Page 70 of The Perfect Secret

It had been three weeks since he and Hannah had broken up. Three weeks watching the clock all day wondering what she was doing. Three weeks of him staring at his phone, willing himself not to call her but hoping she’d call him. Three weeks of smelling those damn hot dog vendors and getting nauseated.

If he’d thought he was addicted to her before, he was positive now. Except his addiction appeared to be getting worse, not better. Ending his relationship with her hadn’t worked. Now it was time for more drastic measures.

Grabbing the garbage can, he swept the remaining puzzle pieces from the table into the receptacle. He dropped to the floor and picked up all the ones that had fallen, adding them to those he’d already collected. When he was finished, he hoisted himself upright. His gaze darted from the tabletop to the trashcan. His fingers itched to remove the pieces from the garbage. What would he do without his distraction? With a muttered curse, he grabbed the can and brought it out into the hallway, dumping its contents down the building’s trash compactor. He folded the box and sent it into the recycling bin. Returning to his apartment, he strode to the window. He looked out at the street scene below as he tried to clear his mind.

All he saw were flashing images of Hannah reflected in the window, like some torturous slideshow. He raised his hand to pound the glass, thought better of it and lowered it again to his side. The only thing he’d accomplish would be a sore hand. Staring at his fist, he wondered if the pain would make things better. This was ridiculous. His heart pounded. Sweat dampened his brow. Maybe he was feverish?

The scrape of a key in a lock pulled him out of his self-examination. Tess entered the apartment. “Hi, Dad. Uh, are you okay?”

“Fine, why?”

“You don’t look like yourself.”

“I’m fine. How was shopping?”

“Good, I got lots of stuff.”

“Show me?”

“Later. I told Lexi I’d FaceTime her.”

“You shopped all day with her. What else is left to say?”

“Dad!”

Dan shook his head. He watched Tess stride down the hall in a huff. If Hannah were here, she’d make some joke to lighten his mood. She’d go after Tess. Everyone would laugh and get along, like the characters in a Disney movie. She’d probably have Tess model the clothes. But if Hannah were here, he wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Hannah wasn’t here. She wouldn’t be here ever again. His chest constricted and his head ached.

He walked into the kitchen to get a drink. When he opened the freezer for ice, he found one of the pies Hannah’s grandmother had made. His eyes burned and before he could stop himself, he’d thrown the pie into the garbage, right before Tess walked into the kitchen.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“I haven’t thought about it. How about pasta and meatballs?”

“Great. And can we defrost the apple pie?”

Did the entire universe conspire against him? “No, we don’t have it anymore.”

“You ate it?”

“I got rid of it.”

“Why?”

He didn’t have a good answer for her and her expression flattened after a minute. “Because it reminds you of Hannah, right?”

He had nothing to say, so he shrugged.

“I hate this.”

“Tess!”

But she’d left the room and he was alone. Again.

Chapter Twenty-One

The apartment phone rang just as Hannah got home from work the next day. She swallowed when she recognized the name. “Hello, Jeff.”

She hadn’t expected him to call, especially when he was a no-show for Thanksgiving. Her respect for her brother had increased a smidgeon. But she still dreaded this conversation.