The one in the University of Miami sweatshirt rubbed the side of his jaw as he blatantly stared at Hannah. "Is this the gal you spent all that time – "
"Are you going to stand around here all morning gawking, or are you going to help us move?" Riley demanded, lifting a box and shoving it into Don's arms.
Don let out a loud grunt as the box was shoved against his chest, then cast the others a rueful grin before carrying it out the front door to the waiting van.
The four soon formed a small caravan, carting furniture and boxes. Within less than a half hour, everything in the kitchen and living room was neatly tucked inside the moving van.
In the bustle of activity, Hannah was left to her own devices. Before she misplaced her purse, she carried that down the stairs along with a bag of cleaning supplies and set them on the floor of the truck, locking the door. As she stepped away, she heard Burt murmur something to Riley about a woman named Judy. The short, stocky man who wore a Seahawk football jersey number twelve seemed concerned and abruptly stopped speaking when he noticed Hannah.
Riley turned and frowned, as though anxious she might have heard something he'd prefer she didn't.
"You weren't carrying anything, were you?" he demanded when the silence seemed as loud as thunder.
"My purse," she returned softly, and hurried up the stairs, pressing herself against the railing halfway up when Don and Steve walked past her, each holding one end of the mattress. As soon as they were safely past, she rushed up the steps, pondering what she'd overheard.
Judy.
From the way Burt and Riley behaved, it was apparent they hadn't wanted her to hear. Their reaction led her to only one conclusion: Riley had been involved with the mystery woman. The fact he was married had certainly come as a surprise to the very men he'd labeled his friends.
So Riley had a woman friend; it shouldn't come as any surprise. He was a virile man, and not once had she believed he'd lived the life of a hermit.
A weary feeling came over her when Hannah entered the apartment. Naturally Riley wouldn't tell his friends about their marriage. No man would want to admit, even to the best of friends, that he'd been forced into marriage. Hannah swallowed at the growing lump in her throat. She'd been a fool not to realize Riley would be involved with someone else. Not only had her night of folly wreaked havoc in her own life, it had disrupted several others as well. Recriminations pounded at her like tiny hammers, and she sucked in a giant breath as she battled with her renewed sense of guilt.