The Perfect Secret

Chapter One

It wasn’t the sound of a body hitting the floor that registered right away. The thump was in the periphery, a noise that stood out a little more than the background conversations floating around her as Hannah chatted with friends after the concert. It was the silence in the aftermath that drew her attention to the mass of people who moved toward the opposite end of the lobby in the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan.

Through a tangle of limbs, she watched them assist a man who had fallen. Off to the side was a teenager, propelled out of the way by the ever-helpful gaggle, and who now looked as if she couldn’t decide whether to dive back into the fray or melt into the ground.

Hannah’s heart squeezed. She remembered too well what it was like to be a teenager. With a half-smile, the kind you give to a kindred soul, she walked toward her. “Everything okay?”

The girl kept her gaze focused on the grey-haired man being helped to his feet. “Yeah, the crowd pushed and someone backed into him and his knee buckled and… I tried to help, but they sort of took over.”

She definitely had the “melt-into-the-ground” look.

“You know, if you kind of look through all of them, put your shoulders back and position your lips into a semblance of a smile, no one will notice how embarrassed you are,” Hannah said.

The teen whipped around, straight brown hair swinging, and looked at her askance. “Excuse me?”

“Hi, I’m Hannah.” She held out her hand, and after a couple of seconds the teen took it. “Growing up with three older brothers who took great pleasure in embarrassing me, I thought I’d pass along a little of the wisdom I’ve accumulated.” She looked at the teen’s red cheeks and shook her head. “I don’t have any suggestions for how to stop a blush, though. Wish I did because it drives me crazy even today.”

The teen drew her hands to her cheeks and closed her brown eyes for a moment. “Great, just great.”

“Did you like the concert?”

The girl shrugged. “The guys were hot.”

Hannah laughed. “I know, right? Especially the one with the deep voice.”

Her face lit up. “Love him! Oh, I’m Tess, by the way. Sorry, my dad would kill me for my lack of manners.”

“Your dad?”

Tess took a step toward the same grey-haired man who now limped over to them, leaning heavily on his cane. “Are you okay?”

Hannah did a double-take. When she’d seen him fall, she’d assumed by his cane and his grey hair he was elderly. Now, she vowed to get her sight checked. Tomorrow. Sure, his salt and pepper hair fooled her from a distance, but it was obvious he was one of those prematurely grey people, because his face was unlined, his eyes a bright piercing blue beneath black brows, his jaw square, and his posture straight and sure, despite his limp. His hand, which grasped his cane, was powerful and not marked with age spots. He was no elderly grandpa. He was gorgeous.

The man gave a shrug. “My pride is hurt more than anything else.” He touched her shoulder. “Sorry if I embarrassed you.” He turned his gaze to Hannah. “Do you two know each other?”

The hated blush heated Hannah’s cheeks and neck. “Actually, we just met. I’m Hannah Cohen. Nice to meet you and Tess.”

“Dan Rothberg.”

She held out her hand. His handshake was firm and warm. This close to him, she could smell his spicy aftershave, and it reminded her of the clove-filled spice box they passed around during Havdalah, which signaled the end of Shabbat and the start of the new week. She’d always loved the scent.

Discomfort made lines form on his face, as if he was embarrassed that she’d seen what happened to him. Empathy washed over her, and she searched for something to distract him. “Did you enjoy the concert?” Hannah asked.

He started to respond, but was interrupted. “Dad, can we go?”

“Sorry,” he said to Hannah. “I did. It was nice to meet you.” Turning toward Tess, he nodded. “Yes, Tess, we can go.”

She watched the two of them leave and wondered yet again how she mistook him for an old man. With a shake of her head, she returned to her book club friends.

“Do you know him?” Karen, her grandmother’s best friend and one of the women in the book club, asked as she approached. “I’ve seen him and his daughter around, but he doesn’t socialize. In fact, this is the first time I’ve seen him speak to anyone.” She lowered her voice. “I think you two would be perfect together.”

Hannah cringed inside. All she needed was for Karen Black, the “matchmaker,” to turn her focus on her. She raised her voice and to the group, “Is everyone coming to our apartment next week for book club?”

Dan and Tess walked in silence down the Hoboken street toward home. He glanced at his daughter, but she was immersed in her phone. Her hair formed a curtain and prevented him from seeing her face.

“I wish you wouldn’t walk and text. You’ll hurt yourself, or someone else.”

“I’m fine, Dad.”

He held his tongue, though he wanted to say more, or at least comment on the tone in her voice. Her fifteen-year-old moods switched fast enough to make him dizzy, and he didn’t feel like dealing with them. Maybe the best way for her to learn was to have something happen. Although with the unevenness of the sidewalk and the ambivalence of the other pedestrians, he was the one more likely to land on his ass. He gritted his teeth at the throbbing in his knee.

Getting knocked over in the crowd had made the pain worse, and he looked forward to returning home and putting his feet up. It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise fun evening. He’d enjoyed the concert more than he’d expected. The a cappella group had great voices and a terrific rhythm. He’d even tapped his feet and sung along on occasion. The beat-box rhythm, soulful harmony and Jewish music as varied as hip-hop and rock was a pleasant surprise.

