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

from Mr. Stewart’s desk. She waited patiently for him to finish reading, although she was sure he was only making her wait to make some sort of point about how busy he was and how inconvenienced he had been by her tardiness. After several long, awkward minutes, he finally looked up.
    “So, how can I help you?” he asked.
    Mindy straightened her back and smiled brightly. “Well, I think you might have an idea of why I wanted to meet with you today. As you know, I’m very interested in adopting one of the children in your orphanage.”
    “And, as you know,” Mr. Stewart interrupted, “I don’t believe a single, working woman can provide the stability needed for a child. Who would take care of the child? How will you provide for the financial needs of the child? And who will be a father figure?”
    Mindy bit her bottom lip to keep her angry words at bay. She believed there was a special place in hell for people like Mr. Stewart, who so clearly looked down on working women. But that was his problem. She wasn’t here to argue with him. She was here to lay down some cold hard facts.
    “I can provide plenty of stability,” Mindy said, and started pulling out her tax returns and bank documents. As you can see, I have a steady job with an income that makes me capable of supporting two people. And I live near one of the best elementary schools in Red Valley, which also boasts a top notch after school care program. The child would be well taken care of even on the days I have to work. As for a father figure, I know plenty of men who are fond of children and could provide a good male role model. I work closely with doctors and male nurses, and I know there are several good male teachers at the school near my house.”
    Mindy paused for a moment, and then added, “I also know a firefighter.”
    That last comment stretched into white lie territory. She did technically know a firefighter—but he was a smokejumper whom she hoped to never see again. Mr. Stewart didn’t need to know that, though.
    Mr. Stewart frowned, and started flipping through Mindy’s financial information.
    “You’ve only got ten thousand dollars in your savings account,” he said.
    Mindy frowned. She thought ten thousand dollars and no debt was a pretty good cushion. How much did Mr. Stewart expect her to have? She had worked her ass off, scrimping and saving, to build up that nice little rainy day fund.
    “I can survive several months on ten grand,” Mindy pointed out. “My job is very secure, but even if I were to be laid off for some reason, I should be able to find another job quickly. There’s a shortage of good nurses around here.”
    Mr. Stewart frowned, and leaned back in his seat. “I tell you what, Mindy. I know you really want to adopt. And you’ve obviously worked hard to build a good life for yourself and learn as much about children as you can. If you get that savings account up to fifty thousand, then I’ll let you adopt.”
    Mindy coughed in disbelief. “Fifty thousand dollars? That will take me years to save!”
    “Then I suggest you start now,” Mr. Stewart said with a smirk. “Was there anything else I could help you with?”
    Mindy was seething on the inside, but she forced herself to remain calm. She gathered up her papers and stuffed them back into her folder in a disorganized clump, then left Mr. Stewart’s office. She shut his door behind her and leaned against the wall of the hallway, taking deep breaths to calm herself. He knew that getting fifty thousand dollars in a savings account would be next to impossible for her. It had taken her three years of incredibly frugal living to scrape together the ten thousand she had now.
    She should just give up on this agency and find a new orphanage. There were plenty of places in California where the directors would be more open minded, and would actually be excited to place a child in a loving, stable home. Why had she decided to volunteer at the one place where the director