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“Where the hell are you?I’ve been standing here for twenty minutes!”
“I’m leaving the house right this second.” The sound of Adele slamming the front door convinced Hannah that she was actually leaving. Finally. “I’ll be with you in like…half an hour. Go in and get a table and a drink. I’ll be there before you know it.”
Hannah shook her head. “I hope you realise that I turned down a client tonight so I could meet you for a girly night out. If you’re not here in half an hour, you owe me the two-fifty I’ve lost out on.”
“Yes, Eva.” Adele laughed as a car horn sounded in the background. “See, my taxi is here. I’ll be there soon.”
Hannah hung up, shoving her phone into her clutch bag and rounding the corner onto the main street. When she looked up at the bar, her eyes widened. Caroline was standing outside, another woman with her. Not knowing what to do, Hannah turned back around the corner. She couldn’t go into that bar if Caroline was there. Hannah would end up getting drunk and saying things she shouldn’t say to her. And tonight, she wasn’t an escort. She was just Hannah…plain and simple. To be in the same bar as Caroline was asking for trouble. Heart trouble.
With her back pressed to the wall, she took a few breaths, giving it a minute or two until the coast was clear. Then she would go to the bar next door and call Adele. Her best friend wouldn’t care where they spent their night so long as alcohol was involved.
“I’m quite disappointed,” An unfamiliar voice said as Hannah heard a sniffle. “A friend said they’d seen you in town a few months ago and that you looked great. That you’d been taking care of yourself. But, well…they clearly have avery differentdefinition of great than I do. You’ve put a lot of weight on, Caroline…”
“What do you want, Naomi?” Caroline’s voice held a vulnerability, sending Hannah’s stomach sinking. She sounded like a frightened child. “We’re divorced. Let me get on with my life.”
“Oh, I bet it’s a lonely life now, sweetheart. Without me there.”
“Actually, it’s a pleasant life without you there.”
Naomi laughed. “Pleasant isboring. But then again, you always preferred that, didn’t you?”
Hannah clenched one hand at her side, fighting back the urge to get involved in their conversation. As much as she hated everything she was hearing, Caroline wouldn’t appreciate her stepping in. They didn’t know one another well enough for her to do so.
“Well,” Naomi said. “It’s been a pleasure. But I have to get back inside now. My fiancée is waiting for me.”
“Y-you’re remarrying?”
“I am. Lucille is amazing. I was sleeping with her before I left you.”
Caroline laughed. “I think you’ll find thatIwas the one who leftyou.”
“Look at that. It’s all in your head, as usual. You should really see someone about it. It’s not healthy.”
“You’ve met someone else. Let me get on with my life. It’s been two years, Naomi.”
Hannah heard the sudden calmness in Caroline’s voice. She was probably used to trying to diffuse situations like this. Still, it didn’t make it right.
“I wish it had been far longer,” Naomi said, scoffing. “I wasted so much time with you, Caz. Our life was terrible; yourarelymade me happy, and the sex?” Naomi paused, a disgusting laugh piercing the air. “I feel sorry for whoever is fucking you now. Disappointing is an understatement.”
Hannah’s stomach sank at those words. How couldanyonetreat another woman this way? Hannah was shocked, to say the least. But more than anything, she felt sorry for Caroline and the fact she’d ever been subjected to a life with this woman.
“Well, it’s not your cross to bear anymore. Who I’m dating isn’t your business.”
“It should be! Women ought to be warned about getting tangled up with you. You maythinkthat you deserve more, that fucking fairytale you lived in your own head, but you really don’t. You were a terrible wife, and the sooner you realise you have very little to give in a relationship, the sooner you can be happy alone. You and I both know that you’ll never make another woman happy. I was easygoing, and you couldn’t even get that right.”
“Then I’m not sure what else there is to say.”
Hannah couldn’t listen to much more of this. If Caroline never spoke to her again, then so be it, but she couldn’t stand by and listen to such venom from another woman. Hannah released a breath, praying that she wouldn’t have to hear another word. God, her heart ached for Caroline.
“Actually, come with me. I’d like to introduce you to Lucille.” The sound of heels on concrete encouraged Hannah to peer around the corner. Caroline and Naomi had gone.
With determination her sole focus, Hannah strode towards the bar, smiling at security as she made her way inside. She scanned the bar, her eyes landing on the back of Caroline as the woman from outside introduced her to a leggy brunette. Caroline stood with her arms wrapped around herself, her legs seemingly a little unsteady.Be strong, Caz.Hannah willed Caroline to hear her thoughts.This woman is nothing!
Hannah did the only thing she could think of. She walked towards Caroline, placing a hand on the small of her back as she leant in. “Sorry I’m late, gorgeous.” Hannah turned her body and stood between Caroline and her ex-wife, her back to Naomi. And then she draped her arms over Caroline’s shoulders, leaning in towards her ear. “I’m going to kiss you now. Just go with it, okay?”
Caroline’s features softened, those green eyes sparkling as Hannah leaned in and pressed her lips to Caroline’s. When that perfume reached Hannah’s nose, Caroline’s lips so gentle, her knees almost gave out on her. Hannah knew she should pull back, she’d done what she’d intended to do, but she found herself sinking deeper into another world with Caroline Baker. God, this woman could kiss. It was that dreamy ‘first kiss’ she’d always craved.
