Deep Night Read Online Free Page B

away in annoyance. “I don’t…Okay, I do. I just don’t want anyone talking about me. I do my job…I don’t make waves…I’m just one of the team.”
    “It’s nothing bad,” he hurried to assure her. “You know how guys are…They wonder why you don’t seem to date. I think it’s mostly because you ignore their best moves.”
    “I would never date someone I work with…too many complications.” She raked her fingers through her short blond hair, leaving it tousled. “Come on. I’ll give you a quick tour, then I’m…” Her words were interrupted by a yawn.
    He picked up the box again and followed her. “It’s six hundred square feet. I think I can find my way around.”
    She ignored his teasing grin and led the way out of his room. Waving her arm toward the doorway immediately to their left, she said unnecessarily, “There’s the bathroom. Please don’t leave your clothes on the floor in there. I cleared out half of the medicine cabinet for you while you were picking up your things in Parker.”
    He peered in. It was small, just like every other element of the apartment. A tub with a shower was across the back end. A toilet and a sink were on the right side and two tubular racks were on the left. One held two beige towels, two hand towels, and two washcloths, all neatly folded. The other one was empty. “Mine?”
    She nodded. “It’s okay to leave your shower stuff and shampoo in the shower. There’s a shelf in there.” Without taking a step, she turned and pointed behind her and to the right. “The kitchen. If you eat something, replace it. We can take turns buying groceries or we can keep our food separate.”
    He left his box on the closed toilet seat. One more thing to remember. The position of toilet seats hadn’t been a big priority in the military or even in his parents’ house, where he’d had his own bathroom. “I’m okay with splitting.”
    Sara moved forward past a small round dining table and indicated the living room, which had a couch and a chair against the tall windows. Off to the side was a forty-five-inch flat-screen TV. The living, kitchen and dining areas were all one open space that appeared larger than it was because of the twelve-foot-tall ceilings. She stopped in the doorway of her bedroom, which was off to the left side of the living room.
    “Rent is twelve hundred and is due on the first of every month, which was last Friday. You pay half, and you can prorate this month,” she told him.
    “How did you get this place so cheap?” In spite of its small size, it had charm, modern appliances and a great location.
    “It’s a rent-controlled building,” Sara reminded him. “My salary, and the fact that I work for the City and County of Denver as a first responder and am a part-time student, qualifies me for a ridiculously low rate. I think they’d like to see me move so they could rent it out for more. But as long as I stay here, they can’t increase my rent more than five percent a year.” She yawned again. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m exhausted.”
    “I’ll try not to make any noise.”
    “Don’t worry about that. I have a sound machine, so the sound of the ocean drowns out any of the city noises.” Her full lips spread into a genuine smile. “Welcome to
mi casa.
”
    “Thanks.” He spread his arms out and stretched. “All things considered, it’s the most personal space I’ve ever had. It’s great not to be living with my parents or in a barracks.”
    “I’m glad you like it. See you later.” She shut her door, and he stood there a moment before he returned to the bathroom to claim his shelf.
    His mother had packed two brand-new oversized navy-blue towels with matching hand towels and washcloths. There was also a bottle of men’s shower soap, a bottle of shampoo and another of conditioner. Chris grinned as he unpacked his mom’s care package. It made him think of that summer he had gone to Boy Scout camp. His mother had carefully