As they waited for the light to change, the woman he’d met—Hannah, he thought her name was—flashed through his mind. She’d managed to make Tess smile. Maybe it was his mood Tess fought against, or maybe it was her age, but her smiles were few and far between.

Speaking of smiles, Hannah’s was beautiful.

“Dad, Lexi wants to know if I can hang out with her tonight. Can I?”

He blinked as they approached the front of their apartment building. “Will her parents be home?”

She rolled her eyes as her thumbs moved at lightning speed on the phone keyboard. “Yeah, they are.”

“Okay, but I want you home by nine.”

“So early?” She widened her brown eyes and he melted, transported to when she was a toddler and thought he could do no wrong.

“Okay, ten. But no later.”

“Thanks.” She gave him a brief hug. Once inside, she ran past the doorman to the elevator.

Dan followed at a slower pace. Teenagers. They rode the elevator in silence to the third floor. Tess ran to the left toward Lexi’s apartment, while Dan headed right toward their own. He grunted to himself as he unlocked the door, tossing his keys on the marble-topped hall table.

His leg hurt like a sonofabitch. He paused in the doorway of the bathroom. Staring at the medicine cabinet, he clenched his jaw, counted to ten, turned and went into the kitchen for a bag of ice. Before he could change his mind, he shuffled into the office. With a sigh, he sat at the table where his latest jigsaw puzzle, his go-to pain distraction, was spread out. Pulling over an extra chair, he lifted his leg onto it. With one hand, he held the bag of ice on his knee; with the other he played with the pieces. Out of five thousand pieces, he’d completed the outer frame, which left a ridiculous amount for the middle. He could look at the picture on the front of the box, but in his mind, that was cheating. Taking the easy way out always was. He’d done it before and look what had happened. He’d never put his daughter at risk again.

With a shake of his head to clear his mind, Dan focused on the puzzle. An under-the-sea scene, with multicolored fish and sea turtles and plants, the puzzle design was complicated and required concentration in order to match the exact shades of color. Although more old-fashioned than phone apps or video games, it was the perfect distraction to keep his focus off the pain. Out of the corner of his eye, a reddish-brown puzzle piece caught his eye and a vision of Hannah floated through his mind. The woman’s hair was the exact color of the puzzle piece. He frowned. Woman? She was barely more than a girl and much too young for him to spare a thought for her. He winced as a shaft of pain sliced through his leg. Focus on the puzzle. Taking a deep breath, he removed all other thoughts from his mind.

The front door slid open, the click of the lock announcing Tess’s return.

“Hey, you’re home early,” he said as she joined him in his home office. “Everything okay?”

She frowned. “Uh, no, it’s ten o’clock, like you said. I’m going to bed. Good night.”

He looked at the clock. Two hours had passed without him noticing it. “Whoa. Good night, Tess. I love you!”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

As he went to his room, he marveled once more at the carousel ride that was his daughter.

The next day, Hannah walked during her lunch hour. Her heels clicked along the sidewalk in time to her breathing as she tried to blow off steam. The autumn breeze cooled her neck and temper, allowing her to take in the scenery. It was a beautiful autumn day in New York City. Skyscrapers stood in stark relief against the bright blue sky. The sun glinted off the windows, reminding her of a mirror ball. She would have enjoyed her walk more, but other things occupied her mind. Two things, in fact.

Why did clients have to be so difficult? She fisted her hands at her sides as she thought about their unreasonable demands. Pharmaceuticals made her yawn, but if she wanted a promotion and to develop her own client roster, she needed to succeed with what she was given. It was the only way to get a raise and be able to support her grandmother. She owed her.

Hannah had spent all morning trying to create an interesting angle to highlight her client’s new CEO appointment. There wasn’t one, and none of the large media outlets were biting. Even if she’d been able to fake interest in the subject, there was nothing earthshattering about a new executive in a corner office. Her boss put Hannah in charge of crafting a successful news hook to be able to pitch the story. And Hannah was stumped.

As if that wasn’t enough to fill her stomach with acid, there was Adam. He had the timing of a third-string, second-rate quarterback. How had she ever thought he was worth dating? And in all seriousness, she was never, ever answering her phone again without checking caller ID. Remembering his smarmy voice set her teeth on edge.

What started out as a fun set-up with the roommate of her best friend’s boyfriend had turned into anything but. Sure, he was funny and sexy with a great job at his father’s law firm in New Jersey. But he was all flash and about as dependable as catching a taxi in the rain. He’d cancel plans last minute or forget they’d made them in the first place. Even now, a year later, she could taste her disappointment when he once again stood her up. And his attention span? A toddler possessed a longer one. She’d known from the start their relationship was casual. But as time went on, she discovered she wanted someone who understood her commitment to her family. She wanted more than a shallow hookup.

Hannah had broken it off with him a month ago and he’d seemed to take it in stride. Until today when he called out of the blue looking for a “good time,” as he put it. In other words, he was in between girlfriends and horny. Lovely. Even now, thinking about what he’d said on the phone made her heart race, and not in a good way. Thanks to him, her concentration, along with the glimmer of an idea, evaporated.

