Free Coming Attractions by Robin Jones Gunn Page B

eyes.”
    “While the two of you have your little goo-goo fest, I’ll retrieve my backpack from the car and write my paper.” Katie strode
     out the front door, accidentally letting the screen door slam behind her. She cringed. A second later she heard Daniel wail.
    Uh-oh. Not good.
    The next three hours turned into the most challenging study time Katie could remember. She later conceded that she should
     have given up and just helped Christy keep Daniel entertained. He didn’t nap, as the note from Tracy said might happen. He
     would be happy and interested in a toy one moment, then he would try to crawl over to where Katie had her laptop plugged into
     the wall. When Christy stopped him, he wailed.
    “I had no idea kids could be so exhausting,” Katie declared when Doug and Tracy returned. “How do you keep up with him? I
     mean, he’s adorable, but you have to watch him every minute. He kept Christy going the whole time.”
    “I didn’t mind a bit,” Christy said. “He was perfect. Weren’t you, Danny boy?”
    Tracy gave Christy a hug. “You’ll make a great mom. Both of you will.”
    Katie couldn’t see herself as a mother. Not anytime soon, at least. She wondered if Todd and Christy were thinking of starting
     a family. It had been awhile since she had talked to Christy about any of the more personal details of her marriage to Todd.
     He was working as a youth pastor at their church and seemed to be busy all the time. Katie couldn’t remember the last time
     she had seen him.
    She would have to get an update from Christy once they were back on the road to Bob and Marti’s house in Newport Beach.
    Instead of leaving right away, they lingered awhile, talking with Doug and Tracy, who had used their time away to go house
     hunting. Their little cottage was too small now that Daniel was growing and Doug was working part-time from home on consulting
     projects for the financial investment business a relative had connected him with.
    “Any leads on a house?” Christy asked.
    “No,” Tracy said. “We have a better idea of where we don’t want to live and what’s out there that we can afford. It doesn’t
     look like we’ll be moving anytime soon. We’ll just have to be more creative with the space we have here.”
    “Rick was smart to grab both those café properties when he did,” Doug said. “He gave me an update a few weeks ago, and I have
     to say, that was a smart business move. He and his brother look to make some good money.”
    “That’s what he tells me,” Katie said.
    “You know, I was thinking the other day about when Rick, Todd, and I all shared an apartment back in our UC San Diego days.
     How long ago was that? Five years? No, it has to be at least six. Anyway, it’s pretty awesome how everything has turned out,
     isn’t it?”
    Katie smiled. Not only had she forgotten the all-encompassing, warm, and affirming way Doug gave hugs, but she also had forgotten
     that
awesome
was his favorite word.
    “Yeah, and speaking of awesome, who would have ever guessed that I would be the one to end up with Rick?”
    “Not me!” Doug spouted. “You’re the last one I would have ever…”
    Tracy shot him a look that caused him to backpedal.
    “I mean, who would have ever guessed you guys would be the last of us to marry? You’re the catch of the bunch, Katie. Rick
     is one blessed man… I mean, that is, if the two of you are getting closer to… to announcing any particular…”
    “Doug, you can stop anytime you want,” Katie said.
    “Good. I couldn’t manage to bring up the nose on that one, could I? Crash and burn.”
    Katie smiled. She liked Doug. She always had. When it came to crash-and-burn comments, in the past, Katie was often the one
     heading the conversation into a nosedive, and Doug was the one offering her a parachute. It felt kind of nice, actually, to
     be the one handing out the crash-landing gear.
    “On an unrelated topic,” Tracy said, reaching for a small toy