Zoey Pappas grew up in a one-stoplight town. Now she's landed her dream job as the fifth grade teacher at the urban Diamond Projects School, but can she handle it? Her family laid odds that she won't. Zoey knows her cows, but she's never dealt with students from drug-infested, crime-ridden communities. Her Greek family wants her to work in the family restaurant and earn her M.R.S. degree. Zoey wants to prove herself, but she has met a muscled Irish cop who has been assigned to work with her as the Drug Awareness officer. He's too efficient, too cocky, and too... handsome.Ever since Officer Gavien Corrigan pulled Zoey's car over on her first day of school for driving on a one way street in a neighborhood known for violence, he's been captivated by her. Thoughts of the new teacher crowd in with the family responsibilities that overshadow his life. His bullet proof vest is lighter than the secret blame he carries on his shoulders. He believes that God is in control of lives, but sometimes wonders if God has forgotten him. As the two are thrust together in the concrete jungle where everyone needs second chances, will Zoey and Gavin find their own second chances...together?Zoey learns of unconditional love as she becomes friends with Carole Milner and her husband who is wheelchair bound with multiple sclerosis. As she watches the couple cope with MS, Zoey desires to fall in love like them. Multiple sclerosis does not define their relationship, love does.A deaf student is mainstreamed into Zoey's class, so she enters the world of the deaf and hard of hearing. It moves Zoey to deeper compassion for the parents and foster parents in her classroom. Anyone who has been a teacher, or loves children will enjoy this romance that brings the country girl into the urban scene. A fresh look at chaplains working in jail ministry, drug rehab and foster care are included in this novel set in the inner city. The influence of Greek immigrant ideas are also explored. Will Zoey make it in the big city?
