Riley was home by the time she returned. He stood when she walked in the door, glancing anxiously in her direction.
"I didn't get the job," she announced on her way through the living room. Her voice shook slightly, and she did her level best to ignore him. Dealing with one disappointment at a time was her limit.
He followed her into the kitchen. "What happened?"
"It seems they aren't interested in a secretary after all. They want a… a grandma."
"A what?"
"Someone who isn't pregnant," she explained tersely. "Only they dressed it in more delicate terms. I could sue them."
"There'll be other job interviews."
Hannah had fully expected Riley to gloat when he learned she hadn't gotten the job. He didn't want her working, and had said as much. Having him gently reassure her only served to confuse her. Her throat thickened – something she'd always hated because it was a sure sign she was close to tears. Hannah hated to cry. Some women had perfected the art of weeping with a natural feminine grace. That wasn't the case with Hannah. Her skin got blotchy, her nose ran, and if she tried to speak, her words sounded as though they were coming out of a pepper grinder.
"I'll never get a job," she said, hating it when her voice cracked.
"Sure, you will."
Hannah glared at Riley. She was depressed and miserable. The last thing she wanted was for her pragmatic husband to pretend to be Mary Sunshine, especially when she was fully aware of the fact he didn't want her to take the job in the first place.
"I…1 find your optimism to be downright hypocritical." She tossed the words at him with a vengeance.
"Hannah, whether you decide to take on an outside job is entirely up to you. I voiced my concerns and left the matter in your hands. Better than anyone, you know how much you can or cannot do."
"You're singing a different tune than you were yesterday."
He nodded. "I talked it over with a friend."
"Steve, I suppose. After all, Cheryl's employed full-time, isn't she?"
His eyes flew to hers. "How'd you know…?"
"She stopped in the other morning to introduce herself." Hannah refused to look away, hoping he could see the pain that was in her heart. She was doing everything she knew to be the best wife she could to Riley Murdock. More than anything, she longed for this marriage to work, but they didn't stand a chance if her husband insisted upon keeping her emotionally at arm's length. He should have told her he'd be leaving for six weeks the minute he'd learned that he'd been assigned sea duty. It cut deep slices against the grain of her pride whenever she realized how short a time they had left to be together. In a matter of hours he was scheduled to leave for heaven only knew how long – weeks, possibly months – and he hadn't seen fit to so much as tell her. But then she was holding him at arm's length herself, refusing to make love with him.