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silver keychain.  “See ya, Jake.  Miss Bank s.”  He waved over his shoulder .
    Jake was still looking at me.  “You have such a crazy schedule,” he said.  “I can’t ever keep up.  Rain check on the hot dogs though, okay?  I think I’ll call a few of the guys and see if they want to hit the clubs tonight.”
    I lifted my shoulders in a half-shrug and tried to lo ok disappointed.  “Your loss.”   I was actually glad he was going out.  With any luc k he would find someone willing to fulfill his carnal needs and take that attention away from me .  “Well, I need to get going, so if I don’t see you later, have fun tonight!”
    He was quiet as I gathered up my things.  The way he looked at me made me uneasy.  His eyes were glued to my face, but he was miles away. 
    “Everything okay, Jake?”
    His brows inched towards his hairline as he came back down to Earth.  “Yeah.  Why?”
    ***
    Thursday afternoon Chris showed up durin g the last few minutes of class and hung out in my doorway.  I didn’t understand why- he knew I didn’t release the kids until twelve.  H e left again with Sam, except this time he didn’t even acknowledge me.
    A sting of disappointment reached my cheeks.  Sure, he was on his way to a life of fame and fortune, and I was only the hired help, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least say hello.  And what was up with him hanging around Sam, anyway?  He had ten years on the kid.
    I sighed, resigned.  A t least I hadn’t been laughed at again.
    I was glad when he didn’t show up on Friday. 
    After the kids left for lunch, I filled my arms with books and fold ers, preparing to head home.  Clutching everything with one hand while using the other to dig in my pocket for keys, I lost my battle with gravity and dropped everything.
    “Damm it!”  Papers scattered across the white tile of the hallway.
    I heard a laugh and looked up to see Chris heading in my direction.  “Looks like you could use a book bag.”
    “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I muttered to myself.  My last one had fallen apart in the washing machine.  I hadn’t had a chance to replace it.
    If he heard the comment, he showed no indication.  Surprising me, h e knelt down and gathered some of my papers.  “I hope these weren’t in any kind of order.”
    I looked at them hopelessly.  “Well they sure aren’t anymore.”
    He reached past me and picked up two books, giving me a whiff of his cologne.  It was musky, smelling of sandalwood and amber, and I inhaled deeply as he studied the cover of a tattered copy of Persuasion. 
    “Jane Austen fan?”
    “Yeah, she’s my favorite .”  I took another deep breath, enjoying the effect his smell had on my olfactory nerves .
    “My sister is a big fan of hers, too.”  He stared at the other heavy, hardbound book and slowly read the title, “Recombinant DNA Technology- Bioinformatics and Applications.”  The corners of his lips folded down.  “You read this for pleasure?”
    I wrinkled my nose.  “ That one’s not such a page turner.  It’s for a class.”  I described my university life- I worked at the school Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and took a graduate class every Wednesday night until ten.
    “Wow, you’ve got a lot going on.” 
    “I stay busy,” I agreed as he handed me the last of the papers.  “Thank you.”
    He smiled, stood, a nd dusted off his pants.  “Okay .  Looks like you’re good to…”  His voice trailed off when our eyes met.  He dropped his gaze and cleared his thr oat.  “Well, I’ll see you later. ”
    He took a few steps backwards then turned on his heel and walked off.
    Chris Knots , I thought to myself, keenly aware of the considerable attraction I felt towards him.  Nothing but trouble, an unnecessary complication .  I already had a hard enough time staying f ocused on what really mattered; I certainly didn’ t need him getting in the way.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
    February