Page 16 of The Perfect Secret
“Exactly. Would make a great dating profile—loves dates at the planetarium, awkward ones preferred.”
She shook her head as she thought about the men she’d dated within the past six months. “Oh, think of the dating app possibilities!”
“I’ve never used them,” he said. “My wife and I dated in college and married as soon as we graduated. Apps didn’t exist then.”
“Dating in college was much easier. Everyone I meet now seems to be aggressive, only interested in hooking up, and a little obnoxious. And they don’t make much of an effort.” She looked at him and wondered if he’d remember their previous conversation. When he nodded, she knew he did.
“Wow, I guess I’ll take awkward any day.”
“It’s not to say they’re all bad. It’s just…they seem superficial. Like, as long as we’re having a good time, everything is fine. But there isn’t much depth. I love cracking jokes and fooling around as much as the next person. But not to the exclusion of everything else.”
“You know, I think you’ve verbalized something I’ve tried to put my finger on.”
“What?”
“I’ve got life down. Parenting, for the most part. As well as anyone ever can with a teenaged girl.” He peered into his glass of water. “But I’ve done it to the exclusion of everything else. There’s no…depth.”
“How long have you been single?”
He dropped his hand to his lap. “My wife died almost eight years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
He nodded. She watched him in silence, hoping he’d elaborate, not wanting to pry. After a minute, her patience was rewarded. His upper arm flexed, as if he were rubbing his leg. “It was a car accident.”
“Is that how you hurt your leg?”
He startled. “What?”
“Your leg? You started rubbing it in a different way when you talked about your wife.”
He grimaced. “You’re pretty observant.”
She watched him over the rim of the wineglass. He’d moved his hand away from his leg as soon as she brought his action to his attention. He looked lost. He moved his hand from his lap to the table to his neck, as if he didn’t know where to land. This observant, kind man, who wanted depth, was terrified of what it meant. But he was still here at the table with her. She reminded herself she needed to move slowly, and she reached for his hand. His fingers were warm and he squeezed.
“My last boyfriend was the best friend of my best friend’s boyfriend.” She watched him figure out the relationship, mentally drawing a diagram until his face lit up.
“That could be problematic.”
“It was at first, but now things seem to be okay. Except he calls whenever he gets horny.” At the look of concern on Dan’s face, she rushed to explain. “I’ve never accepted, of course, and he always seems fine when I beg off. I’m not interested. But I’m hopeful he takes the hint and stops calling.”
“You’re sure? Sorry, of course you’re sure. You’re an adult. How do your best friend and her boyfriend deal with it?”
The waiter came at that moment with their artichoke appetizer. Dan served her.
“Oh, this is sooo good,” she said. The Parmesan cheese added a sharp bite of flavor and combined with the butter, the artichokes practically melted in her mouth.
Hannah swallowed and dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Getting back to your question…Aviva, my best friend, wants me to be happy. Her boyfriend, Jacob, understands Adam, my ex-boyfriend. So we’re able to be friends.” She paused. “Always being the third wheel is a little tiresome, though.”
“You’re lucky to have friends like them.”
“What about you? Do you have friends like that?”
“I kind of pulled away from everyone when Beth died. Now I’m used to Tess and me being on our own and I’m not sure how to repair some of those relationships. But I hope to one day.”
“I would think it would be difficult being thrust into the role of a single parent.”
“It’s a bit like riding a roller coaster without the safety harness. Tess is a great kid and everything I do is pretty much with her in mind.”