An Ember To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters 5) by Sloane Meyers Page B

Sophia home with you as a foster child within a matter of days. The adoption will obviously take longer, and we’ll have to get a court date set for that. The average time to finalize everything is about six months. But Sophia should be able to live with you during that time.”
    Mindy nodded, and stood. “Okay,” she said. “Let me know if there’s any more paperwork you need from me, and I’ll get it done right away.”
    Mr. Stewart slid a folder across the desk to her. “There are a few more things we need. Here’s a folder of forms for you to fill out. It should be pretty straightforward, but, of course, feel free to ask me any questions or to consult a lawyer. You can fax it over when you’re done. As soon as I get approval from Sophia’s caseworker, we can set things up for her to go home with you.
    Mindy took the folder and thanked Mr. Stewart, then left his office. She stuffed the folder into her large purse, and went to the back door of the building that looked out at the play yard. She saw the familiar faces of the kids she spent time with every week as they ran around playing tag. A small group of them sat in the sandbox building a large mound of sand that Mindy assumed was intended to be a sandcastle. The swing set was empty, except for Sophia, who still sat slowly pushing herself back and forth with the scuffed toes of her black canvas sneakers. Mindy decided that she would play with the children for a few minutes and then go home and start on the paperwork. Whatever the issues were that Sophia was facing, Mindy would help her through them. Mindy couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to a four-year-old girl to lose her mother, the only family she had ever known. The poor girl probably felt traumatized and very alone. The best thing anyone could do for her at this point was to give her a permanent, stable home—and that’s exactly what Mindy would do. As soon as Mindy set her purse down on a bench near the building wall and started walking toward the sandbox, Drew spotted her and shrieked in delight.
    “Miss Mindy! Miss Mindy! Come over and play in the sambox,” he said.
    Mindy smiled and nodded, heading in his direction. But when she glanced over at the swingset to invite Sophia over as well, the little girl was gone. Mindy glanced at the door just in time to see Sophia’s small, slender form disappearing back into the building. Sophia somehow walked the same way that Zach walked. Mindy couldn’t quite explain it, but the resemblance was uncanny.
    Mindy told herself that she was crazy, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Zach was somehow connected to this girl. She watched Sophia’s silhouette until the door closed behind it. She finally tore her eyes away when she felt Drew’s little hand grabbing hers and pulling her toward the sandbox. But, long after she had stopped looking, the image of Sophia’s walking into the building with slumped shoulders remained etched in her mind. Mindy already felt her heart filling with love and concern for the child, and she determined that no matter what it took, she would provide the love and safe place to land that Sophia needed.
    Whatever trouble Sophia might cause, Mindy would love her through it.

Chapter Nine
    A few days later, after a whirlwind of filling out paperwork and setting up childcare for the hours she would be at work, Mindy got the approval to provide foster care for Sophia. It was Tuesday morning when Mr. Stewart called her with the news, and Mindy almost forgot about her lunch date with Zach amidst her excitement. She was tempted to cancel, but thought better of it. She needed to eat, after all. And, although she had received the approval to bring Sophia home, she wouldn’t officially be able to pick her up until that Friday. In the meantime, she might as well keep herself as busy as possible to help speed up the wait.
    Mindy arrived at the pizzeria before Zach, and found a booth in the back corner. She sat facing the door so that