"How we met?" Hannah repeated slowly. Rather than confess the truth, she glanced shyly in Cheryl's direction and said, "That's rather an involved story, and if you don't mind, I'd prefer to leave it for another time."
"Of course," Cheryl returned, easily appeased. She glanced anxiously at her watch. "I've got to be at the hospital in an hour. If I'm not careful, the time will slip away from me."
"You work at the hospital?" Cheryl nodded. "In Labor and Delivery." Hannah brightened. "Really? That must be interesting work."
"Believe me, it is. I find it incredible how many babies decide to be born while Daddy's out to sea. Speaking of which," she said, waving her hand as she hurriedly finished a sip of tea, "isn't it the pits Riley and Steve are leaving for that training session? I hate it when the Navy does this, but then I should be accustomed to the way the military works by now. Steve isn't any more thrilled about this than I am, and I bet Riley feels the same way."
Hannah hadn't a clue what Cheryl was talking about, but she didn't want the other woman to know it. If Riley was going on deployment, he hadn't shared the news with her. Hannah felt lost in the dark, groping around, searching for meaning. She forced a smile when she noticed Steve's wife anxiously studying her. "The pits is right."
"So soon after you two are married."
"Do they know exactly when they'll be going?" Hannah hoped she effectively disguised the eagerness in her voice. She felt hollow inside, as if a giant void had opened up and exposed what a farce her marriage really was. It hurt more than she thought possible for Riley to have hidden this from her.
"It looks like they're scheduled to head out Monday morning, but I doubt it'll be a full cruise. At least, that's what the scuttlebutt claims. They should be home before Christmas, at any rate, although I fully expect them to be gone the entire seventy days this spring."