Page 29 of Ice Queen

She plops down into the nearest bean bag and crosses one leg over the other. “Sammy’s a great guy. The most loyal and overprotective man I know. He’d go to war for any of us without asking a single question. He’s not a saint, but he’s certainly not what they’re trying to make him seem.”

Without asking a single question. That’s exactly what he did for me, though I wouldn’t call it going to war.

“So, were you here for craft night or?...” I motion to the multiple bags lining the table, deciding that a subject change is in our best interest.

Her eyes widen before she lets out a quick huff of laughter. “No, I just came from the foundation. I wanted to see if you had time to talk about business. If you didn’t, I was going to work on some things until you closed.”

She was going to hang out here? “You don’t have anywhere else you can do that?” I ask, immediately regretting the way it came out.

“Oh, if it bothers you, I can go. I just thought–”

I raise my hands, waving them in front of me as my head shakes vehemently. “No!” I shout way too loudly for the proximity we share. I clear my throat and try again, “No, sorry, that isn’t what I meant.”

“I just–” I stop myself, swallowing roughly. “I don’t know why you’d want to hang out with me.”

Her smile isn’t placating. It’s an acknowledgement. “Because I see some of myself in you. The parts that want to feel seen, to know someone is in your corner. Abby was that for me, and I’ve been waiting for the day I’d get to be that person for someone else. Plus, I think it’s really cool that you own a bookstore.”

My teeth bite into my bottom lip, rolling back and forth a few times. Am I that easy to read?

“You can totally tell me to buzz off, and I will. I’ve spent too much time around Abby and Lettie, so I’ve kind of forgotten people actually have boundaries.”

“Oh my gosh, Hannah.” My head falls forward, and a laugh bubbles out of me as tears build behind my eyes. I blink rapidly, trying to get them to fall before they stain my cheeks. I’m such an ugly crier. “You don’t have to buzz off. It would be nice to have some friends here.”

Her arms wrap around me, and I startle at the fact that I didn’t realize she’d gotten up. What happened to being aware of your surroundings, Kait?

“You’re part of the Framily, whether you want to be or not. Especially now that you didn’t tell me no on the book club thing.”

“Framily?” I ask, ignoring the book club comment. I honestly wouldn’t mind them having it here. Hell, maybe they’d let me join.

She nods. “Framily, friends we see as family. It’s what we call ourselves. Cheesy, I know. But we’re fun, promise.”

“Okay then, let's hear these ideas of yours.” I sit in the bean bag across from the one she was in, and she sits, rubbing her hands together as she does.

We spend the next two hours talking about all the different things she wants to do with both the foundation and with the actual Hawks organization. By the end of it, I’ve almost forgotten about the possibility that I stuck my foot in my mouth.

“Do you want to come to book club with me tomorrow? It’s at Little Bird Ranch, it’s Monroe and Lettie’s turn to host,” she asks, as she picks up the bags she came in with.

I pick up a few to help her, and we head toward the door. “Are you sure I’d be welcome?”

“Definitely. We’d love to have you.”

I find myself smiling, a real, genuine one. Hannah’s one of those people who instantly makes you feel at ease, so full of joy that you can’t help but want to be close to the source.

“Sure, text me the details?” I ask, holding out my phone so she can put her info in. She calls her phone with my own. It only rings once before she hangs up.

Hannah

Hannah Wilder :)

She texts back. “See you tomorrow, Kaitlyn. I’m really glad you’re here,” she says with a wink.

Yeah, I’m really glad I’m here, too. I think as I settle into my desk chair.

My eyes flutter closed, lulled into a state of catatonic bliss by the swiveling motion as I run through my day. It started out with coffee, then I got to pet a dog, even if her owner was a bit more prickly than he was last time I saw him. But then I got to spend the day talking about my favorite books, and finally, my brain shut down all the fears over Hannah just being nice at the arena when she showed up.

We have two events locked in with the foundation. One at the ranch, one at the animal shelter. Both of which are events where kids will be reading to animals. I, for one, can’t wait to witness that. I don’t actually have any children's books, but I’ll make a post about it tomorrow to see if anyone local has some they’d like to donate for the cause.

Oh shoot. My eyes fly open, quickly snatching my phone off my desk, my fingers fly across the screen.