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“What’s her story?” Hannah asked Grady as they watched her go.
“She’s … wait!” His eyes widened. “She’s not … I’m not … I never …”
She had to laugh. “I didn’t think so. Don’t look so worried. I just wondered what her deal is. Why she’s here by herself.”
Grady checked on Ava before he spoke again. She was skipping ahead of them. “She’s kind of new in town. I think she and Ava hit it off because they were both new when school started back in the fall. Becca took the job because her boyfriend wanted to move here. He only lasted a few weeks before he got a better offer and wanted to move again. She’d committed herself to the kids by then. She asked him to wait and see out the school year, but he left without her.”
“Aww.”
“Maybe. I’d say she’s better off without him. She thinks so, too. But this can be a hard place to live when you don’t know anyone. Most of the other teachers are older and married. So, she’s on her own.”
“Aww. We should invite her over.”
Grady raised his eyebrows. “Do you think that’s a good idea? She’s Ava’s teacher.”
“Oh. I don’t know. Don’t you?”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I’m just wondering.”
“Me too. I have no idea if there’s a certain etiquette, a distance that you’re supposed to maintain from your child’s teacher or if it’s okay.”
“Me neither.”
Hannah looked over to where Becca was now standing, nursing a cup of hot chocolate. “I’m going to see what I can do. I know how it feels to be all by yourself like that. It sucks.”
Grady wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against him. “You’re a sweetheart.”
She frowned as she saw Ava dart ahead of them, but then relaxed when she realized where she was going. She’d spotted Molly and Marcos. Molly was pushing a stroller, and they were leading a bunch of their friends.
By the time they reached them, Ava was squatting down beside the stroller cooing at Luca, who was all wrapped up in blankets. His little face peeked out from under a knitted cap, and he smiled and waved his arms when Ava waggled her fingers at him.
Hannah’s heart pounded. She’d told Molly and the other girls not so long ago that she’d love to meet someone who wanted to get married and have babies with her. Now, she was wondering whether she’d found him.
Grady lowered his lips next to her ear and murmured, “It feels like someday’s getting closer again.”
She looked up at him and nodded. They kept saying it was too soon to talk about the serious stuff – and it was. But they kept talking about it.
“Hannah!Bella!” Antonio was the first to reach them and he wrapped her up in a hug, swinging her around before setting her down and kissing both her cheeks. “I can’t believe I haven’t seen you yet.” He scowled at Grady, but she could see the smile behind it. “I hear this guy’s been hogging all your free time.”
“More like I’ve been hogging his.”
Antonio grasped Grady’s shoulder and pulled him in for a hug, too. “I’m happy. Very happy. I should have thought to introduce the two of you before now. You’re perfect for each other.”
Typical Antonio; he was never one to beat about the bush, or to give a thought to whether his words might embarrass anyone. Grady grinned back at him, not embarrassed in the least. But it tickled Hannah to see Antonio’s wife, Mary Ellen, shoot her an apologetic look and haul him away.
“Give everyone else a chance to say hi, would you?”
Grady chuckled. “It’s okay, Mary El. He’s not putting his foot in it. In fact,” he smiled at Hannah, “for once, I’m happy to tell him that he’s right. We are perfect for each other.”
She felt heat in her cheeks. But she didn’t mind him saying that in front of all of them. She loved it.
Chelsea grinned at her. “I told you that you needed him in your calendar.”
She laughed. “You did. And that reminds me. I need to talk to the printer in the morning.”
“You do,” said Mary Ellen. “This guy can’t wait to see himself in there.”
Antonio grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “Neither can you!”
