Stone de la Bru Familia Read Online Free Page B

watched her silently along with the animal, whose eyes were intently upon her every frightened move. 
    "He wont bite unless you do something crazy," Stone advised, resisting the urge to laugh as she struggled to pull the heel of her shoe from the dirt while keeping a wary eye on the uninterested dog. 
    "His name is Max." Stone tapped his leg and the beast reached his full height and trotted to his side. This seemed to ease Mrs. Cartwright’s fear as she moved to the spot she’d jumped from. 
    "Is he trained?" she asked, trying to regain her composure. 
    In response Stone snapped his fingers and pointed to a spot along the yard where a lemon tree stood by a wooden bench. Max confidently strolled by the social worker with a casual glance in her direction. His leisurely pace seemed to relax the shook woman. Max found a spot at the base of the lemon tree and lowered his body to the cool grass, his massive head resting on his paws while his eyes looked alertly to Stone. 
    Stone was watching the thin lady as she surveyed the backyard. "You seem to do all right for yourself," she said with a slow nod of her perfectly coifed head of curly hair held tight to her scalp in pineapple rows. 
    "Fair to middling," he responded as he sprayed the hood of the BMW. He'd heard this in  a  movie and waited for the right time to use the cool phrase. He was closer to her now, aware that she had a lot on her mind, mostly having nothing to do with the welfare of Serena. 
    "And what did you say you did for a living?" 
    "Pray." 
     This brought a smile to her thin lips before a cloud passed over her face, signaling a return to the purpose of her visit. "Well, that might be true, but how about your employment?" 
    Stone busied himself with the sheepskin cloth, positioning it to the roof of his car to begin drying. "Well, I work at my sister’s health food café." 
    "Oh?" 
    "Yeah. Simply Wholesome on Slauson." He never looked up to her with this reply. 
    "Oh. That's good. Are these your cars?" 
    "Yep."  
    She looked to him with skepticism, no doubt figuring him for some type of drug dealer. "You must work a lot of overtime," she said finally. 
    Stone didn't bother answering. He disappeared from sight as he kneeled to wipe down the driver's side door. When he stood up she was looking in his direction with what he felt was a reaction to feeling disrespected. Her eyes were wider than usual, making her look like some type of rare bird. 
    "Well, as you know Mr. Sweetwater," she began with a clap of her beak, hugging the folder to her chest. "We at social services feel that the place for Serena is with blood relatives." 
    Stone listened casually as he moved to the other side of the BMW. He was now closer to her, his back facing the words spilling from the social worker's mouth. 
    "And personally I don't feel that you qualify as a suitable guardian." She cocked her head as Stone turned to look at her. He fixed his gaze on her in an easy manner. "You don't even know me," he said, the sheepskin cloth hanging to his side. 
    "Well… There's hardly much to know. I do know that you have no experience with children. You don't have one of your own. You aren't married. You appear to be…"  
    She waved her arm out to the yard of fine automobiles. "It appears that you are doing more than working at a health food store." 
    Stone wanted to drop the hammer on her now, but instead he said, “These cars ain't got nothing to do with Serena. She cool right here. Ain't nobody gonna look after her like I will. " 
    "See, that's exactly what I'm referring to. We at social services are not seeking for her just to be looked after. We are more interested in her growing up in a home with blood relatives. It's important to have continuity in her life, especially given the circumstances of her mother's death." 
    "One has nothing to do with the other," he responded, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. He'd