Deep Night by Kathy Clark Page B

the youngest. The older boys had been in school, so he had spent a lot of alone time with her. Or it might have been simply because they had very similar personalities. Both were peacemakers and champions of the underdog. And they also would rather be too busy than bored.
    “You did a nice job pulling all this together,” he told her.
    “I was glad to help. Julie’s been so busy at work trying to train someone to take her place while she’s on maternity leave.” Pat didn’t turn her head, but Chris could tell she was looking at him. “Sam will probably be next…then you. Are you dating anyone special?”
    “Real subtle, Mom,” he snorted. “I don’t have much spare time.”
    “You know what they say about all work and no play. I’m sure there are plenty of really nice girls in your classes.”
    “Probably, and when finals are over, I might have a chance to check them out. Don’t worry about me,” he tried to assure her. “Pretty soon, you’re going to have a grandbaby to spoil.”
    That successfully distracted her, and she started telling him, in great detail, how she was turning his old bedroom into a nursery so her grandchild could spend the night as soon as Julie and Rusty would allow it. She added that she secretly hoped it was a girl, but would be perfectly happy with a boy…as if everyone couldn’t have already guessed that.
    Sara and Jim left the dance floor and walked out of sight around the side of the house. All sorts of possibilities raced through Chris’s mind, and he was annoyed with himself that he cared. What was wrong with him? He had barely noticed Sara for about a zillion years, and all of a sudden, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
    What he needed was to get laid. And the sooner, the better. His gaze roamed the crowd and immediately dismissed every female there. Either they were attached or he knew too much about them to be interested. He had always heard it wasn’t wise to date people you work with, which, considering his situation with Sara, was something he should take to heart.
    Tomorrow night, after his exam, he would hit the bars and see what Denver had to offer. It was time he shook the sand of Afghanistan off his boots and got back in the dating game. Sara said she wouldn’t care if a girl spent the night. Maybe tomorrow night, he would find someone he wanted to bring home.
    He refilled his cup and tried not to notice that Sara and Jim were still not back.
    —
    “Oh, come on, Chris. High school biology taught us what endoplasmic reticulum is. What’s wrong with you tonight?” Sara leaned back in her chair and glared at him. “I feel like I’m wasting my time.”
    “Yeah, well, maybe you are.” He was propping his head up with his hand, his elbow resting on the small table.
    “Too much tequila?” It was more of an accusation than a question.
    “Probably.” He had no idea how many cups of crazy punch he’d drunk, and that wasn’t even counting the shots after the rest of the guests had left. He could blame that and the fact that he was sitting across from Sara, who had changed into her usual baggy T-shirt and shorts, which he’d barely noticed before but now looked sexier than hell. “I’m beat. I think I’ll grab a few hours of sleep, then study tomorrow.”
    “It’s going to mess up your…”
    “I know…my cicada rhythm.” He closed his book and stood up.
    “It’s circadian.”
    “Yeah, right. Sorry…I’m having trouble concentrating.” He walked to the refrigerator, opened it and took out a soda. He popped the top, lifted it to his lips and downed almost half of it.
    “Well, go get some sleep, princess.” Her words dripped with sarcasm. “I’m going to study.” She returned her attention to her own Advanced Biology book.
    He leaned one hip against the countertop. “So, how long have you and Jim been dating?”
    Her head snapped up. “Me and Jim? What makes you think that?”
    Oh God,
he was making a fool of himself. If he hadn’t