He took another sip of coffee. "It didn't happen often,
but occasionally I had to go out of town for conferences or conventions. I
hated leaving Jenna alone, especially that time, since our baby, Zach, wasn't
quite two months old."
Hannah gave a sharp intake of breath. "I didn't know
you had a son." She put her other hand onto his, and that was the only
thing that gave him the strength to continue.
"It was a quick trip up to San Francisco, a
one-nighter. I called Jenna that evening and found her and Zach doing fine. She
missed me, but the feeling was mutual, so it wasn't a big thing. When I got
home late the next afternoon, I knew something was wrong the second I walked
in. The house was too quiet, and both Jenna's car and the stroller were there,
so they couldn't have gone anywhere. I walked into Zach's room and found him
asleep. Or so I thought. He lay too still and when I touched him, he was so
cold. Shock and panic hit me at once, and I screamed for Jenna. I'm sure the
entire neighborhood heard. I stumbled out and into our bedroom. The adjoining
bathroom door was closed. I burst in and found her in the tub, both wrists slit
wide open. I don't know how much water she'd let in because it all looked like
blood. All the way to the top and spilled over. But the worst part was the expression
on her face. One of absolute horror."
He stopped and took a deep breath. That was the most he'd
said about the incident to anyone since the original police investigation. His
whereabouts had been easy enough to trace, so it had been officially ruled a
crib-death and suicide. The only thing keeping the tears at bay now was his new
angel sitting across from him. He looked up and found tears trickling down her
cheeks. He picked up a clean napkin and lightly brushed her face. It earned him
a smile, and she took over.
"I'm sorry," she said. "That's so sad."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to
upset you." He lifted her hand and kissed it without thinking. She smiled
and rubbed his cheek. Her eyes were red and puffy, but only Jenna could match
her beauty.
He chuckled. "What would your boyfriend say if he
walked in and saw us like this?"
Confusion clouded her features, and then she laughed.
"Is that your clumsy way of asking if I'm single?"
"I'm just assuming you're not. You're much too pretty,
much too nice, not to have someone."
She looked down at her hot chocolate and whispered, "I
don't."
"Are all the young guys dumb as dirt nowadays?"
"No. Well, maybe," she said with a giggle, meeting
his eyes. "I've been on a few dates, but no one has really interested me
enough to be beyond superficially attractive."
He sat back, took another pull from his coffee, and let out
a sigh. "I wish I was younger so I could see if I proved worthy."
She leaned forward and captured his full attention. As she
spoke, her voice had that raspy quality of lust permeating her entire being.
"Why would you need to be younger? You're perfect the way you are."
He expected her to blush again and look away, but she
didn't. Her eyes devoured him, and for a minute nothing existed but the two of
them — not the coffee shop nor any of the patrons, not the immediate future
where they'd be forced to part for the night, and certainly not his past with
Jenna. All that mattered was him, Hannah, and where this budding relationship,
or whatever it was, might be heading.
Finally he broke eye contact and took another drink. She did
the same, and now her cheeks were flush. He wasn't sure this time if it was
embarrassment over whatever it was that just played out, or excitement over the
prospect of what it meant.
"So what happened?" she asked, her voice stiff, as
if she'd forced herself to speak.
"What do you mean?"
"With your wife and son. Did she leave a suicide note
or anything?"
He shook his head. "The police came to the conclusion
that Zach died an accidental crib death, and when she found him, she couldn't
take it. She likely went right from his room to get the razorblades, and then
to the bathtub." He stopped to keep the sadness from dragging him under.
"But enough about that. What about you? What are you studying?"
