“Thanks.” She felt herself blush as she headed off to get his coffee. She wasn’t ready for this. She needed some sort of break between being married and being divorced. Divorce leave? They had pregnancy leave, didn’t they?

When she returned with his coffee, she looked at him for the first time as a single woman might. He was handsome, in a sharp, dark sort of way. He looked younger than she was, twenty-three, maybe twenty-four. She was studying his clothes and trying to get a feel for what he did for a living when she ran into the chair he had pushed out from the table and spilled most of the coffee into the saucer.

“God, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “Are you having a bad day?”

“Getting worse by the minute. I’ll get you another cup.”

“No,” he raised a hand in protest. “Its fine.” He took the cup and saucer from her, separated them, and poured the coffee back into the cup. “See, good as new. I don’t want to add to your bad day.”

He was staring again.

“No, you’re fine. I mean, I’m fine. Thanks.” She felt like a geek. She cursed Robert for causing all this. If he hadn’t…No, it wasn’t Robert’s fault. She’d made the decision to end the marriage.

“I’m Travis.” The man extended his hand. She took it, tentatively.

“Jennifer—” She was about to tell him that she was married and that he was nice and all. “I’m not married,” she said. She immediately wanted to disappear into the kitchen and never come back.

“Me either,” Travis said. “I’m new in town.” He didn’t seem to notice how awkward she was. “Look, Jennifer, I’m looking for an address and I wonder if you could tell me how to find it? Do you know how to get to Cheshire Street?”

Jenny was relieved to be talking about anything but herself. She rattled off a series of streets and turns, landmarks and signs, that would lead Travis to Cheshire Street. When she finished, he just looked at her quizzically.

“I’ll draw you a map,” she said. She took a pen from her apron, bent over the table, and began drawing on a napkin.

Their faces were inches apart. “You’re very beautiful,” he said.

She looked at him. She didn’t know whether to smile or scream. Not yet, she thought. I’m not ready.

He didn’t wait for her to respond. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Thank you…” She tried to remember his name. “…Travis.”

“Have dinner with me tonight?”