Page 60 of The Perfect Secret
Okay.
The breath she’d held whooshed out of her.
vinnie’s at 7:30 tonight
A few seconds later, he responded.
See you then.
Vinnie’s Coffee Shop was popular with the commuting crowd, so by 7:30 on a weeknight it began to empty out as people headed home for the evening. Hannah walked into the restaurant. Not seeing Dan, she found a seat near the window to wait. A minute or two later, he entered. She waved.
He didn’t smile.
She swallowed.
As he eased into the chair across from her, she wondered how his leg was, but at a time like this, it would be a bad idea to ask him. She swallowed again and stared at the menu in front of her.
“Do you want to order something?” Her stomach was queasy. She wasn’t sure what she could eat.
“No.”
Great, this was going well. She took in the tense set of his shoulders, the frown line between his brows, his hand clenched on the table.
“What did I do?” Her voice was low. She tried hard not to make it whiny. Days of silence from him had given her too much time to think. She needed answers.
He looked out the window. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Does this mean I did nothing, or you won’t tell me?”
Dan expelled a breath. He met her gaze. “It’s not you.”
She gave a shaky laugh. “Don’t start with theit’s not you, it’s mecrap. That’s a brush-off and I deserve better.”
His face colored. “You’re right. I can’t be the man you want, the man you deserve.”
“Did I miss a conversation, Dan? Because I don’t remember listing the things I wanted in a man. You don’t get to decide what I deserve.” Hannah’s heart pounded in her chest. Her nostrils flared as she tried to squeeze air in past the anger blocking her lungs.
Dan swore under his breath. “Dammit.”
Hannah took a sip of water. It sloshed in her stomach.
“I thought I could do this,” Dan said. “I thought I could be a good dad and have a relationship. But I can’t, Hannah. I just can’t.”
“You’re a great dad. I’ve never asked you to choose between me and Tess.” Hannah paused. “Does Tess not like me? Is that the problem?” Tears prickled behind her eyes.
“No, she loves you. But I can’t manage the relationship right now. I’m sorry.”
She gripped her water glass. The icy temperature permeated her skin, traveling through her veins to her heart. “You don’t want to try to work this out?”
“I can’t. I know you don’t want to hear me say this, but you deserve someone who can devote his entire self to you. I’m not that guy.”
If she opened her mouth, she’d scream. Her scream would shatter the water glass, the windows, and the lights above. But it would be nothing compared to what Dan did to her heart.
Hannah rose and gripped the edge of the table. “Maybe you’re not that guy. Right now, I don’t know who you are, because you’re not the Dan I’ve gotten to know these past six weeks. You’re not the Dan I fell in love with.”
“I don’t understand it, Aviva,” Hannah said at lunch two days later. She rubbed her brow, trying to relieve the headache she’d had since leaving Dan. “I know I should just forget about him, but he broke up with me without giving me a reason.”
“Could something have spooked him?”