kept things light as she pointed out the spa and how it was completely separate from the house. Entrances on opposite sides of the property meant nobody could get 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 time.
He asked questions and she answered. He even laughed 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?'
