Valeria jerked up, kicking Nick in the calf out of sheer habit. He jumped off the couch and the two of them stood facing the social worker. The room was filled with candy, popcorn, half-drunk sodas, and the movie The Pacifier that had been paused and was showing a very funny expression on Vin Diesel’s face.

“This is outrageous!” said Mrs. Baptiste.

Nick and Valeria looked at each other with wild eyes. They were wearing Tasmanian Devil and Bugs Bunny pajamas, they were disheveled and haggard, and it looked like a scene of the worst fetish.

“It's not what you're thinking!” Valeria hurried to say.

“It's just that we're testing fabrics for Alice's clothes!” Nick said to try to help her.

“Yes, and we wanted to test them to see if they would work!”

“But nothing weirder than that!”

They looked like two naughty children justifying themselves, and Mrs. Baptiste raised a hand to shut them up.

“No, it's outrageous that the night you spend without the child is spent on popcorn and coke, wi