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“This is my home. Who I have here is nobody’s business.” A scoff fell from Hannah’s lips, and then she got to her feet, flicking the kettle on. “Cuppa?”
“Yes, please.” Okay, this was a positive step. Hannah’s hostility had gone. Now it was just that beautiful woman standing before Caroline. And besides, today’s meeting should never have been about them. Edie was the reason they’d met at all earlier. “You have a really lovely home.”
“Thanks. Since I spend most of my time here, I wanted it to feel cosy. You know?”
“I do.” When she’d asked Naomi to leave, Caroline had ripped most of the house apart and redecorated. She wanted it to feel like hers andonlyhers. Something with her mark on since she’d not had the opportunity to do so while they were together. Everything had been done on Naomi’s say-so. “You know, earlier when you said those things…”
“I was in a terrible mood. Please forgive me.”
“I just hope you know I don’t think or want any of those things from you. I’ve had the most wonderful time with you recently, Hannah. I really have.”
“But?” Hannah quirked an eyebrow, running a hand through her long blonde hair.
She stared Caroline down with those deep blue eyes, Caroline’s throat drying in the process.
“But this has to stop now. You’re Edie’s mother, and I can’t see you again as a client. It wouldn’t be right. I’m sorry.” Caroline hated this. Why did life have to be so difficult? “I probably shouldn’t have contacted you a second time.”
“Why?”
“Because I was fooling myself into thinking it was good for me. Thatyouwere good for me.”
“Thanks. I’ll try not to be offended by that.”
Caroline’s heart ached from the look in Hannah’s eyes. “It’s not you. You’re…a dream. It’s me. I can’t make someone else happy, Hannah. I can’t even be happy in myself.”
“That’s no way to live your life.”
“Perhaps not, but it’s easier this way. And I know Gail wants the best for me, all my friends do, but they don’t understand. Nobody understands. Having said that, you really did make me feel that little bit better about myself. So again, thank you.”
“I didn’t do or say anything to make you feel better about yourself. I wasn’t intentionally doing it because your friend had booked me or because you contacted me. I did it because it’s the truth. Anything I said…was the truth.”
Caroline felt that familiar blush she often did around Hannah. As much as she loved it, it was kind of pathetic. She was a middle-aged woman. Was she even supposed to blush anymore? “Well, I felt really good about myself. That was all down to you.”
“You’re gorgeous. There’s no denying that.”
Caroline hadn’t felt gorgeous in a long time. Naomi had stripped everything from her without laying a single finger on her. Could Caroline potentially allow someone to do that to her again? No, not in this lifetime. “So are you. And I hope that one day, you find whatever you’re looking for. Whether that is in your career or your love life, I hope you find the perfect person for you.”
Hannah offered a small smile, setting a cup of tea down in front of Caroline. “Here. Get this down you.”
“Thank you.” Caroline’s fingers brushed the back of Hannah’s hand as she removed it from the cup, a thrill jolting straight through her body. But she had to ignore it. Nothing good could come from feeling this way.
“You know, I’m kinda mad at you for being so against dating.” Hannah laughed as she fell down into her seat. “Super mad.”
Caroline’s forehead creased. “Why?”
“Because for the first time in my life, I felt that genuine connection with you, and you’re not bloody available. I’ve never felt that before. It’s always seemed forced. But, if you’re happy with the path your life is on, I won’t distract you. I’d like to keep in touch though, if you want to?”
“Oh, I didn’t say I was happy.” Caroline could admit to that. She was fairly certain that anyone who laid eyes on her could see that she wasn’t truly happy. “But I left my marriage, and I came away from it feeling…torn apart.”
“She broke your heart.” Hannah nodded slowly, her eyes focused on her cup of coffee.
Caroline scoffed. That was an understatement. “She brokeme.”
“Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it can be good for you.”
Caroline appreciated that, but there was nothing more to say. “Thank you, but I’ve dealt with it now.” That was a lie. If she’d dealt with it, she would be kissing the woman sitting before her. But she wasn’t one for taking risks. “I’ve come to terms with who I was before Naomi and who I am now as a result of her. I can live with that.”
Hannah held up a hand. “Then I will let you be.”