Since her appetite disappeared as soon as she heard his, “Hey, babe,” she walked during her lunch hour, trying to calm down and remember what she’d planned to suggest as a media hook. Her stomach had other ideas, though, and growled as she smelled the hot dog vendor on the corner. No matter how gross they were, something about those dirty water dogs appealed to her. She ordered one with mustard and a diet soda. When the vendor collected the money and passed over the food, she turned around and smacked into a hard body behind her.

“Oh, I’m so sor—”

It was the silver-haired guy from the night before. What was his name? Dan. “Hi,” she said. His hand clasped her elbow to steady her as he balanced with his cane.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were behind me.”

“Strange coincidence, isn’t it? No damage done, no apology necessary.”

He backed away with a hitch in his step, giving her room to move. But his hand was still on her elbow and not wanting to upset his balance, she followed, engaging in a silent dance routine. Meanwhile, others in line backed away. He frowned, took another step back and again she followed. His grip was firm, warm, and made the little hairs on her arm stand on end. A part of her didn’t want him to let go. However, the practical side of her realized if he didn’t do it soon, they would block the vendor or land on the ground. She looked pointedly at her arm and his gaze followed. His eyes crinkled, his mouth curved in a smile as he huffed a breath and let go of her arm.

“Oh, so that’s how you do it,” he said. “Next time I’ll know better. Kind of weird, though, running into you here. Or maybe not weird, but…”

She laughed. He was awkward, charming, and chatty, which was a surprise after his aloofness yesterday.

“No worries, although maybe we should move out of the way.” Hannah tossed a glance over her shoulder at the hot dog cart. “We’re blocking the vendor from his customers. Or did you want to order a hot dog?”

“Yeah, I did. Wait a sec?”

“Sure.” She moved to the side, surprised he didn’t give her the brush-off, since yesterday he’d seemed eager to leave.

Moments later, he joined her. “I didn’t mean weird before.”

His body gave off warmth and an invisible string pulled her closer. “Yes, you did, but I understand. It is kind of weird.”

His shoulders relaxed. “I also owe you an apology. You were great with Tess, somehow making her smile when I never seem to be able to, and I was surprised. I never properly thanked you.”

“You’re welcome. She’s lovely. I enjoyed talking with her.”

He tilted his head as if trying to translate what she said. His gaze compelled her to look, and she couldn’t turn away. “Not many people say that about teenagers. Do you have any?”

“No, but I was one. And I have three older brothers, two of whom have children, and one of my nieces will turn thirteen this year, so…”

“So, you’re well prepared. I thought so when she talked to you rather than playing with her phone or running away.”

Hannah raised her eyebrows. “I doubt she would have run away without knowing if you were okay.”

He shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. Hannah had an urge to comfort him. “True.” He cleared his throat. “Do you work near here?”

She looked around. Her thoughts had distracted her, and she’d walked much farther than she’d intended, almost ten blocks.

“Actually, no, I don’t. I walked to distract myself and evidently, I did a good job.”

They approached an empty bench and Hannah sat. “You can join me if you like.” A part of her hoped he’d stay. This was turning into the best part of the day and she didn’t want it to end too soon, not when she was getting to know him. With her luck, though, he would grab a quick bite to eat and return to work.

“Sure.” When he lowered himself onto the bench, she warmed at his desire to stay a little longer. He took a bite of his hot dog with mustard and relish, resting his cane against his leg. She wondered if he’d been recently injured.

“What do you do?” he asked.

“I’m a PR exec at a large firm. I work with a big pharmaceutical company client. You?”

“Forensic accountant.”

“Do you work nearby?”

He pointed to the cross street. “One block that way.”

“Uh-oh, you may need to find a new hot dog vendor. I think we might have annoyed him with our two-step.”

He laughed, more of a bark, and Hannah caught her breath. She got the feeling he didn’t laugh often. Or maybe he did…she wasn’t sure. But she liked being the one to make him do it.

Hannah took another bite of her hot dog and wiped her mouth. “So do you go to the JCC often?”

“Tess volunteers as a tutor. She’s there more often than I am. I dragged her to the concert last night, though.”

“What did you think of it?”

“I liked their rhythm. Can’t say much for their ‘hotness’ though.”

“Oh, you overheard us?”

He nodded and his cheek twitched. He was trying not to grin.

As they ate, she studied his profile. Close-cropped salt and pepper hair, square jaw, powerful shoulders. If she had to guess, she’d say late thirties despite the hair color. He turned and his gaze no longer brimmed with laughter.

“You have mustard…right…there.” He took a napkin and wiped it off her cheek. His touch, even through the thin paper, branded her. Her face heated at the thought of how she must have looked, and his lips stretched into a smile. But to his credit, he didn’t laugh, and he pulled away as if he sensed she needed more space.

“Thanks,” she said. “Wow, I am just winning today, aren’t I?”

“We all have our days.”

She pulled out her phone to check the time. “I hate to eat and run, but I have to get back to work. It was great running into you…literally.”

“I’m glad you did. See you around.”

She threw away her trash, waved, and returned to her office. But after going about three blocks, she realized she hadn’t gotten his phone number.

And he hadn’t asked for hers.