Page 10 of Better Than Expected

“Yeah, you gotta come and skate,” she heard the joking voice from behind her, and she whipped her head around to see Caroline approaching.

Her face shifted into a big, easy smile automatically, excited for the company even as she was surprised. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Caroline! You came!” Abbie shouted from across the paved area she was skating on. She pushed her helmet up over her now extremely messy hair and waved at her best friend with abject excitement written all over her face.

“Aaand Abbie invited you. Of course,” she sighed, but it was affection she felt.

It scared her, sometimes, just how attached Abbie had become to Caroline in such a short time. If only because there was the possibility of anything happening and Caroline walking away from them. She wasn’t obligated to be with them in any way, especially now that they’d finalized the divorce.

Caroline was no longer her lawyer. She was a presence in her life; in their lives.

And if Hannah was honest with herself, the night before her final hearing for the divorce, she’d been riddled with anxiety. The anxiety had kept her awake all night – revolving around what would happen regarding Abbie’s custody, mostly. And a thousand other things involving Abbie and Michael and money and, and, and…

But then a thought that stopped her dead in her tracks – at the height of her anxieties, after Abbie – was… would Caroline leave them, now?

The thought had made a cold stone of dread sink in her stomach. Because Abbie had gotten so attached; she idolized Caroline. And it was such a pure love that Hannah adored seeing it on her daughter’s face. She didn’t know what she’d do if Caroline decided that it was over, when the divorce was over.

They were friends; Caroline wasn’t watching Abbie and hanging out with her out of the fact that she was the world’s greatest divorce attorney. No, she knew that. But the what ifs ran her ragged.

But here Caroline was. Two weeks post-divorce and showing up as usual.

“She invites me, and I come running.” Caroline bowed as if to royalty, before straightening and smiling at Hannah.

There was something about Caroline’s smile that she found so gripping.

“She does have that power,” she agreed.

She took in Caroline’s casual attire – she’d seen her out of business suits in the last six months many times. But in a way, it was still so odd, given that it was almost all she’d ever seen her in for the eight years they’d known one another before this – the leggings and the button-up shirt that had a little tie on the side.

Her clothing always showed off the curves in her body and always spoke of quiet expense. Never flashy, the way Michael was with his money. Caroline had subtly classy taste, and she’d never once made Hannah feel less than in any way.

Then again, now that she knew Caroline’s family and that she’d come from a background similar to Hannah’s own… it made sense.

“Well, here’s the rub – your genius child is right. We can’t sit here and not skate at all,” Caroline said as she sat on the bench next to Hannah.

She turned to look at Caroline, arching a dubious eyebrow at her. “Excuse me?”

Caroline laughed and slid Hannah a pair of rollerblades. “Got your size and mine from the little rental stand.”

She meant to say no. She opened her mouth to say no.

But she heard Abbie cheering her on, and Caroline was smiling that smile at her – so cajoling and soft and engaging, with her wavy hair half-tied back and her dark eyes glinting brightly…

Ten minutes later, she’d let go of some of her tentative feelings on the skates and moved a little faster…

“You put up all of this resistance and you’re good at this?!” Caroline exclaimed next to her.

Hannah shook her head, casting her eyes toward the ground. “I’m not good at this, I haven’t done it in years. I just used to be good at it.” She glimpsed at Caroline, who skated easily alongside her. “You, though, appear to be actually good at this.”

Caroline shrugged. “Also more of a muscle memory. I have three older brothers! My childhood was all about catching up to them.”

Hannah opened her mouth to retort, before she instead gasped as her wheel hit a stick – a freaking stick could take her down! She dimly recalled that being a reason she hadn’t loved skating as she’d aged – and she flailed her arms out, sliding one foot forward on the rollerblade, as the other remained wedged and she was going down –

Until she found herself caught in Caroline’s arms.

Caroline had downplayed her skills for certain, Hannah thought, because she was sturdy as she held up Hannah and gently got her back to a balanced stand. “You okay?” She whispered, but kept her arms around Hannah’s midsection just in case.

Hannah nodded, her heart still beating like crazy in her chest even though she knew she was in no danger of falling now. And still, she kept her arms where they were over Caroline’s shoulders.

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