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Penny dropped the hand that had been extended to collect Ryan’s headshot. “I’m not sure we should discuss this here. Do you have a minute? We could go somewhere. Somewhere close.”
Ryan took a step back. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Penny tugged at his elbow, pulling Ryan from the studio. She paraded him downstairs, out through the gated front door where she glanced hungrily up and down the street for something, anything, that would work.
“Let’s get some Froyo,” she decided. “There’s a little shop around the corner.”
Ryan followed Penny’s every move. He mimicked her motions as she served up a bowl of yogurt for herself. Penny didn’t pay attention to the flavors she selected, but she did keep the serving sizes small. She couldn’t afford Froyo.
However, when Ryan offered his credit card at the register, Penny nearly gasped with relief. She made a noncommittal noise of protest, but he waved away her offer to split the bill. Clutching her bowl, Penny followed Ryan outside to a shaded patio. They took seats opposite each other at a warped, rusty table and equally misshapen café-style chairs. They were blissfully alone.
“Is it…” Ryan glanced at Penny’s stomach. “Is it mine?”
“He,” Penny confirmed. “It’s a boy.”
“If you’re nine months, and I’m counting right…”
“You’re counting right,” she said softly.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me you were pregnant?” Ryan shoved his spoon into his yogurt and let it sit there. “Did you stop coming to class so I wouldn’t notice?”
“I’m not sure the baby’s yours.”
“But nine months ago…”
Penny dug her spoon into her bowl and took a bite. The edges of the frothy, bright colors were starting to melt into a brownish soup while she waited for poor Ryan to put everything together. He looked incredibly perplexed. He didn’t seem to sort out what Penny was saying until she winced. Then she nodded, and he sat back in his seat. His fingers toyed with the edge of his spoon.
“You think the baby is his.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Ryan eventually sighed. “I suppose that doesn’t matter now.”
“What do you mean?” Penny said. “What doesn’t matter?”
“We can still be together,” Ryan said. “I’ve wanted to be with you since the day we met.”
“But that’s—”
“The other guy isn’t still in the picture, is he?”
“Er, no. He’s not. He’s, ah, dead.”
“So it was Roman.”
“I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry.”
“If there was a chance the baby was mine, you should have come to me, too.”
“I didn’t think the chances were equal!” Penny leaned forward, her hands gripping at the table with her outburst. She recovered, sat back. Continued quietly. “I went to Roman first because I figured there was a bigger chance it was his. I…um…saw him more than you.”
“You hoped it was his.”
“For a moment, maybe. But I was wrong. Very, very wrong.”
“When he died…”
“We weren’t together. I broke things off in October of last year.”
