Tall, Dark & Lonely (Pyte/Sentinel #1)(54)

“Don’t say his name!” Jill wailed from the comfort of her arm.

“Touchy,” Chris mumbled. He made a big show of looking around the otherwise empty room. “Come on, Miss. Soloman, let us go home. It’s obvious that Jill needs to go home and cry and you need to go apologize to Detective Williams.”

Her eyes shot up from the paper she was grading. “What are you talking about?”

He laughed. “Oh puhlease, I saw you guys yesterday at the pancake social.”

“You were at a church social?” she asked in disbelief.

He waved it off. “Free unlimited pancakes, Miss. Soloman, focus. You wouldn’t give the man the time of day. I saw the way he watched you and the way you treated him every time he tried to talk to you. I also saw the way you reacted every time one of those pretty little things came up batting their eyes in his direction. You were seeing red each and every time.”

“You have way too much time on your hands, Chris,” she said dryly.

With a huge grin he nodded. “Tell me I’m wrong.” When she only glowered at him he continued. “That’s what I thought.”

“Don’t you have homework to do?” she asked.

“Nope,” he made the word pop out of his mouth.

“So, what did he do to piss you off? It has something to do with last week, doesn’t it? You were gone a whole week.” His face puckered up thoughtfully. “You know I still haven’t forgiven your for that. Mr. Darling ran detention in your place.”

“He’s nice.”

“He’s a tool.”

“Chris!”

“What? He is,” he said unashamed. “He actually made us get into a circle and express our feelings.”

She cringed. She could just imagine Chris and his friends, the usual occupants of detention, getting into that. “And what feelings did you express?”

He shrugged. “I told him he was a tool.” She chuckled. She knew she shouldn’t.

“I’m glad you’re both having such a wonderful time when my life is over!” Jill said in high drama that would have made Candy green with envy.

Chris snorted. “You’re fifteen. It’s high school. Get over it. It’s not love it was infatuation. He got over it sooner than you and you didn’t take it well. Get over it. Learn from it and move on and stop wrecking detention for me.”

Madison could only shake her head in wonder. Chris was a smart kid with a great deal of common sense. If only he could apply himself she had no doubt he would do well.

“I love him!” Jill cried.

Chris waved it off and turned his attention back to Madison. “So?”

“So?”

“So, tell me what happened.”

She sat back in her chair. “Chris, at what point did we lose the teacher and student relationship and wind up here?” She gestured between the two of them.

He shrugged. “You don’t cut me any slack and don’t take my shit. I respect you too much to treat you otherwise.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment.”

“As you should.” Chris gave her a lopsided smile.

A loud knock at the door made them both roll their eyes. “Come in,” Chris said loudly.

Ephraim walked in carrying a tray with two beverages and a white bakery box. “Detective Williams, have you come to make an arrest?” Chris asked pleasantly.

“Ah, Chris, I knew you would be here.”

“Bullshit.”

“Didn’t I?” Ephraim pulled one of the beverages out of the tray and placed it in front of Chris. “What’s written on the cup then?” he asked as he shifted the cup so Chris could see his name written on the side of the cup.

“I’ll be damned.” He shot a glance at Ephraim. “You spit in this?”

“Yup.”

Chris shrugged. “As long as you’re honest.” He took a sip. “Damn that’s some good hot cocoa.”

“I hear it’s the best.”

He placed the other one in front of Madison. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Yup,” Chris answered for her.

“I thought so.” He turned back to Chris and placed the box in front of him. “Eat up.”

“I wonder what you’ve brought us,” he mused. He flipped the cover open and gasped, “You are the best Detective, ever.”

Ephraim reached into the box and picked up a large gourmet chocolate chunk cookie and brought it to Madison. “I’m really sorry.”

She took the cookie from him. “Now's not the time I’m at work. I have to watch these kids.” And he did forget her birthday! Granted she didn’t remind anyone, she never did. She liked it when her brother and sister remembered on their own and made a big deal.

Chris spoke up around a mouth full of chocolate brownie, “I don’t mind.”

She waved an annoyed hand at him. “Go offer one to Jill.”

“No way. She just got dumped. She'll eat the whole box.”

“Oh, and what are you planning on doing?”

He looked affronted. “That’s different. I’m not eating out of depression I’m eating out of starvation. I was in the principal’s office during lunch if you’ll recall.”