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another night like the one they had just shared. Her physical neediness was embarrassing in retrospect, and the initial reaction she’d felt that an affair with him would be a mistake still existed, but it was tempered by the fact she believed him when he said he wasn’t just interested in sex.
    At least he’d seemed convincingly sincere.
    Not that she actually wanted a relationship.
    Crap, this was complicated already. She hadn’t dated a man in fifteen years and wasn’t sure she was qualified to judge if he was just a player who was pleased to find out she would fall into bed with him. Or was the uncomfortably handsome I.Q. really interested in her on another level?
    She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, either way. He was too young for her, and it was difficult to reconcile in her mind. Brian 40
    Kate Watterson
    had been sixteen years older, so the idea of an eleven year difference the other way took some adjustment.
    “So how is Suzanne?”
    Jana tore her abstracted gaze from the field of running children.
    “What? Oh as far as I know, she’s fine.” Suzanne Heathman was a linguistics professor who had been a high school friend, also single, and they occasionally went out to lunch or a movie together.
    Her sister’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Hmm. I assumed she was the friend from work of last night. Who was it?”
    “You don’t know him,” Jana said evasively, feeling the warm sun on her back through her cotton shirt match the sudden flush in her face.
    “Him? I like the sound of that. It’s about time.”
    “Don’t get that look. It was just a casual invitation after work, nothing planned.” It had turned out to be anything but a few casual drinks, but she left that all out. She was still ashamed of herself for sleeping with Jake Quinn on what wasn’t even technically a first date.
    “You could stand to have a personal life, Jana…oh no.”
    Suddenly distracted, Crystal cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Block it!”
    The other parents reacted in similar ways. Jana was never sure whether to be amused or touched by the depth of enthusiasm they all had for a game played by children who often didn’t even know on which side of the field their home goal was located. Predictably her nephew’s team did not manage to block it, and the game ended with both cheers and disappointed sighs.
    “We’re cooking out tonight because the weather is so nice,”
    Crystal said as she gathered up her discarded sweatshirt and prepared to go down and comfort a disconsolate-looking Marcus as he trudged toward the stands. “Why don’t you come over about six?”

    Watcher
    41
    The offer wasn’t surprising, since her sister might be a bit nosy, but she was well-meaning at the same time. She had a large perpetually untidy house, four busy children in various stages of elementary, middle school, and high school, and an amiable husband who worked for a big construction company. She and Jana were close in many ways, but certainly had polar opposite lifestyles.
    Jana smiled. “Thanks, but no. I have plans.”
    “Really? Or are you just avoiding Ethan’s overcooked
    hamburgers?”
    She thought about Jake Quinn and his warm, sexy smile, and the heat in those dark intense eyes. “Really,” she confirmed with a small inner quiver of anticipation.

    * * * *

    The neighborhood was definitely affluent. Jake searched for the right house number, driving slowly past big houses with impressive facades, neatly kept landscaped yards, finally finding the right one nearly at the end of a winding drive. Professor Johnson’s house sat well back, and as he pulled into the driveway, he shook his head a little as he compared it to his more than modest campus apartment. Brick and timber, it had an elegant exterior, manicured grass, and several large beautiful maples flanked the drive, their leaves just touched with the beginnings of fall gold. The place was pretty spectacular, but then again, Jana’s husband had been the