Page 6 of The Perfect Secret
“His name is Dan, but I’m not sure if it will last more than one time. Not to mention I should focus on getting a promotion. I don’t want to sound superficial, but he’s older than I am.”
“How much older?”
She thought about it for a few seconds. “It’s hard to tell because although his hair is gray, his face is young. But he has a teenage daughter, so maybe ten years? Is he too old, do you think?”
“Age matters a lot less now since we’re older. It’s not like we’re still in school. How’d you meet him?”
Hannah told her about their meeting in the JCC and again at the hotdog stand.
“He sounds like he has potential.”
She couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her lips. “I never expected him to call. He’s a little bit awkward about it so it’s cute. We’re meeting for lunch Monday, despite a part of me that thinks we shouldn’t. I’m not sure how I feel about getting involved with someone who has a kid.”
At the corner, Aviva gave Hannah a hug. “Nice to see you’re optimistic. I’ll see you Monday. And dress pretty!”
Hannah laughed at Aviva and walked the rest of the way to the apartment she shared with her grandmother. With a nod to the doorman, and a quick stop at the mailbox, she rode the elevator to the seventh floor and let herself in.
“Bubbe?”
“Hannahla! How was your day?” Her grandmother, Sylvia, waddled over and gave her a rib-cracking hug before she returned to the kitchen. “I have stuffed cabbage ready for dinner. Go change and we can sit down.”
Hannah changed into sweats and a T-shirt before she returned to the kitchen to set the table. When she was finished, they lit the white Shabbat candles, sang the blessing, and sat down to eat. Hannah told her about her day.
“And how about you,Bubbe? What did you do today?”
“Oh, I played mah jongg with the girls in the morning and got my nails done this afternoon.” She displayed her hand across the table. “Do you like the color? It’s called Passion Fruit.”
“Very pretty. Sounds like you had a nice day.”
“I did. Do you have any plans tonight?”
“No, I’ll relax, maybe work ahead a little. Unless you’d like to go see a movie?”
“No, there’s nothing playing I want to see. Besides, you don’t want to hang out with me. You need to find a handsome man your own age.”
Hannah concentrated on her stuffed cabbage. What would her grandmother say if she knew about Dan?
Chapter Three
Monday, time dragged. Hannah half expected to hear the numbers of the clock scrape against the floor, creating ruts in the blue industrial carpet. The press release she was writing, discussing the goals of her client’s new CEO, was stuck on line three. She’d sit down to write, and remember she needed a cup of coffee. So she’d go and get coffee, sit and be too warm. She’d adjust the thermostat and realize she should make sure her hair wasn’t frizzy, since she didn’t want Dan to see her look like the Wild Woman of Borneo. She’d return once again to the computer, and be too cold. Lunch could not come fast enough.
Finally, finally, finally, lunchtime rolled around. Hannah grabbed her purse and raced to the bathroom. After she fixed her makeup and hair, she walked to the Piccolo Café. As she approached the restaurant, she spotted him waiting on the sidewalk. Khakis with a razor-sharp crease fit him better than any she had seen before, and a flash of his sexy rear flitted through her head. A blue button-down Oxford, the exact color of his eyes, stretched across his broad shoulders and managed not to look rumpled after a half day of work. Silver-flecked hair glinted in the sun and a strong hand gripped his cane. The brown wood looked bronze in the sun, and for the first time, she noticed grooved cutouts along the shaft, which added some artistry to it. He met her gaze and waved, a half-smile on his face, as he shifted his weight and pulled at his collar.
For some reason, his nerves calmed her. She exhaled, blew a strand of hair out of her face, and hurried to meet him. “Hi, sorry if I kept you waiting.”
“I was early.”
For her. Her stomach lurched and she pressed her hand against her middle to settle it.
He rested his hand on her upper arm. “Want to go inside?”
Warmth radiated from her arm to her fingertips. This close to him, she could smell his shampoo and a faint trace of his aftershave, and she wanted more time to figure out what those specific scents were. But they were in the middle of the sidewalk, and now was not the time to sniff.
Not to mention, she would look weird.
He ushered her indoors, and they followed the hostess to a table in the back of the rustic-looking dining room, his gait a little uneven as he limped.
“How’s your day so far?” he asked when the hostess left.