Free A Moment Like This by Leen Elle Page B

degrees from straight. Questioningthestars had sent him a message. Why was a man contacting him?
    "What gotten into you, Shannon?" he asked her withdrawing his hand and straightening how he was sitting in his seat. "You're on pretty shaky ground to be making such bold moves."
    "I know, Aidan, but… I just want you to listen to me," she said biting her lip and pushing her shimmering mane behind her ear. Her eyes darted away from his.
    "Words can be conveyed without the use of hands."
    "But, Aidan, you don't understand," she pled with watering eyes, "I'm desperate. You have to…"
    "I don't have to do anything for you, Shannon," he told her bitterly, "as a matter of fact I'm doing you a favor by just meeting you here. Any wiser man would have stayed away."
    "I know," she whimpered, "I know but I just had to see you. When Austin found out about… about…"
    "Yeah, what about it?" he asked hoping not to have their mistake mentioned again; there was still a void there, a tender one.
    "He told me that if he had known..." Her continence crumbled and large tears rolled down her cheeks. Burying her face in her hands she sobbed quietly. Sensing the looks that had shifted their way she whispered, "Austin said that if he had known about Aven he never would have looked my way. He left me out in the cold, Aidan. I don't have anywhere to go."
    Promise didn't know about Aven either. Shannon looked so broken at the moment he could almost forget her vengeful temperament. Almost.
    A sense of responsibility choked him. Aven had been their son. At graduation Shannon had nearly been showing. She hadn't wanted to put the small child up for adoption but neither of them had the means to support him. Well he had but if his father had found out…
    Shaking his head he put the past out of his mind. "You knew we couldn't hide him forever."
    "But I thought it wouldn't matter to Austin. He told me he…"
    "Loved you? That's what you told me as well if I recall."
    "Please don't bring up the past, Aidan,"
    "Ah but, Shannon, it's what has brought us together once again." When she looked up at him with red rimmed eyes he sighed and got to his feet. Coming to stand beside her he pulled her gently to her feet. "Perhaps we should continue our business somewhere else. People are staring."
    Sniffling, Shannon grabbed her purse as he slipped some change onto the table for their coffee. As they turned to leave she wrapped herself about his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. Aidan frowned but led her out of the restaurant. His only joy that could come from this morning was that Promise hadn't seen him with Shannon. He could fib about not feeling well and postpone their date until later. Promise wouldn't have a problem with that.
    Aidan hurried to catch up with the familiar silhouette that was exiting the hospital. Promise wasn't returning his calls and the only person he could think to probe about her was her childhood playmate, Dr. Frankenstein. He was competition but if he worked this right Mr. Minstrom would never be the wiser about his persisting troubles with Promise.
    "Colin," he called on ahead stopping the coroner in his tracks; the addressee turned about and raised an eyebrow.
    "Yes?" he asked from where he had paused on the sidewalk.
    "May we talk?"
    "If this is about how you think I'm stealing Promise away from you I swear…"
    "No, no it's not about that," Aidan assured him, "it's just she's not talking to me and I can tell there's something bothering her."
    "Well if she didn't see fit to tell you don't think I will." Aidan turned awkwardly to go hearing from behind him, "I wish I could give you the displeasure that it was you who was bothering her but I can't; she's not talking to me either."
    Aidan took a small measure of comfort in the fact that knowledge she hadn't divulged her secret to the grim reaper but in the large scope of things it was a negligible benefit. She still wasn't talking to him and he still didn't know why.
    "I'm here to see Mrs.