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she could.”
    “Is she still in Astoria?”
    “Florence.”
    “Do you see her?”
    “Once a month or so. That’s why I chose Eugene.” Jenna shifted uncomfortably. She and her mother had never been close and she didn’t know why. “You’re giving me the third degree.”
    “I know. It’s a habit.” Eric sat back in his chair. “I still plan to write a story about the robbery. I hope you’re okay with that.”
    Jenna shrugged, not sure how she felt.
    He gave her a sly smile. “Why don’t you want to talk about your mother?”
    “Now you sound like a shrink. ‘Why don’t you tell me about your childhood and the terrible things your mother did to you.’”
    The smile went out of Eric’s eyes. “I never had a real father either, and I’ve been mad at my mom for most of my life.” He stared down at his coffee for a few seconds, then looked up. “But I had a whole truckload of little brothers to love and hate and horse around with, so in that sense I’m lucky.”
    “You are lucky. I hated being an only child. It was so lonely and boring. I have to be careful about saying that because so many people only have one child these days. I can understand why, but I feel sorry for the kids. It’s the pits.”
    “I’ll have to take your word for it. Being the oldest, I often wished I didn’t have any brothers. I spent most of my tender years as an unpaid babysitter.” Eric drained his coffee. “By the way, where did you learn CPR?”
    “At the restaurant.” Jenna cleared her throat reminded herself not to think about Arthur and the wet, sucking hole in his chest. “Public service employees have to take CPR classes every three years. I used to think it was excessive, but after last night, I don’t think it’s often enough. I swear I forgot everything I learned, and I’ve taken the class at least three times.”
    “You looked like you knew exactly what you were doing: calm, confident, in control.”
    “I fake it well.” Jenna laughed. “I have to. The restaurant is crazy busy every Friday and Saturday night. Someone has to be calm in the midst of the chaos.”
    “I couldn’t handle it. I’m patient with kids, but with adults…” Eric paused and shook his head. “I expect them to have it together or stay away from me.”
    “Doesn’t the newspaper business drive you crazy then?”
    “It did. The layoff was really a blessing. I now have minimum exposure to the public and its criminally ugly side.”
    “I think I’m getting to that point myself.” Surprised by the intensity of her feeling, Jenna wondered how long she’d been resenting her job. In a moment she knew—since she’d decided to have a baby. Subconsciously, she’d known her management hours would take up too much of her time and personal energy for her to be a good mother to a newborn. The robbery had been the final straw. She wanted out. “I think I’m going to quit my job.”
    “Seriously?” Eric frowned. “Maybe you should take some time off first, see how it feels. Go lie on the beach and soak up sun for a while.”
    “I might do that. But in the long run, I have to find a way to make money at home so I can be a good parent.” Oh dear, why had she said that?
    Eric’s forehead furrowed. “What haven’t you told me? Are you married? Do you have kids I don’t know about?”
    Jenna tried not to laugh. “Of course not. But don’t you think you should have asked me that last night?”
    “I should have, but you didn’t give me much of an opportunity.”
    Her cheeks were suddenly warm. “I’m not usually like that.”
    “That’s good. We didn’t use any protection, and I feel kind of uncomfortable about that.”
    It was not typical of her either. Jenna was more concerned about AIDS than getting pregnant, but she suspected Eric was talking about birth control. She respected his willingness to talk about it and decided to be completely honest with him.
    “I wouldn’t mind being pregnant.”
    Eric looked confused,